LAKE PLACID — It’s that time of year again The North Elba Community Christmas fund is now collecting donations as they work to make Christmas special for children and families Zach Clark and his sister Cora have been leading this effort since 2019 although the community fund has been around since the 1970s they have around 125 kids signed up to receive gifts will be hard at work organizing gifts and packing meals as a way to bring joy to families this holiday season There are several ways to get involved with this year’s giving If you’re in the mood for some extra gift shopping the “elfing” trees have tags with a child’s age People can choose a tag and buy gifts based on these guidelines labeled with the original tag from the tree and dropped off at the same location (the Palace Theatre or the Lake Placid Health and Fitness Center) by Sunday unwrapped gifts can be dropped off from now until Dec 8 at drop boxes at the following locations in the village: Tina Leonard Real Estate the Lake Placid Health and Medical Fitness Center the NBT Banks on Main Street and Saranac Avenue The fund also needs monetary donations for food baskets and to buy additional gifts and winter clothes Checks may be sent to the North Elba Community Christmas Fund The gifts will be distributed to families at an event at the High Peaks Resort Clark said they have a core group of “hardcore” volunteers who help organize the massive amount of gifts so that families can have a private “shopping” experience The other part of the operation is the food baskets the organization’s biggest need is for members of the community to help deliver the food baskets to families around town Anyone interested can come to the Crowne Plaza at 8:30 a.m 14 to receive instructions and to help deliver as many baskets as they would like Clark said they have lots of volunteers who love doing this every year listening to Christmas carols as they run around town delivering food “We’ve had many volunteers in the past it’s very well-received around town,” he said that’s why Lake Placid is the great town it is.” LAKE PLACID — The Barkeater Trails Alliance annual meeting will be on Saturday TUPPER LAKE — The Tupper Lake Town Board is set to hold a special meeting at 2 p.m Copyright © 2025 Adirondack Publishing Company | https://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com | 54 Broadway Show Comments Load More Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" The Adirondack Almanack is a public forum dedicated to promoting and discussing current events nature and outdoor recreation and other topics of interest to the Adirondacks and its communities We publish commentary and opinion pieces from voluntary contributors as well as news updates and event notices from area organizations Contributors include veteran local writers and outdoor enthusiasts from around the Adirondack region views and opinions expressed by these various authors are not necessarily those of the Adirondack Almanack or its publisher LAKE PLACID — Sean Donovan will be running with bipartisan support for the town of North Elba justice seat “It’s a way to give back to the community and a public service,” Donovan said Brenda Smith was also in the running for the role as an independent candidate but contacted the Essex County Board of Elections to have her name removed from the ballot Donovan grew up on Long Island but moved to the Adirondacks in the 1980s He worked for the New York State Police for eight years downstate serving in a variety of capacities at the academy as a driver and as a member of the tactical unit When he transferred to Troop B in Ray Brook he had been promoted to supervisor and continued to work his way through the ranks before retiring in 2009 Donovan has been a part of the Lake Placid Rotary He is also a member of the Lake Placid Olympic Museum board of trustees and volunteers for state Olympic Regional Development Authority special events He also serves on the Lake Placid-North Elba Zoning Board of Appeals This is not the first time Donovan has considered running for town justice but this time he was approached because of a need for qualified candidates Donovan is a registered Republican but was nominated in July by the North Elba Democratic Committee something he presents as evidence of his partisan impartiality he had the opportunity to become familiar with the court process as well as some of the problems and challenges that the justice system deals with “I’m familiar with the challenges that police officers have the workload that the courts have at the county level,” Donovan said “So if I can somehow assist with that One of the lessons Donovan learned with the State Police was the importance of unbiased input and understanding the broader context of a situation and everyone’s story is the most important story but there’s two sides,” Donovan said “So you need to listen to both sides.” Donovan knows that there will be a learning curve when it comes to learning the process and procedures of the town court he looks forward to guidance from the current justice LAKE PLACID – The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) Board of Directors approved four new members at .. Today's breaking news and more in your inbox Copyright © Lake Placid News | https://www.lakeplacidnews.com | PO Box 318, Saranac Lake, NY 12983 | 518-891-2600 | Terms of