According to a 26-page report released Thursday by several green groups, Lake Champlain and the surrounding region continue to be at risk from oil spills and explosions. It said that given inadequate safety protections, an immediate moratorium on tar sands transportation is needed to protect communities and wildlife.

Phil Brown, Editor of Adirondack Explorer, reports on making it easier to get to Allen Mountain, and says that in theory, the state’s recent acquisition of the 6,200-acre MacIntyre East tract could shorten the 18-mile round trip hike and eliminate fording the Opalescent River.

 Kim Smith Dedam says the club is looking to add 22 homes and move into Forest Brook with a $45 million investment.

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 LAKE PLACID — A $45 million investment is poised to ready expansion at the Whiteface Club & Resort.

Twenty-one new estate lots in a quiet neighborhood called Forest Brook Manor are being prepared to go on the market, with roadways and infrastructure, including municipal water, sewer and buried power lines, under construction this month.

Two of the properties are already under contract. And another home in the resort is under construction beside the golf course.

The expansion underway here looks to add a total 22 properties in the coming year.

It is the final development phase in a master plan formulated between 1996 and 1998, according to Whiteface Club & Resort General Manager Mark Sperling.

“This was all approved in permits issued by the Adirondack Park Agency and the zoning boards going back to the 1990s,” he explained.

“We’ve sold off the vast majority of existing lots. It’s time to move into (Forest Brook),” Sperling said of the move to build the southern section of the resort this summer.

“And we’re responding to the market again.”

STEADY PROGRESS

Whiteface Club & Resort was established through a partnership of local investors Pat Barrett, Edwin Wiebrecht Jr., Greg Peacock and Bart van der Meer.

The owners and administration grew up here and have raised families in the Adirondacks.

“We grew up around each other and, I think, understanding that, we brought a lot of our North County sensibility and a dedication to make something special," Sperling said.

Inspiration to build Whiteface Club & Resort grew out of an existing historic site.

The vision came from a property that once held the three-story Westside Inn, built in 1881 by early Lake Placid settler Oliver Abel. The early lodging house grew to encompass the Whiteface Inn and, in time, added the region’s first professional-level golf course.

As the property met with a period of inactivity, the partnership of local business owners recognized its place.

“We came here, we saw that this was a jewel of a piece of property that just needed to be polished,” Sperling said.

The polish has earned distinction, even through economic crisis.

"We’ve had five years running as the top wedding venue in the Albany region and the Adirondacks," he said. "In 2014, we were ranked 4th Best Classic Golf Course in New York State.”

CONTINUITY, VITALITY

Long-term planning is very much a part of the Whiteface Club & Resort restoration story.

Small areas of the resort carve out neighborhoods with 10 and 11 homes, condominiums and cabins separated by wooded areas, brooks and the golf course.

For an Adirondack resort community to survive the test of time, Sperling said, requires continuity and vitality.

Even with the real-estate market crash in 2008 and resulting recession, he said, the Whiteface Club & Resort was able to sustain its path and its plan as a destination resort.

“We saw continued growth and continue investment on the part of the partners and, with that, continued success."

The sustained effort is less about "development" than it is about measured community growth, he explained, by paying careful attention to details and perseverance.

“You have to keep moving forward, you have to build for success. Regardless of the climate, you continue to build for the future,” Sperling said.

“It’s not a short-term vision that often plagues many developers. We consider ourselves community planners."

‘OLD-TIME FEELING’

The resort, encompassing an edge of Lake Placid Lake, marked steady progress in amenities and grounds through the past decade. Restaurants, clubhouses, gardens, the marina, recreation and ski trails, tennis courts and the golf course form a resort core at the lakeshore.

Amenities at the Club & Resort are open for public use, including the restaurants and the golf course.

“And we’re affordable to the public,” Sperling said. “Our goal is to provide an environment for people who have vacation homes to just relax, keeping an old-time feeling of clubiness.”

ECONOMIC IMPACT

The majority of Whiteface Club & Resort’s master plan has been accomplished. These last 22 properties take the final step toward completion.

The open lots vary from 1.5 to 3 acres, and homes start at about $1.2 million, usually providing a second home and an all-season retreat for people who enjoy spending time in the Adirondacks.

“We’re custom builders, so we go through a custom-design process with our customers. Every home is unique,” Sperling said.

“Our clientele are from all over — they are people who are attracted to the Adirondacks and attracted specifically to what we’re doing.”

Sustained growth by careful planning measures carries a substantial local economic impact.

Sperling estimates the Club & Resort adds approximately $1.6 million to combined county, town and school-tax revenue.

Long-term, the last 22 lots would add approximately $45 million to $55 million to the tax base when all are sold and built.

He said that would translate into as much as $545,000 a year in town, county and school taxes based on present rates.

Work on infrastructure gets underway this month.

The contract for road construction, water-system installation and power lines went to Luck Brothers, of Plattsburgh.

 Reporter Dan Heath says that the the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau, a division of the North Country Chamber of Commerce, has created the Adirondack Coast GeoTrail. It is a

In a press release, the Adirondack Council says that four conservation organizations from the Adirondack Park and Champlain Valley praised a decision by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to rescind its 2014 decision not to require a full environmental impact statement from a company seeking permission to import heavy crude oil from Canada.

 A report states that boat stewards will be deployed at 14 new locations, and 11 new decontamination stations will be available across the Adirondacks this summer, as part of a collaborative program to prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species in the Adirondacks.

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 ALBANY – Boat stewards will be deployed at 14 new locations, and 11 new decontamination stations will be available across the Adirondacks this summer as part of a collaborative program to prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species in the Adirondacks.

