Watertown City Council to talk future of hydro plant & fire department Monday

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - The City of Watertown will look to possibly hire a hydropower consultant and apply for more fire department personnel on Monday.

Put aside from it’s February 21st meeting, council may discuss a resolution which would director City Manager Ken Mix to prepare proposals for obtaining a hydropower consultant to look at power and recreational opportunities on the Black River.

The person would be hired for one year and help the city look at ways to increase hydropower capacity at it’s Marble Street plant as well as ways to capitalize on recreation, in line with it’s current local waterfront revitalization plan.

Until approved and sent out, it’s unclear how much this would cost .

Council could also give Fire Chief Matt Timerman the green light to apply for a SAFER Grant to support the hiring of 4 additional firefighters, costing more than $1.2 million. Timerman says if council decided to go this route, it would be the most cost effective option, covering labor costs of those firefighters for the next three years.

He predicts the the city would save about $1,356,000.