By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- The Town Council agreed on Wednesday to send letters to Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand asking them to urge Alcoa to remain in Massena and also voicing opposition to personnel cuts at Fort Drum.

Alcoa announced March 6 that an ongoing company-wide review could lead to plant closures worldwide. The company said 14 percent of Alcoa’s global smelting capacity and 16 percent of its global refining capacity could be affected.

“We have to keep it on the front burner,” Councilman Albert Nicola said. “He knows where the North Country is.”

Councilmen Samuel Carbone and Tom Miller said they met Schumer at a recent Association of Towns conference and briefly discussed Alcoa.

“He said ‘If they [lay people off], let me know immediately,’” Miller said.

Nicola, a former serviceman, said the town should oppose Fort Drum cuts because it helps the entire North Country economy.

“Fort Drum is a huge economic engine, not just for Jefferson County, but for St. Lawrence County,” he said. “I think we need to show support for that.”