State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens announced Friday that the pilot program is the result of an agreement reached among more than 60 conservation groups, owners associations, and local and state governments in March to work together to help preserve clean water, increase recreation opportunities and promote tourism.

Starting Memorial Day weekend, boat stewards will be deployed at the following locations:

Fish Creek Pond Campground, near Saranac Inn

Carry Falls Reservoir, Stark

Chazy Lake

Golden Beach Campground, Raquette Lake

Brown’s Tract Pond Campground, Raquette Lake

Limekiln Lake Campground, Inlet

Lewey Lake Campground (Indian Lake Launch and Lewey Lake Launch), Sabael

Moffitt Beach Campground, Lake Pleasant

Piseco Lake Campgrounds, Piseco

Town of Day Launch

Hinckley Flow Reservoir

Northhampton Beach Campground, Mayfield

Hudson River at Luzerne.

The Clifton-Fine boat decontamination station also opens this holiday weekend. Additional boat washing stations are scheduled to open in June at Paul Smiths, Ray Brook, Cadyville, Northville, Chateaugay, South Colton, Speculator, Okara Lakes, Horicon and Piseco.

New York state is working with local governments, lake associations, the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program and Paul Smith’s College Watershed Institute in taking a front-line defense against invasive species such as Eurasian watermilfoil and spiny water flea in Adirondack waterways. This effort is funded by the state Environmental Protection Fund. The new state budget included an additional $1 million in the EPF targeted specifically for combatting aquatic invasive species.

"Through this partnership program we aim to significantly reduce the threat posed by aquatic invasive species that could harm the health of our rivers, lakes and streams and the fish and plants that inhabit them," Martens said. "Starting Memorial Day weekend, and throughout the summer, a pilot program in the Adirondacks will focus on boater education, boat inspections and boat decontamination. Governor Cuomo recognizes the importance of these efforts and provided increased funding in this year’s budget to fight invasive species. Our partners in this program bring invaluable resources, knowledge and talent that together will benefit residents, tourism and the environment."

The program will strategically locate inspection stewards and decontamination stations along highway corridors with high boat-trailer traffic and near waterbodies with significant aquatic invasive species concentrations. The stewards, hired and trained by Paul Smiths College, will show arriving boaters the signs of possible invasive threats on their watercraft and trailers. Using high-pressure, hot-water decontamination units, stewards will also clean boats that have not been cleaned and drained, especially those last used in waters with high risk for AIS. Boater participation is voluntary yet strongly encouraged.

Invasive species attach to the outside of boats or the bilge, live well, bait well and ballast areas on the inside of boats, wreaking havoc on native fish and plants as they travel from water bodies. Lake associations spend millions of dollars every year pulling Eurasian watermilfoil and they have to repeat this effort every summer. It is more economical to prevent invasive species than to try to eradicate them.

DEC collaborated with the state departments of State and Transportation to implement this pilot program.

—

Boat cleaning tips

DEC advises boaters and anglers to thoroughly check boats, trailers and equipment for plants or animals that may be cling to them. Then DEC encourages boaters to follow the CLEAN, DRAIN, and DRY standard:

1. CLEAN boats, trailers and equipment of any debris, and dispose of it in an upland area or receptacle.

2. DRAIN the boat completely, including bilge areas, live wells and bait wells. Water ski and wakeboard boat operators should be sure to drain all ballast tanks. Many aquatic invasive species can survive in as little as a drop of water, so it is imperative that all water is removed.

3. DRY all equipment for at least five days before using it in another water body. Longer drying times may be required for difficult to dry equipment or during damp or cool periods. Drying is the simplest and most effective way to ensure equipment does not transport plants or animals.

If boating equipment cannot be completely and thoroughly dried, it must be decontaminated prior to use in another waterbody.

 Chris Knight says that State Adirondack Park Agency staff are seeing an influx of applications for new tower projects in the Park. Staff are currently reviewing six new commercial cell towers plus a pair of towers that would be used for

A report states that The Lake George Association has been awarded $2,500 from the International Paper Foundation to support a program that monitors streams that feed Lake George to evaluate water quality.

The editorial staff reports that New York State has purchased the Berry Pond Preserve in Warren County in order to protect water quality in Lake George and its tributaries. The 1,436-acre property was purchased from the Lake George Land Conservancy with $1.7 million from the Environmental Protection Fund.

The Editorial Staff says that The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released an updated draft unit management plan (UMP) for the Camp Santanoni Historic Area, located on the NYS Forest Preserve in Newcomb, NY, in the heart of the Adirondack Park. Camp Santanoni is one of the oldest and largest of the early great camps and is a National Historic Landmark.

 Tom Salitsky says that Dennis Ryan, project manager of the renewable energy division of ECOsponsible, a Buffalo-based energy company, presented the Tupper Lake town board a proposal to lease the Setting Pole Dam property. Ryan said ECOsponsible would aesthetically enhance the site while installing hydroelectric turbines to generate power.

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TUPPER LAKE – Big changes may soon be in store for Setting Pole Dam.

On Thursday, Dennis Ryan, project manager of the renewable energy division of ECOsponsible, a Buffalo-based energy company, presented the town board a proposal to lease the property.

Ryan added that, in the lease agreement, the town would continue to control the elevation of the water, a concern for some living in flood zones like River Road and Water Street.

"All the developer does is use their products to generate electricity, make appropriate adjustments to the civil works, things like that," Ryan said.