Service LAKE PLACID — The North Elba Town Council hosted an informal ceremony for the acceptance of the latest round of Local Enhancement and Advancement Fund (LEAF) grants at a board meeting Tuesday The town hall meeting room was filled with an unusual number of chairs to seat a crowd of representatives from most of the 12 organizations that received the grants which Supervisor Derek Doty remarked was the largest group he had ever seen at a meeting “I guess it’s all about getting money,” Doty joked at the start of the meeting LEAF grants are funded by revenue from the 5% occupancy tax collected by Essex County This is the sixth round of LEAF grants since the program began in the summer of 2020 with the funds awarded in this round totaling $236,057 The organizations that received grants were: Adirondack Rugby Inc Search and Rescue of the Northern Adirondacks and the Village of Saranac Lake The town council voted unanimously to accept a feasibility study that was presented in September by the engineering firm Doty and Associates for a project installing a sidewalk along sections of Wesvalley and Cummings roads This means that the town will be able to send out a request for qualifications for the project which in turn allows them to move forward in finding funding the town’s deputy clerk and secretary to the supervisor the project was projected to cost around $3 million The firm will likely continue to help with grant applications particularly when dealing with federal grants and grants that require engineering expertise attended the meeting to discuss a small addition to the project — burying internet conduit in certain areas along the sidewalk but would save time and money in the long run because it would prevent needing to dig into the ground later on to install the conduit The town also unanymously granted $5,000 from the cannabis taxation fund for the Lake Placid Community Ski Program a program that works to make Nordic skiing accessible to local students The funds were requested for the organization to buy some of their own pairs of skis and other equipment so that their athletes can participate in other activities outside the club they use equipment provided by High Peaks Cyclery The town had three recent applications for money from the cannabis taxation fund which were also discussed at Tuesday’s meeting They rejected one and asked for more information from the second “We think it’s a good ask and a solid use of the cannabis funds,” Kilburn Politi said about the Lake Placid Community Ski Program application The club was also requesting funds to help with travel expenses to take some of their more advanced athletes to the annual Bill Koch ski festival The town voted to increase the membership rates at the Craig Wood Golf Club from $219 to $249 per season Councilman Jason Leon was the only member to oppose the new rates saying he felt the price increase was a bit steep and he wanted to have more discussion about it Councilman Richard Cummings said that the membership is still a good deal compared to other golf courses in the region The new rate will be effective immediately the $75 per season rate for youth will remain the same Pickleball courts at the North Elba Athletic Fields (News photo — Delainey Muscato) LAKE PLACID — The town of North Elba proudly presents two brand-new pickleball courts pickleball’s popularity has skyrocketed mainly because all ages can play the sport and pick it up rather quickly To keep up with the demand for the sport in the area the town of North Elba recently finished two pickleball courts at the North Elba Athletic Fields off Recycle Circle Lane North Elba town Supervisor Derek Doty showed the new courts to the News explained their origin story and shared future plans for the venue four beach volleyball courts sat at the back of the athletic fields and two new pickleball courts replaced the other two Doty said the town began building the courts about three years ago and have just about finished them at this point Right now a gap exists between the fence and the base of the court Doty said they have plans to fill that in for safety reasons “We don’t want anyone to get injured stepping on or off We’re going to make it all level,” town Councilman Dick Cummings said In addition to filling in the rest of the court Doty said they have some landscaping to finish and they still need to remove the posts from the old volleyball courts “Not just for security but also so people can see what’s going on up here.” While he does not have a timeline for the cameras in place Doty said people will be able to access the cameras on the town’s website the opening did not go as smoothly as Doty and other members of the town council had hoped “A deluge came down that afternoon,” Doty said Heavy rain washed away the blue court paint that had just been finished that day $2,500 worth of paint had to be squeegeed off and redone Summit Lacrosse Ventures facility and operations manager shared how the lacrosse fields and new pickleball courts will work hand in hand “Parents that have seen their kids play (lacrosse) 1,000 times can drop their kids off Then they can come over here and have something to do,” he said Testa said the lacrosse tournaments bring many new visitors to the area “(Business owners) love it because it’s additional people,” he said Doty said the town’s master plan includes connecting the horse show grounds to the athletic fields to streamline traffic the fields are tucked away far behind the horse show grounds and the Lake Placid airport Testa said he often helps people find their way to the athletic fields from the horse show grounds Cummings said another part of the town’s plan included adding a mountain bike pump track somewhere within the athletic fields by next summer Ray Brook, NY – The Adirondack Park Agency is accepting public comment on projects currently under review. The public is encouraged to go online to learn more about each public comment opportunity and to submit comments electronically.  