§ 903. General purpose and powers of authority. The purpose of the authority shall be to acquire, construct, reconstruct, improve, equip, operate and maintain adequate regional wholesale market facilities within the service area for the buying and selling of agricultural commodities and commercial fishing products and to conduct such other business activities as reasonably incidental thereto and in furtherance of the convenient, efficient, profitable and successful operation of such regional wholesale market facilities.

To enable the authority to carry out such purposes, the authority shall have power:

1. To sue and be sued;

2. To have a seal and alter the same at pleasure;

3. To borrow money and issue bonds for any of its purposes or its projects, or to refund the same, and to provide for the rights of the holders thereof;

4. To make and alter by-laws for its organization and management, and, subject to agreements with its bondholders, to make and alter rules and regulations governing the exercise of its powers and the fulfillment of its purposes under this title;

5. To acquire by purchase, grant, lease, gift, or otherwise and to hold and use property necessary, convenient or desirable to carry out its corporate purposes, and to sell, convey, mortgage, lease, pledge, exchange or otherwise dispose of any such property in such manner as the authority shall determine consistent with and subject to local zoning ordinances and laws;

6. To condemn real property within Suffolk county which shall be necessary for its corporate purposes, in the manner provided in the eminent domain procedure law, consistent with and subject to local zoning ordinances and laws, provided, further, that the approval of the county executive must be granted before such power is exercised;

7. To acquire, construct, lease, expand, improve, maintain, equip, furnish, operate one or more projects consistent with and subject to the local zoning ordinances and laws, and, if necessary, to pay or finance the cost thereof;

8. To accept gifts, grants, loans or contributions of funds or property or financial or other aid in any form from, and enter into contracts or other transactions with, the federal government, the state or any public corporation or any other source, and to use any such gifts, grants, loans or contributions for any of its corporate purposes;

9. To grant options to renew any lease with respect to any project or projects and to grant options to buy any project at such price as the authority may deem desirable;

10. To designate the depositories of its money;

11. To establish its fiscal year;

12. To enter into contracts and to execute all instruments necessary or convenient or desirable for the purposes of the authority to carry out any powers expressly given to it in this title;

13. To appoint such officers, employees and agents as the authority may require for the performance of its duties and to fix and determine their qualifications, duties, and compensation subject to the provisions of the civil service law and any applicable collective bargaining agreement, and to retain or employ counsel, auditors, engineers and private consultants on a contract basis or otherwise for rendering professional, management or technical services and advice;

14. To use employees, agents, consultants and facilities of the county, paying the county its agreed proportion of the compensation or costs pursuant to an agreement with the county;

15. To make and adopt plans, surveys and studies necessary, convenient or desirable to the effectuation of the purposes and powers of the authority and to prepare recommendations in regard thereto;

16. Except as limited by state law or regulation, to fix and collect rates, rentals, fees and other charges for the services rendered by or for use of the facilities or in the exercise of the powers of the authority;

17. To enter upon such lands or premises as in the judgement of the authority may be necessary, convenient or desirable for the purpose of making surveys, soundings, borings and examinations to accomplish any purpose authorized by this title, the authority being liable for actual damage done;

18. To insure or otherwise to provide for the insurance of the authority's property or operations;

19. For the purposes of article fifteen-A of the executive law only, the authority shall be deemed a state agency as that term is used in such article, and its contracts for procurement, design, construction, services and materials shall be deemed state contracts within the meaning of that term as set forth in such article; and

20. To do all things necessary, convenient or desirable, including ancillary and incidental activities, to carry out its purposes and for the exercise of the powers granted in this title.