The 7-acre property on the Raquette River has been a topic of contention since the fall of 2013, when former town Supervisor Roger Amell first proposed its sale to ECOsponsible. Amell said the dam had stress cracks along its surface, which he said could cost as much as $1 million to repair. At the time, the appraised value of the dam was $436,000, and ECOsponsible offered the town $400,000 for it, plus an agreement to donate $12,000 each year to the town’s amateur youth sports and summer day camp programs for 50 years.

ECOsponsible pulled the bid in November 2013 after the dam’s sale became an issue during the town supervisor election between Amell and Patti Littlefield, which Littlefield ultimately won. A new appraisal, completed in May 2014 by Advanced Appraisals of Saratoga Springs, assessed the value at $700,000. Since then, the board has debated the merits of selling the property. In February, it set a public hearing on June 4 to determine if its citizens were in favor of selling the dam and other town properties.

Ryan said ECOsponsible would aesthetically enhance the site while installing hydroelectric turbines to generate power.

"One of the things here … my artist put together is almost like a covered bridge that we could actually modify and cover the steel structure work on the top of Setting Pole Dam and make it look nice," he said. "We’d love to do some dark-sky-friendly lighting there for the area so people can see what they’re doing.

"(We’d like to put) some picnic tables and some garbage cans, maybe an Adirondack shelter so people can utilize the space as it’s intended for public benefit, as well as a floating dock upstream and downstream of the dam with some enhancements to the portage trail."

Ryan also addressed some of the long-standing safety issues of the dam.

"If someone were to fall in the water, there are no floatation devices or anything to throw to him," he said. "A lot of that stuff is challenging because the town is a town; they’re not a dam manager.

"The reality is, if we can work together, we can handle the safety. We’d be able to handle actually making everything safer and appropriate for families to use that location with a minimum risk."

Ryan explained the turbines only require a depth of 4 feet to generate electricity, and the company and town would be able to raise or lower the turbines as necessary. He said the project would cost about $4 million, not including the lease payment to the town, which could be paid annually.

Ryan said the company could sell the power generated by the dam to anyone who falls within Tupper Lake’s New York Independent System Operator territory, which runs from the St. Lawrence Seaway to Broome County, on the Pennsylvania line.

He also explained that municipalities, businesses and residents receive incentives for purchasing power within their territory through a practice known as "remote net metering."

"What (it) does is, if you buy power from me for 10 cents and it comes to your meter over here in Tupper Lake, National Grid provides an incentive of the retail rate," he said. "So if it’s 15 cents, you’ll actually get a 15-cent credit on your meter. Even though you’re only buying something for 10 cents, you get 15 cents credit, and the difference is an incentive for you to use local power. That remote net metering is a powerful tool to generate renewable energy in the area."

Ryan said he has also been negotiating with the village of Tupper Lake, which runs the local electricity distribution network.

"I’ve been talking to (Trustee) Rick (Donah) from the village to see if there might be an opportunity for us to work with the town of Tupper Lake and the village," he said. "As we know, the (Adirondack Club and Resort) is going on the hill, and with the snowmaking machines and everything like that, there’s going to be a need for power in this area.

"We can offer a long-term contract. We just signed a contract with a municipality in Jefferson County where it’s a 20-year deal, and the town knows for 20 years what their power is going to be. So 18 years from now, they can look at our contract and go, ‘Oh, wow, it’s $20 a kilowatt here, but we’re only paying $16 or $15, or whatever.’"

Ryan said the company estimates the dam can generate 1.1 megawatt hours per year.

"Hopefully, with the opportunities of the technology that is low-impact, fish-friendly, combines with the aesthetic enhancements of the Setting Pole Dam while maintaining the town ownership, I think it could be a win-win proposal for everyone," he said.

"The town would like to see your offer from your attorney," Littlefield said, inviting Ryan to attend the June 4 public hearing on the possible sale of town property. The

Brian Mann in Tupper Lake writes that weeks after he visited the Adirondacks and toured the proposed Adirondack Club and Resort project in Tupper Lake, N.Y., golf legend Greg Norman is reportedly backing the project.  The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reported Friday that ACR developer Tom Lawson confirmed the relationship in an interview. Norman has emerged as a major resort developer around the world. His participation could add significant cachet to the resort and attract additional backing.

Willie Janeway, Executive Director of the Adirondack Council, comments on the proposed Community Connector Multi-Use Trail Plan, which is now available for public review. People have 30 days to comment on the question of consistency between the Trail Plan and the Adirondack Park State Land Management Plan (SLMP).

 Denise A. Raymo reports that Emergency Services Director Ricky Provost updated county legislators recently on the progress of his goal to replace a tower on Mt. Pisgah with a shorter one. Many delays have occurred in order to meet exacting standards on the Mt. Pisgah site.

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 MALONE — Nearly $100,000 of grant money intended to improve emergency communications in Franklin County will go toward completing Adirondack Park Agency paperwork instead.

Emergency Services Director Ricky Provost updated county legislators recently on the progress of his goal to replace a tower on Mt. Pisgah with a shorter one.

The proposed structure is 180 feet tall compared to the 250-foot existing one.

A radio building, security fencing and a security system is also planned on the footprint.

The work is to improve communications with Essex County Emergency Services, which backs up Franklin County in case 911 service here is interrupted.

MORE DATA SOUGHT
Provost secured a permit for less complicated work at the West Hill tower site, which is also under APA control.

But many delays have occurred in order to meet exacting standards on the Mt. Pisgah site.

For example, Provost felt his initial application was complete but said it was returned with 19 additional items that the APA wanted addressed.

Those included having a surveyor document every tree on the proposed property that is greater than 6 inches around.

The County Highway Department has a surveyor on staff who did that work, but if he hadn’t been an employee, “that would have been a huge expense,” Provost said.