LAKE PLACID — Plans for new buildings renovations and improvements at the North Elba Horse Showgrounds were unveiled at a public open house Thursday Feedback from the open house will be incorporated into a final draft of a plan that will then be handed over to the North Elba Town Council The showgrounds are owned by the town but are used mainly by the Lake Placid Horse Show Association for its two horse shows the Lake Placid Horse Show and the I Love New York Horse Show which run during the summer for six days each The grounds are adjacent to the Lake Placid High School athletic fields and bisected by the Lake Placid Airport Town Supervisor Derek Doty said the town will soon begin researching funding for a renovation and expansion of the Long Building the large building between the horse show rings Doty hopes this will build momentum towards the other projects that the master plan includes The renovations of the Long Building include a new kitchen an expanded Hall of Fame and an expanded two-story section of the building overlooking both sides of the show rings for announcers and VIPs The new building will be climate-controlled and suitable for use year-round use including summer youth programs that already happen there It could also serve as an area for other gatherings and as a venue to help support the state Olympic Regional Development Authority during big events and competitions ‘Build it and they will come’?” Doty said “We are convinced that once that building starts this whole master plan idea then other facets will fall in shortly behind.” The town of North Elba has been working with SE Group a Vermont-based landscape architecture and planning consultant firm to develop this master plan alongside the Lake Placid comprehensive plan SE group gathered public input for both plans simultaneously but the projects are essentially separate at this point North Elba Director of Community Development Haley Breen said The project is also separate from the Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant that Lake Placid applied for in October as the showgrounds lie outside the downtown area included in the DRI SE Group started gathering data in the spring of 2024 meeting with community stakeholders and issuing a survey to the general public according to information presented at Thursday’s open house Around 60% of respondents reported using the showgrounds to either attend sporting events or community events half said they go there to admire the scenery and 30% said they go there to use trails or walk their dogs The top “desired amenities” among residents were bathroom facilities year round use of facilities and new indoor facilities there were a number of other new buildings proposed in the plan This includes a suggestion of open-air buildings to replace the rental tents utilized each year by the Lake Placid Horse Show Association the plan proposes a picnic pavilion with restrooms and a multi-purpose event or community building that could be used for things like meetings and weddings The plan also proposes an indoor sports building for soccer and lacrosse The town already received an Adirondack Smart Growth grant that will be used to install a pump track near the athletic fields Other changes proposed in the plan include improvements to trails improved vehicle circulation and improved accessibility for paths and buildings The plan is also to create an interpretive promenade for the Olympic Cauldron members of the public were invited to give written feedback or to share their priorities by sticking dots onto a board with some of the major projects laid out many of the projects had garnered strong support These included rebuilding the Long Building the picnic area and the community/event building Support was also strong for aesthetic improvements to the area There is still an opportunity for the public to provide feedback as SE group works on finalizing a plan that will be handed over for the town to vote on and eventually implement It will take years to complete the whole plan but it’s an important investment in the town “We recognize that in order to sustain the area with economic impact we need to be as efficient as we can with all of our park district grounds,” he said To see more about the showgrounds master plan There is also a space to provide feedback on the plan LAKE PLACID — The town of North Elba heard a second round of public comments on a new agreement between the town and the state Olympic Regional Development Authority on Thursday they announced changes in wording that were made in response to public comments at a previous public hearing on Feb The agreement allows ORDA to continue operating the three venues owned by the town — the Olympic