Section 2704. Powers of the authority

Except as otherwise limited by this
  title, the authority shall have power:
    1. to make and alter by-laws for the regulation of its affairs and the
  conduct of its business;
    2. to adopt an official seal and alter the same at pleasure;
    3. to maintain a principal  office  in  the  city  of  Watertown,  and
  regional  offices at such place or places as it may designate within the
  participating counties;
    4. to sue and be sued;
    5. to make and execute contracts and all other  instruments  necessary
  or  convenient  for  the exercise of its powers and functions under this
  title;
    6. pursuant to a plan approved, or amended and approved,  pursuant  to
  section  twenty-seven hundred five of this title, in connection with any
  project, to determine the feasibility, location and  character  of  such
  project  and  to  acquire,  construct,  or to acquire any interest in or
  right to capacity in, and to reconstruct, renovate,  replace,  maintain,
  repair,  enlarge,  extend,  operate,  lease,  as  lessee  or lessor, and
  regulate such project, to enter into contracts for any or  all  of  such
  purposes,  to enter into contracts for the management and operation of a
  project and, to enter into contracts for any or all  of  such  purposes,
  including contracts for the management and operation of such project and
  to  sell,  lease,  mortgage  or otherwise dispose of any project or part
  thereof to the state, any person, public corporation or municipality;
    7. to borrow money and to issue bonds of the authority for any of  its
  corporate  purposes, to secure the same with its revenues or other funds
  and otherwise to provide for and  secure  the  payment  thereof  and  to
  provide  for  the  rights  of  holders thereof and to fund or refund the
  same.
    8. to make contracts  and  to  execute  all  necessary  or  convenient
  instruments,   including   evidences   of  indebtedness,  negotiable  or
  nonnegotiable in each case for securing its bonds or to  provide  direct
  payment of any costs which the authority is authorized to pay;
    9.  subject to any limitation imposed or authorized by law, to fix and
  revise from time to time and charge and collect rates, rents,  fees  and
  charges for the use of and for the services furnished or to be furnished
  by  a  project  or  any portion thereof and to contract with any person,
  partnership, association or authority or other body  public  or  private
  including  a  public  corporation  in respect thereof provided, however,
  that the authority shall not have the power, within any city, to collect
  rentals, charges, rates or fees from the owners of real estate,  or  the
  occupants  of real estate (other than the occupants of premises owned or
  controlled by such authority, or by the  state  or  any  civil  division
  thereof), for services or facilities furnished or supplied in connection
  with such real estate, if such services or facilities are of a character
  or  nature  that  as  of  the  enactment  of  this  act or formerly were
  furnished or supplied by the city, unless the electors of the city shall
  approve the granting to such authority of such powers by a majority vote
  at a general or special election in such city;
    10. pursuant to a plan approved, or amended and approved, pursuant  to
  section  twenty-seven  hundred  five  of this title and upon approval by
  resolution of the governing body of the county in which such property is
  located, to condemn, in the name  of  the  authority,  pursuant  to  the
  eminent domain procedure law, any real property within the participating
  counties  required  by  the  authority  for any project to carry out the
  powers granted by this title;
    11.   to   employ   consulting   engineers,   architects,   attorneys,
  accountants,   construction   and  financial  experts,  superintendents,

  managers, and such other agents as may be necessary in its judgment, and
  to fix their compensation;
    12.  pursuant to a plan approved, or amended and approved, pursuant to
  section twenty-seven hundred five  of  this  title,  to  assist  in  the
  planning, development and construction of and the financing of, the cost
  of any project whether or not such project is to be owned or operated by
  the  authority, including any project as defined in title one of article
  eighteen-A of the general municipal law,  provided,  however,  that  the
  authority  shall  not  assist in the construction of or financing of the
  cost of a project as defined in title one of article eighteen-A  of  the
  general  municipal  law  unless  such project has first been approved by
  resolution of the governing body of  each  municipality  in  which  such
  project is located;
    13.  to  receive  and  accept loans, grants, aid in any form, gifts or
  contributions from any source of either money, property, labor or  other
  things  of value and, subject to the provisions of this title, to comply
  with the terms and conditions thereof;
    14. to enter into any lease of or to mortgage  any  property,  project
  and the site thereof;
    15.  subject to any agreement with the holders of its bonds, to invest
  moneys of the authority not required for immediate use in obligations of
  the state or the United States or obligations the principal and interest
  of which are guaranteed  by  the  state  or  the  United  States  or  in
  certificates  of  deposit or time deposits secured in such manner as the
  authority shall determine, or in obligations of any agency of the  state
  or the United States which may from time to time be legally purchased by
  savings  banks  within  the state as an investment of funds belonging to
  them or in their control, or in  any  other  obligations  in  which  the
  comptroller  of  the  state  is authorized to invest pursuant to section
  ninety-eight of the state finance law or any successor provision of law;
    16. subject to any  agreement  with  the  holders  of  its  bonds,  to
  purchase  bonds,  of  the  authority  out  of any funds or moneys of the
  authority available therefore, and to hold, cancel or resell the bonds;
    17. to contract to render and to render such services  to  the  United
  States,   or  any  public  agency,  public  authority,  municipality  or
  political subdivision of the state, as the United  States,  such  public
  agency,  public  authority,  municipality or political subdivision shall
  request, with respect to  the  custody,  administration,  management  or
  servicing   of  obligations,  projects  and  property  of  such  entity,
  including but not limited to the use  of  the  premises,  personnel  and
  property  of  the  authority,  and  may provide for reimbursement to the
  authority for any expenses necessarily  incurred  by  the  authority  in
  rendering such services;
    18.  to appoint such officers, employees and agents as it may require,
  prescribe their duties and qualifications and fix their compensation;
    19. to establish such reserves as the  authority  deems  necessary  or
  appropriate;
    20.  to  acquire  by lease, purchase or gift, hold and dispose of real
  and personal  property  (whether  tangible  or  intangible),  which  are
  located  within  the  state,  or any interest therein, for its corporate
  purposes, and, subject to any agreement with the holders of  its  bonds,
  to  sell any mortgage or loan or other personal property acquired by the
  authority, at a public or private sale and at such price or prices as it
  shall determine;
    21. to enter into agreements, in its discretion, to pay annual sums in
  lieu of taxes to  any  municipality,  political  subdivision  or  taxing
  district  of the state in respect of any real property which is owned by

  the authority and located in such municipality, political subdivision or
  taxing district;
    22. to contract with persons, municipalities and the United States for
  the use of projects and for the fixing and collection of rates, rentals,
  fees  and  other  charges  for  the  use  of  such projects, or services
  rendered by, or any commodities furnished by  the  authority  so  as  to
  provide  revenues  sufficient  at  all  times  to pay, as the same shall
  become due, the principal and interest on  the  bonds,  notes  or  other
  obligations  of  the  authority  together with the maintenance of proper
  reserves therefor, in addition to paying, as the same shall become  due,
  the  expenses  of  operating  and  maintaining  the  properties  of  the
  authority, together with proper reserves for debt service, depreciation,
  maintenance and contingencies and all other obligations and indebtedness
  of the authority;
    23. to coordinate the activities of state agencies and authorities  to
  provide community facilities in the region;
    24.  to  participate  in  federal  programs for the insurance of loans
  including programs which require the authority to share any loss arising
  out of any loan insured by the federal government; and
    25. to do all things necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes
  of the authority.