DELAYS

He has had the application rejected a few other times and said that every time the county’s application is returned as incomplete, it restarts the clock on when a final work permit will be issued.

The APA has 120 days from the time it deems an application complete to issue a permit, which can greatly reduce the construction window.

The county has a competitive price for the steel needed for the tower, but that price is locked in for just 60 days before it increases, which adds pressure.

MORE COSTLY

Because of the delays, the county also needs to modify its contract with its engineering contractor, Beardsley Design Associates.

The contract for the entire project was agreed upon at $170,000, but the firm says it has already incurred $180,000 in expenses and expects the bill to rise to $220,000 by the end, Provost said.

About $96,000 was spent exclusively on the APA application process, he said, but the funds can be taken from the grant to pay for it.

 Chris Knight says that the Village of Saranac Lake is throwing its support behind a week-long summer bike tour of the Adirondack Park that will begin and end here. The riders currently registered are from 26 different states in the U.S., plus Canada, "and the majority of them are saying that this is their first visit ever to the Adirondacks," Doug Haney, Cycle Adirondacks event manager, said.

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SARANAC LAKE – The village is throwing its support behind a week-long summer bike tour of the Adirondack Park that will begin and end here.

Cycle Adirondacks is organized by the Saranac Lake-based Adirondack Chapter of the Wildlife Conservation Society. It’s meant to showcase the scenery and towns of the Adirondacks, and give a deeper appreciation of the Park to people who’ve never been here before.

The village board approved a site agreement Monday with the event’s organizers that allows them to use Riverside Park for opening and closing concerts and a beer garden.

The tour will begin at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 23 with a ceremonial start at Main Street and LaPan Highway. It includes overnight stops in Star Lake, Boonville, Camden, Old Forge and Long Lake. The tour will end in Saranac Lake on Saturday, Aug. 29.

When it was first announced, organizers said they hoped to draw in as many as 600 riders. Doug Haney of Saranac Lake, Cycle Adirondacks’ event manager, told trustees Monday that about 150 people have registered so far.

"That’s quite a bit shorter than our initial goal, but we know our initial goal was a little bit aggressive," Haney said. "We know that this is going to be a successful event for the long term, and it’s one of those things where you have to have a product to start with in order to bring in the numbers."

The riders currently registered are from 26 different states in the U.S., plus Canada, "and the majority of them are saying that this is their first visit ever to the Adirondacks," Haney said.

"I think this is going to be really big for us," said Mayor Clyde Rabideau.

"I love the fact that it starts and ends here," added Trustee Allie Pelletieri.

In addition to the full tour, which averages 50 to 78 miles per day, Haney said organizers recently added shorter and less expensive three- and four-day options because

 Kim Smith-Dedam reports that a proposed new cellular phone tower in Wadhams is close to winning Adirondack Park Agency OK. 

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RAY BROOK — A proposed new cellular phone tower in Wadhams is close to winning Adirondack Park Agency OK.

On Thursday, the Regulatory Affairs Committee unanimously moved the plan to the full APA Board, where it likely will be approved Friday.

Discussion centered on a subjective “visual” threshold for tower height, particularly when seen against the sky.

Verizon Wireless had initially looked for a somewhat taller tower in Wadhams.

The original tower design — a 112-foot monopole — was planned to stand above the treeline and be skylit when viewed from the intersection of Route 22 and Young’s Road in the Town of Westport hamlet of Wadhams.

APA planning staff lowered the tower height to 102, plus the 5-foot crown branch, after Verizon Wireless architects conducted balloon tests with the agency last year.

The taller tower proposed first, she said, had the “most potentially significant view” at Young’s Road.

“(It) was not doable,” she told the board. “What we did is we asked them (Verizon) to do a simulated white pine tree.”

Further photo-simulation review shaved another 5 feet from the tower height because, even with a 10-foot white pine “crown branch” on top, the cell tower would have stood out on the forest ridge.

The final design does include a lightning rod extending beyond the 107-foot tower.

“The 107 feet is what your eye would be visually drawn to," Yamrick said.

IMPACT CALIBRATION

Visual impact assessment is a form of calibration for APA,” explained Rick Weber, who is deputy director of regulatory programs.

“(Cell-phone companies) are familiar with this guidance. …towers are predominately a visual impact assessment issue,” he said, saying that APA staff works extensively with cell-phone companies to balance height with visual impact during the pre-application process.

There is always a tension between carriers wanting to get a tower as tall as it can be and the APA working to diminish visual impact, Weber said.

“This is one (tower) that I think is a very good job.”

AS TREES GROW

Sherman Craig, chairman of the Regulatory Affairs Committee, asked commissioners to weigh in on the height versus visibility balance that is a sensitive part of APA Tower’s Policy review.
“Are you feeling that it’s too much? Or can you tolerate a little more (visibility with the Wadhams tower)?” he asked.

Commissioners asked whether tree heights around cell towers limit communication performance, especially as the trees grow.

“We haven’t encountered that with any of the applicants coming back for subsequent approvals … to date,” Weber said.

“That is another reason why they try to establish the type of height that they need now,” he added.

Commissioner Richard Booth said the shorter white pine — the final tower design — is at the limit for him.

“I think at skyline, this is about the edge,” he said.

Booth suggested that APA staff chronicle and track changes in landscape views around towers.

Commissioner Arthur Lussi offered the opposite opinion.

“I cannot tell you that I think this (monopole) is different than the branches. (It) does not intrude on my invisibility.”

DEFINING TERMS

APA Chairwoman Lani Ulrich said it is not unusual to see a lone white pine poking up from a ridge.