Center the Olympic Jumping Complex and the Olympic speed skating oval (which is co-owned by the Lake Placid Central School District) with the option to renew for another 20 years Although the amount that the town has paid ORDA has varied over the years the typical annual payment has been $500,000 per year This amount makes up about 0.5% of ORDA’s annual revenue the authority was projected to receive $13.94 million from the state Town Supervisor Derek Doty said the town has negotiated an “affordable rate of compensation” in the new agreement They will continue paying $500,000 per year with the payment increasing 2% every five years this is a reasonable price for what ORDA brings to the town The town board plans to discuss the agreement at their regular meeting on Tuesday and will vote on the agreement if all the council members feel ready Public comments can still be emailed to clerk@northelba.org Four residents spoke at the second hearing representing the World Figure Sport board of directors The draft agreement contains a section that lists six organizations that were included in the original agreement with an assurance that ORDA will adhere to the original terms of access Courtland Kelly expressed a concern that only listing six brands in the agreement would result in an “imbalance of brand representation,” with hockey having two organizations listed and figure skating only having one “This creates a monopoly in that sector which greatly limits freedom of trade freedom of association and freedom of commerce,” she said Courtland Kelly suggested that World Figure Sport be included as a second figure skating organization in the agreement Two community members stood up to question why the town is continuing to pay ORDA Bob DiMarco said he has talked with many locals who share this concern “Nobody really knows why we pay ORDA at all,” he said adding that the $500,000 that the town pays ORDA is a small amount for the authority “$500,000 is a big difference for North Elba DiMarco also asked for more perks for residents “Please don’t minimize this,” Dennin said Town council member Rick Preston said the town met with their legal council to make one change in the agreement in response to the last public hearing Multiple people requested that the agreement include more explicit references to the new Community Engagement Commission which will be formed with both town and ORDA representatives who will both interact with the community and report to the town and ORDA The new language proposed for this section includes a proposal to: “jointly establish a panel to assist them in keeping the community informed about the Olympic Authority’s plans for events and activities and for conveying community input for the Olympic Authority’s consideration regarding such plans The town and Olympic Authority agree that the joint panel shall be comprised of individuals appointed by the town and the Olympic Authority and that such individuals shall possess some working knowledge of the Olympic facilities and of the sports and activities that take place there The town and Olympic Authority agree to establish a schedule for meetings of the joint panel its operations and methods for community interaction and reporting to the town board and Olympic Authority.” The previous wording in the agreement draft promised to implement a “process” and “opportunity to provide input” but made no specific mension of a panel or commission More information about the CEC can be viewed at tinyurl.com/5hcj43s9 The draft agreement can be viewed at tinyurl.com/bdzev9x2 SARANAC LAKE — The Saranac Lake Department of Public Works will begin hydrant flushing on Monday in the Park .. LAKE PLACID — The town of North Elba announced a new park district manager who took over the role in January from long-time manager Butch Martin will be returning to his former role as superintendent of the Craig Wood Golf Course according to North Elba Deputy Clerk Adrienne Relyea Freeman was most recently the director of events at the state Olympic Regional Development Authority a role he took in 2021 after about two decades in leadership roles at his alma mater His father’s family hails from the area around Corey’s Road between Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake so I love hiking and fishing and just spending time outside,” Freeman said When he moved to Lake Placid to work with ORDA Freeman got the opportunity to get to know the community and the people in it without knowing about the role that would soon open up with the town park district that same week He says it was “serendipidous.” “This is just kind of a continuation of wanting to serve and be a part of the community,” Freeman said “I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do for the town its youth and also the opportunities to bring folks to the area and enjoy what everybody here in town already does.” numerous leaders expressed their approval of Freeman’s appointment to the park district manager role “Jeremy’s wealth of experience and innovative thinking make him a great choice to lead our park district,” Town Superviser Derek Doty said “His proven ability to manage complex operations and foster community partnerships will be invaluable as we continue to enhance our recreational offerings for residents and visitors alike.” Freeman holds a master’s degree in kinesiology from