“I am fine with this. I do like the cloaking that you’ve done here,” she said.

Fred Monroe, who represents the Local Government Review Board, suggested that “not readily discernable” is synonymous with “substantially invisible,” and it might be used to clarify visibility review, which all agreed is a fairly subjective process.

“When we talk about issues in the park and the need for cell coverage, I personally could tolerate a little bit more than this,” Sherman said.

The new cell tower in the Town of Westport hamlet of Wadhams would be built at the edge of a forest lot, slightly north of the busy settled community, 157 feet from County Route 10.

Yamrick said the project site has an extensive grading and erosion-control plan to address concerns voiced by the Town of Westport.

“Any slopes greater than 3:1 will receive geo-synthetic matting or rip-rap,” Yamrick said.

CO-LOCATION POTENTIAL

The coverage area casts a wide swath around Wadhams, spotted in sections behind a knoll that sits behind the tower site.

“No comment letters were received as part of the project,” Yamrick said.

The New York Air National Guard said the tower’s height will not cause any significant impact on military training in the Adirondack airspace.

In addition, Verizon Wireless is making provision for space on the tower for co-location of other communication equipment.

Typically, another provider might "lease" room for a "branch" antenna to improve coverage in the area.

Amanda May Metzger reports on the start of construction of a Courtyard Marriott, a new year-round hotel in Lake George.   

 Cristine Meixner reports that nine fire departments responded to a wildfire in Newcomb Saturday afternoon, May 9, that burned 26 acres and a camp.

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 NEWCOMB – Nine fire departments responded to a wildfire here Saturday afternoon, May 9, that burned 26 acres and a camp.

Fire companies from Newcomb, Elizabethtown, Long Lake, Minerva, North Hudson, Schroon Lake, Chilson, Pottersville, and Horicon rushed to the scene with 25 trucks, fearing a full blown forest fire would develop due to the dry conditions.

The fire was reported at 2:41 p.m. and was declared under control by 5:45 p.m., according to Essex County Emergency Services Director Don Jaquish. The fire departments were on the scene for some time longer.

Personnel from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation also responded, including fire coordinators. DEC is investigating the cause.

Jaquish said the fire affected 26 acres and the camp burned down.

 The Adirondack Park Agency Board of Commissioners will meet at its headquarters in Ray Brook Thursday, May 14, and Friday, May 15.

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 RAY BROOK — The Adirondack Park Agency Board of Commissioners will meet at its headquarters here Thursday, May 14, and Friday, May 15.Use http://www.apa.ny.gov and click Webcasting from the Contents List to watch the meeting.

Proposed amendments to the Jessup River Unit Management Plan (UMP) are on the agenda. The State Land Committee will convene Thursday to consider if they conform to the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan.

The amendments under consideration involve access improvements to the existing snowmobile trail network. The Jessup River Wild Forest is in the towns of Arietta, Wells, Indian Lake and Lake Pleasant in Hamilton County.

The committee will also consider authorizing public comment periods to solicit comments regarding State Land Master Plan conformance for the Alger Island and Fourth Lake UMP, the Vanderwhacker UMP and proposed amendments for the Meacham Lake Campground UMP. In addition, the committee will hear an presentation for the Santanoni UMP.

The Legal Affairs Committee will deliberate the agency’s proposed emergency project regulations Thursday. The regulations would define the types of projects that qualify as emergency actions and are exempt from the APA’s normal regulatory review.

The regulations would put in place a process to allow rapid response by landowners, municipalities and state agencies to emergencies. In addition, the proposed regulations would establish a streamlined after-the-fact certification procedure.

In other business:

– the Park Ecology Committee will hear presentations from the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program.

– the Regulatory Programs Committee will consider a proposal from Verizon Wireless to construct a 102-foot tall telecommunication tower concealed as a simulated pine tree in Westport, Essex County.

– the Enforcement Committee will be briefed on the process staff use to investigate and resolve potential violations.

– the Park Policy and Planning Committee will be briefed on the Town of Westport’s (Essex County) proposed amendment to the Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan map.

Meeting materials are available for download at http://apa.ny.gov/Mailing/2015/05/index.htm.

The Editorial Staff reports that Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) is seeking nominations for their 2015 Historic Preservation awards.The organization looks to recognize historic buildings that have been well-cared for over time, or brought back to life.

Zach Hirsch in Chesterfield, NY reports that The main trail on Poke-O Moonshine Mountain in the town of Chesterfield, in the northeast corner of the Adirondacks will get a makeover this fall.

Amanda May Metzger reports that the Lake George Land Conservancy, the nonprofit land trust that purchases and preserves land, met the deadline to take the next step toward buying roughly 75 acres of the mountain known as the Pinnacle.

 Chris Knight, Senior Staff Writer says that although village officials are are open to hosting a boat washing station to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, they don’t want it along the Lake Flower shoreline.

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SARANAC LAKE – Village officials are open to hosting a boat washing station to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, but they don’t want it along the Lake Flower shoreline.

At a meeting Monday night, the village Board of Trustees soundly rejected a plan to put a boat wash and decontamination station on village property next to the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Lake Flower boat launch on River Street. Lake Flower has been picked as one of nine such decontamination sites around the Adirondack Park under a one-year, state-funded pilot program.

The station would be on the flat, grassy area where the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Ice Palace is built each winter. Under the plan submitted to the village, a boat inspector from the Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute would assess boats that come through the launch. If a boat has visible aquatic plants or animals, or has come from a lake that’s known to have aquatic invasives, it would be directed to the decontamination site, where an AWI technician would wash it.

A stone driveway would be built from the boat launch, through the village’s property and exiting back out to River Street. An infiltration basin and swale would also be constructed to hold the water used to wash boats until it infiltrates back into the ground. Water for washing boats would be taken from a 550-gallon tank that would be put on the site and filled with water drawn, and filtered, from Lake Flower.

A site visit took place last week involving representatives of the village, the Watershed Institute, the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, the state Adirondack Park Agency and Department of Transportation, and the Lake George Park Commission.

Village Manager John Sweeney, who attended that site visit, said Monday he shared concerns about managing the amount of traffic that would use the site. DOT officials had similar concerns, he said.

Under the plan submitted to the village, boats would be allowed to move through the launch without inspection or decontamination if traffic at the site gets backed up.

"Overall, I still think they’re pushing forward with this site," Sweeney said.

"Do they have authority to push us?" asked Mayor Clyde Rabideau.

"No, I don’t believe so," Sweeney responded.

Sweeney said two alternative sites were considered: one in the village and another at the DEC offices in Ray Brook.

Rabideau said he wasn’t in favor of using the village’s property on Lake Flower. He said there are other sites "that make a lot more environmental sense, especially at the (DEC Second Pond) boat launch site upriver, where contamination may happen more so than it happens here at Lake Flower."

The mayor also said the Lake Flower site is a main thoroughfare and vista for Saranac Lake.

"It’s busy all through the summer. There’s a lot of traffic there," Rabideau said. "Plus, I fear that a boat decontamination site would be unsightly there. I dare say they wouldn’t get that far if they wanted to do it in Mid’s Park in Lake Placid. That would go over real big there, I’m sure.

"(The Lake Flower site) is a valuable piece of real estate in the summer, has a great vista, and there are other sites for this. I will not support it there."

Eric Holmlund, a village resident who directs the Adirondack Watershed Institute, told the board last month that Lake Flower was picked because it gets a lot of traffic, has several aquatic invasive species in it and it’s centrally located in the Tri-Lakes. If stewards at nearby launches inspect a boat and find invasives, they would refer the boat to Lake Flower for decontamination, Holmlund said.

Rabideau said Monday that backers of the proposal also want to use the Lake Flower site because it would give the program "public exposure" and "advertisement value."

"That’s nice, but why take up the best real estate in the whole village of Saranac Lake for a whole summer?" he said. "That’s not fair to the village of Saranac Lake."

Trustee Allie Pelletieri said he understands the idea that the site could be an educational tool to raise awareness about invasive species, but he said it makes more sense to do it at Second Pond.

"If you don’t clean (boats) at the state bridge, it just comes downriver to us," he said. "It seems more practical to do it upriver. We should push them in a different direction and see how we could make it work."

"I think it’s important to raise awareness about invasive species," said Trustee Barb Rice, "but that has to be balanced against a very prominent piece of property in the middle of the village. I wouldn’t want to say no completely, but if we could steer them to an alternate

Kim Smith Dedam reports that NYCO Minerals has completed test mining on state-owned Lot 8.
The company was exploring potential deposits of wollastonite with an eye to expand its mining operations in Lewis.

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LEWIS — NYCO Minerals has completed test mining on state-owned Lot 8.

The company was exploring potential deposits of wollastonite with an eye to expand its mining operations in Lewis.

The permitted test-drilling window ended on May 1.
NYCO spokesman John Brodt said the work, which started in December, proved promising.

“NYCO has completed its exploratory drilling on Lot 8 and is now analyzing the data to determine the quantity and quality of the wollastonite located there,” Brodt said via email.

“We expect this analysis to take three to six months, but we are encouraged by the initial findings.”

FEWER TREES CUT

The planned three-phase process was reduced to two phases, cutting the number of test-boring sites needed to 10.

The State Department of Environmental Conservation said in the revised Temporary Revocable Permit that Phase 3 is no longer necessary.

"No trees are to be cut on the access corridors and pad sites originally approved as part of Phase 3," DEC said. "This will result in approximately 515 trees being left uncut.”

The quality and amount of wollastonite geologists find will determine whether the mining company moves ahead with a plan to swap 1,500 acres of private land in exchange for the 200-acre Lot 8.

Currently owned by the state, Lot 8 is still part of the Jay Mountain Wilderness Area. The 200-acre plot adjoins one of the existing NYCO mines off State Route 9 in Lewis.

Exploratory mining was the inaugural part of Proposition 5, a state constitutional amendment approved by statewide referendum in 2013 that allows NYCO to explore and then possibly swap private acres for state land. The private acres would then become part of the Adirondack Park Forest Preserve.

COURT CHALLENGES

The test-mining process was held up for a year while several Adirondack-based environmental groups working with Earth Justice challenged the permit in court.

DEC had completed a forest inventory of Lot 8, helped establish the exploratory mining plans and set conditions before issuing a Temporary Revocable Permit.

In addition, DEC also amended the Jay Mountain Wilderness Unit Management Plan to “recognize that a constitutional amendment implicitly repeals the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan guidelines for Wilderness to make the Unit Management Plan consistent with the constitutional amendment, to note that detailed terms and conditions governing mineral sampling operations will appear in the (temporary permit).”

NO APPEAL

Last December, the State Supreme Court dismissed the environmental lawsuit and the environmental groups decided against appeal.

If NYCO pursues the land swap, then DEC would develop a land-use plan for adding the new parcels to the State Land Master Plan, which would be reviewed by the Adirondack Park Agency.

Land parcels among those selected for swap adjoin the Jay Mountain Wilderness Area.