Michigan State University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from St He spent around 12 years as an assistant athletic director at the St Lawrence University before working another eight in admissions leadership roles focusing on events and facility management He’s happy to return to much of that work now which also meant dealing with health permitting These are all things that are highly relevant to his new role “There’s some longevity here with the staff that are at each of the venues and so they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience too,” Freeman said “So I really look forward to learning from them.” His work in Lake Placid is also all about the people he had the opportunity to get to know key members of the Lake Placid community he looks forward to working with a new team even as the town prepares long-term plans for recreation and sports for the properties managed by the park district Louis could not be reached before the deadline LAKE PLACID — The town of North Elba will be holding a second public hearing for a renewed agreement with the state Olympic Regional Development Authority after an incorrect Zoom link caused a snag at Wednesday’s hearing Members of the public who attended the first hearing were still able to comment, but the next hearing will include a working video call link for people to attend remotely. The date for the next hearing has not yet been set. The new agreement can be viewed at tinyurl.com/bdzev9x2 or in the “public notices” section of the town’s website Video of the first hearing can be viewed at tinyurl.com/96syfxvs The new agreement concerns the three ORDA venues owned by the town — the Olympic Center Town Supervisor Derek Doty said the new agreement mainly “cleans up the language” in the old one to make it more relevant to the current situation at the venues such as getting rid of old inventory lists that are no longer relevant The agreement also establishes an ORDA Community Engagement Commission which is meant to provide an additional avenue for communication and collaboration between the town and ORDA Doty said the CEC is meant to replace the Community Advisory Panel which was created by state law to provide feedback to ORDA heard comments from the public who attended Wednesday’s hearing in person The feedback ranged from approval of the creation of the CEC to concerns about whether Lake Placid and North Elba residents are benefitting from ORDA operating venues in the community a board member of the Lake Placid-based World Figure Sports attended to request that a second figure skating organization Courtland Kelly asked that WFS be included in a list of organizations that have ongoing agreements for access to the town-owned ORDA facilities is made up of organizations that were included in the original agreement A few public attendees expressed approval of the CEC Both also suggested that the committee should be mentioned by name in the main text of the agreement who said she was attending as a resident and on behalf of the town’s Dark Skies Committee emphasized the need for a mechanism for the public to give feedback directly to ORDA She said the improvements made for the FISU World University Games namely the lights at the speedskating oval she found no effective way to submit complaints Other residents raised concerns specifically about Mount Van Hoevenberg One resident was concerned that the agreement only briefly mentions the facility in a note about school cross country ski teams continuing to have free access to the trails Mount Van Hoevenberg is on state Forest Preserve lands and lands that are under a permanent easement from the town of North Elba which means the land functionally belongs to the state A few more residents questioned whether town residents are getting their money’s worth out of the agreement as-is Greg Dennin said he wants the venues to be more welcoming and user-friendly for residents this community is tied in with ORDA,” Dennin said “Please take this seriously before you enter into the agreement.” LAKE PLACID — In a community defined by investment in Olympic-level venues its facilities outdated and in need of repair the Lake Placid Horse Show Association intends to change that “The amount of work there — I can’t overestimate it’s massive,” said Philip Richter huge investment that’s being made there.” The mounds of dirt and construction equipment currently seen at the North Elba Show Grounds are the early signs of major change In a sweeping modernization of the facilities another ring will be added and existing rings will be rearranged The show grounds are owned by the town of North Elba which means the town is in charge of maintaining the facilities and utilities All decisions regarding renovations at the facilities are made collaboratively between the town and the LPHS but ultimately the renovations mainly cater to the organization’s needs It’s really for the horse show and their events,” St “Ninety-percent of it is really guided toward the horse show.” The majority of the work being done on the new footing rings and surfaces is being funded by the LPHS itself although the town is collaborating with them on certain aspects of the renovation The town will also make additional improvements over the next few years “(The goal is) to make the Lake Placid Horse Show grounds parallel and commensurate