Lohn McKinstry reports that Adirondack Council Executive Director Willie Janeway told members of the County Board of Supervisors who want to upgrade their drinking-water and sewage-treatment systems that the new state Clean Water Fund will hand out $300 million in grants over three years.

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 ELIZABETHTOWN — Adirondack Council Executive Director Willie Janeway got an earful Monday when he nudged Essex County lawmakers to take advantage of the state’s new Clean Water Fund.

Janeway told members of the County Board of Supervisors who want to upgrade their drinking-water and sewage-treatment systems that the new state fund will hand out $300 million in grants over three years.

The State Environmental Facilities Corporation will accept applications and distribute the money, and Janeway said his environmental group lobbied Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the State Legislature to create the fund to help small communities deal with the expense of updating their water and sewer infrastructure.

“The Adirondack Park hosts about 10 million visitors a year, and this is vital to the state’s tourism economy,” Janeway said.

“Many of the park’s 130 small, rural communities cannot afford the multimillion-dollar repairs and upgrades needed to keep their drinking water pure and their lakes and rivers clean.

“Even with zero-interest, long-term loans, our small communities need additional help to avoid placing a massive debt burden on local taxpayers. This (clean water) program was designed to provide that help.”

STREETS LEFT OUT

Lawmakers immediately began telling Janeway about their water and sewer woes.

“We are right now in the middle of a capital project in Bloomingdale,” Supervisor Charles Whitson Jr. (R-St. Armand) said. “The users in that community are responsible for $2.4 million as part of our payback.”

The $4.5 million project is replacing the failing wastewater treatment system in the town’s Bloomingdale hamlet, and Whitson said it doesn’t go far enough.

“There were items we could not expand upon because of lack of funding. We have five streets that lie within our sewer district that are not on the sewer plan.

The Adirondack Council today congratulated Thurman Town Supervisor Evelyn Wood and the Town Board for creating a new kind of broadband network that gives clear signals to remote locations without the aid of tall towers.

The Editorial Staff reports that the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) is seeking public comment on two general permits the agency says are designed to streamline and expedite the Park Agency’s review process.

 Editor Cristine Meixner reported on The Village of Speculator Planning Board’s vote taken on April 28th on the State Environmental Quality Review associated with Donald Rhodes’ proposed hotel. The Board met again on May 5th and took another vote. The vote came too late to make the May 6th issue of the paper.

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 SPECULATOR – The Village of Speculator Planning Board has voted 3-3 on the State Environmental Quality Review associated with Donald Rhodes’ proposed hotel.

The vote means three board members still have concerns that the project would cause significant environmental impact. They are new member Lisa Eckhoff, John Mullens and Ann Marie Miller.

Board members Chairman Daniel Burgess, John Foley and Jerry Garren voted for a negative declaration, meaning they believe the project would have no significant environmental impact. Member Karen McComb was absent.

New York’s State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) requires the planning board to consider environmental impacts equally with social and economic factors before issuing a permit.

Rhodes, representing Speculator Development LLC, has proposed demolishing the existing buildings at Lake Pleasant Lodge and replacing them with an 80-room, 38-foot high hotel with 80 parking spaces, a restaurant, a conference room and an indoor pool.

The property is on State Route 30, between Lake Pleasant and Elliot Lane. It is in a district zoned as ‘Commercial Business.’

Not all three who voted ‘nay’ did so for the same reasons, but the board decided to ask for more information on outdoor lighting, snow removal, drainage, and parking.

The board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, to continue working on the project, at which time Rhodes may submit additional information responding to the concerns.

The board discussed and voted on the SEQR Tuesday, April 28. Eight members of the public attended, with several speaking of their concerns, primarily saying an 80-room hotel is too large for the site.

The same concerns the board has been working on with Rhodes in pre-application meetings since October were brought up again. Rhodes answered questions from the board and sometimes rebutted comments.

FEASIBILITY

Eckhoff said several times that she wants the Adirondack Park Agency, the state’s regional land use arm, “to come in and take a look at this” and, “I am not sure there will not be an affect on our natural resources.”

Eckhoff is also concerned the board has not seen a feasibility study but is instead relying on what Rhodes says about it. “What happens to an 80-unit hotel that is not surviving?,” she asked Rhodes. “The other concern I have is you are going to sell it, it won’t be under you. You won’t be the owner.”

“Banks are risk adverse,” Rhodes replied, “and will not lend money on an iffy project. The feasibility study contains proprietary information and will not be made public.”

He noted that if he turns the study over to the board it would become part of the record and therefore subject to theFreedom of Information Act.

“My only problem is finding an operator who is not risk adverse to being in the village. It is easier to fill rooms on the Thruway. It will survive, but will it do as well as on the Thruway? That depends on the operator,” he said.

Eckhoff also raised the question of snow removal, something that has not been discussed much.

Rhodes anticipates storing plowed snow on site and removing it as needed from the parking area. He said during the winter he expects low occupancy except on weekends. “It won’t be that difficult to service,” he said. “Load it up and take it out on Fridays, before the weekends. It’s all part of managing your space.”

Planner John Foley agreed. “Removal of snow is not a big deal. A backhoe comes in and loads it on trucks and it is carted away.”

“I don’t know that would happen,” Eckhoff said. “I don’t think it’s right to assume it would happen.”

“Do you want to make it a condition of approval to require a snow management plan?” Rhodes asked.

“We’re talking about a huge commitment to this community. To think that snow removal would hold us back; snow removal is no big deal,” Foley said.