to what Lake Placid has to offer at the Olympic venues,” Richter said “I would argue that this is an Olympic venue as well since the 1984 and 1988 Olympic teams were selected right there on those grounds.” the footing of the main competition area was replaced at the North Elba Show Grounds all paid for by Lake Placid Horse Show Association board members and sponsors I was told point blankly by some of the larger stables that if we did not put in the new footing they would not come back,” then LPHS Board Chairman Richard Feldman told the Lake Placid News in May 2014 “I’ve been in the horse world all my life but my family has a big horse operation in Kentucky They’re not lying to me when they say ‘We’re not coming back.'” crews had added various degrees of different kind of sand so that the ground has a cushion when the horses jump the jump of their weight is cushioned in the dirt or the sand,” Feldman explained but it also allows you to run the same show without any slippage on the part of the horse in all weather where I can’t run on the grass field but I can run on all the other new footing fields It’s a sand with a material fiber in it You can see the material when you get close to it.” The new footing was considered a state-of-the-art improvement at the time you must have this today,” Feldman said Richter said that the horse show has not had capital investment for a long time They are a nonprofit organization asked to compete with for-profit companies that are able to hold shows for weeks on end sometimes across multiple locations owned by the same organization “How do you compete with that?” Richter said “We didn’t really have the facilities to compete with that and the entries over the last two years reflected a downward trend.” clients in equestrian sports are demanding and the competition scene changes rapidly The global show calendar is very full and clients with expensive horses want good footing Competitors and spectators want higher quality of jumps “There’s a whole panoply of things that are changing and we have to change with it,” Richter said “And the only way that we can really do that is by offering a competitive venue.” Richter said the LPHS started to see a dip in participation in 2019 but that the pandemic accelerated the decline and now the LPHS is competing with shows and facilities in places like Calgary The LPHS plans to raise the required funds over the next few years and raise the facility to the level of the Olympic venues in Lake Placid “We want the horse show facility at that same level The goal is to finish about 75% of the footing before snow comes this winter which will leave time from April to June to finish the top dressing they hope to attract even more Olympic-level athletes Richter said athletes love coming to Lake Placid — they had around 10 Olympic medalists at the 2023 show — and the LPHS wants the facilities to match the importance the show holds in the town “The horse show board is extremely dedicated to making this work,” Richter said “As one of the biggest revenue drivers to the village of Lake Placid it’s vital that this show succeeds.” FEI stands for the Federation Equestre Internationale or International Federation for Equestrian Sports which is the international governing body of equestrian sports equestrian competitions have point systems that organizations in the U.S Louis said it is important to the town that they are able to continue to host the Lake Placid Horse Show in facilities that meet their needs The first horse show of the season — Lake Placid Horse Show — starts in late June and is followed by the six-day I Love New York Horse Show “Our biggest concern is that we continue to have the horse show It’s been here forever — longer than I’ve been alive,” St LAKE PLACID — Cambria Hotel in Lake Placid installed lights and sound systems that were not approved by the Lake Placid-North Elba joint Planning Review Board when the project was originally approved in 2020 or when the hotel’s outdoor walkway was approved in June 2023 This has caused a number of neighbors to complain The board was alerted after several residents issued complaints about the walkway lighting to the building department The department investigated and subsequently required the hotel to bring an updated plan for approval from the board This new plan was discussed at length at the board’s most recent meeting on Wednesday and Lake Placid residents used the public comment period to air their complaints about the impact of the hotel’s lights and sound on the neighborhood The current light fixtures at the hotel are taller than the lights that were approved in the original plan one of the town’s code enforcement officials The lights also have a higher wattage (which measures the amount of power consumed by a light bulb) and a higher lumens (which is the measure of how much light is emitted) The current fixtures have a light temperature of 4000K whereas the street lights in Lake Placid have a light temperature of 2700K said Thursday that the change in lighting on the outdoor pathway happened because of a supply chain issue they were on backorder for several months and they were forced to order different fixtures in order to keep the project moving “We didn’t have enough time to go to the planning board and hold it up,” Jariwala said you have to find the closest alternate.” The