DEJA VOUS

Eckhoff then moved on to light and noise. “I think that’s going to be huge,” she said. “When you start bringing in delivery trucks, people, snowmobiles…”

“That’s why it is zoned Commercial Business,” Chairman Daniel Burgess said. He reiterated several times that Attorney to the Village Katie Smith has said the project complies with the village land use code.

“If the village attorney makes the decision why do we have a planning board?” Eckhoff asked.

“She researched the land use code and gave us her legal opinion,” Burgess replied.

“The job of attorneys is to give legal advice,” project neighbor David Hern said. “The job of the planning board is to determine if this proposed use would be compatible with and not detract from surrounding uses.”

Mullens said he wants a lighting plan, a snow removal plan, a drainage plan for onsite runoff, and an onsite parking plan.

Land Use Enforcement Officer Doug Sietsma told Mullens, “We’ve been through this; she’s new and you’ve been gone for six months. We’ve been through all of this.”

“Do you have a lighting plan?” Mullens asked.

“It is not required for the SEQR, but for the permit,” Seitsma replied. “The lighting plan and others will be addressed on the building plan.

“He’s trying to get

Phil Brown writes that NYCO Minerals has finished test drilling on Lot 8 in the Jay Mountain Wilderness, and now plans to assess the quality of the wollastonite found there. 

Staff writer Mike Lynch says that some scientists and anglers have begun to question aspects of the practice of stocking trout, particularly its large scale and use of non-native species.

Brian Mann’s special report on on the Adirondack Club and Resort proposed for Tupper Lake was produced in partnership with the Adirondack Explorer magazine. There are still questions about the resort’s financing and timeline for construction, and the project still faces big regulatory hurdles.

Brian Mann’s special report on on the Adirondack Club and Resort proposed for Tupper Lake was produced in partnership with the Adirondack Explorer magazine. There are still questions about the resort’s financing and timeline for construction, and the project still faces big regulatory hurdles.

Kim Smith-Dedam of the Press Republican reports that The Adirondack Park Agency has proposed two new rapid-response permits to combat invasive species. Both measures would allow faster, more comprehensive action to stop invasive species, such as emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle, from moving into Adirondack Park waters and forests.

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The Adirondack Park Agency has proposed two new rapid-response permits to combat invasive species.

Both measures would allow faster, more comprehensive action to stop invasive species, such as emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle, from moving into Adirondack Park waters and forests.
These permits would support efforts underway at several research organizations in the park.

‘OTHERWISE HAMSTRUNG’

The Adirondack Watershed Institute, based at Paul Smith’s College, monitors and responds to water-quality conditions and environmental challenges in the park.

Institute Executive Director Dr. Dan Kelting said the new permits could prove both cost effective and timely for their ongoing work, which has addressed the creep of invasive species with science and research since 1999.

“One of the things we’re hamstrung by is not being able to respond rapidly to a new aquatic invasion,” he told the Press-Republican.

“So, with our program, we go to lakes and do an aquatic plant survey. If we detect a new population of invasive species under the current system, we would have to go through a fairly lengthy permitting process, which may preclude us from being able to manage it that year.

“Having this rapid-response permit really would allow us to do the control immediately,” Kelting said.

“And that accomplishes a couple of things: One, it allows us to do the work quickly and, two, it makes response a lot more cost effective.”

‘MILLIONS IN DAMAGES’

APA Chairwoman Lani Ulrich said that, if left unchecked, invasive species could bring devastating impacts to biodiversity and diminish the park’s recreational opportunities.

The APA’s permit proposals come soon after the release of an eye-opening report by the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, which forecast nearly $900 million in damages to tourism and property value if the spread of invasives is left unchecked.

The “Actual and Potential Economic Impact of Invasive Species on the Adirondack Park” report recommends four key steps to avoid costly economic impacts:

• Pathway management.

• Public education.

• Rapid response and strategic control.

• Regulation and enforcement.

The proposed APA permits would especially address the latter two.

GENERAL PERMITS

General Permit 2015G-1 would authorize the use of benthic barriers — bottom screens that cover the sediment like a blanket, compressing aquatic plants and reducing or blocking light — and hand harvesting to eliminate or manage up to a half acre of aquatic invasive species within an individual waterbody, the APA said.

The second permit, 2014G-1A, is the reissuance of a general permit and would allow qualified users “to undertake invasive-control activities in terrestrial wetlands using best management practices, which may include the use of herbicides.”

Copies of both permits are available for public review and comment through Friday, May 29.

“I encourage all citizens to review these general permits and submit comments,” Ulrich said.

COLLABORATIVE

A lot of thought and planning went into the two regulatory mechanisms, Kelting said.

“The Park Agency has been very, very collaborative and at the forefront of helping us to combat invasive species.”

Eight species evaluated in the Invasive Prevention Program study include five already in the park: Eurasian watermilfoil, Asian clam, spiny waterflea, Japanese knotweed and spotted drosophila.

Three other invasive species are in close proximity: hydrilla, emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle.

The Invasive Prevention Program also calculated that 88 organizations spent a total $4.27 million, plus more than 12,000 volunteer hours, combating invasive species in the Adirondacks in 2013.

“Of all reported investments, 85 percent were directed at aquatic invasive species, primarily Eurasian watermilfoil,” the report said.

This summer, the Watershed Institute has a contract to run an Adirondack Regional Response Team for quick reaction to invasives.

It is, Kelting said, a collaboration with the Invasive Plant Program based at the Nature Conservancy in Keene Valley.

The spiny water flea infestation in the southern Adirondacks is a priority for their work this year, Kelting said.

ASSIST LAKE ASSOCIATIONS

The Watershed Institute is available to assist the many lake associations spread throughout the park.

Another newly formed group is also available to help