Cambria Hotel is in the location of the former Quality Inn on Saranac Avenue The project was originally proposed in 2019 as a Tru-Homewood Suites from Hilton but switched chains to the Choice Hotels group in April 2021 Many of the public comments were made by long-time Lake Placid residents most of whom live in the neighborhoods around Paradox Bay the inlet of Lake Placid where Cambria Hotel is also situated Several had photos taken at night from their property showing bright lights on the hillside across the bay and some grew emotional as they expressed their frustrations Paul Collins read from a letter written to the board “Lake Placid is many things for us all It is our home and a place for quiet enjoyment of the water and mountains It is an environment where we are one with nature without the trappings of a Lake George “This is the time to say enough is enough to limit the Cambria’s intrusion on this awe-inspiring place that we all cherish and respect.” does not live on Paradox Bay but said she often goes out on the water in that area She said that a project like this should not even be considered by the board “We’re beautiful and quiet and a peaceful place to come and this destroys it — absolutely destroys it,” Jones said “So I hope you’ll take that into consideration and put something in the code that stops this.” Mary and Marty Shubert called into the meeting remotely They wanted to acknowledge the help that the Cambria management provided in the effort to make Lake Placid a loon-friendly lake The hotel helped by posting signs and informing the public about the loons on the lake the music and lights on the lake are not helpful to these efforts expressed a sense of frustration that the hotel did not adhere to their original plans and said she feared what they might try to do in the future “I would like to say I can trust them and work with them but my cynic’s heart has been proven correct,” Weber said “that they are not interested in anything but their bottom line executive director at the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation has heard some concerns about the situation at Paradox Pay she is concerned about how bright lights on Paradox Bay might affect loons and other wildlife There is a nesting loon pair living in the bay and — like humans — the light can disrupt their sleep It can also make them more visible and susceptible to predators “Bright lights are very disruptive,” she said Schoch said that lights that are compliant with the dark sky initiative would be the best course of action for the wildlife as well Whitney said that whether the current lights at Cambria are dark sky compliant or not has not been officially determined Following an initial presentation at the last board meeting on Dec members of the board visited the site and reviewed the lighting and sound system to get an accurate impression of the lighting After a public comment period and a discussion by the board at Wednesday’s meeting the board did not approve or reject the new plan proposed by Cambria representatives they asked for more information about how the current lighting arrangement could be modified Chairman Rick Thompson expressed sympathy for the residents who find light and noise from the hotel disruptive Board member Laura Yerkovich expressed frustration at the need for a second review “I find it profoundly disrespectful — of the time of the professionals that worked on this to the community members — that we have to be assessing this after the fact,” Yerkovich said Several alternatives have been suggested for the lighting Jariwala said their engineer has recommended a tint or film that would be applied to the existing bollard lights on the outdoor walkway which would soften the light significantly He said they want to listen to feedback from neighbors to reduce the light but they need to take into account guest safety on the walkway because the land use code does not address speakers or noise ordinances directly The noise ordinances are instead determined by the town and village laws and enforced by either the village or state police the board measured the sound at 34 decibels which is within the requirements for the relevant noise ordinance Jariwala said they didn’t feel they needed to have the sound system approved since it is not part of the land use code This addition was a “field decision” meant to enhance the guest experience “We have to do what we feel our guests want,” Jariwala said “We have to do what makes business sense for our overall strategy and that’s not always going to align with the neighbors.” the board takes the position that the sound system should have been included in the original plan since it does affect the property’s neighbors All projects are require to consider the overall “impact to neighboring property” as a part of their project plan LAKE PLACID — With new cannabis tax revenue pouring in the North Elba Town Council is now setting up the parameters of a local grant program that will allow qualified applicants to tap into those funds During the council’s regular meeting councilors discussed crafting a new cannabis tax revenue policy which would establish guidelines for how this new revenue should be used and at what value to cap grant proposals With the recent opening of the first ever cannabis shop to fall under their jurisdiction the town now receives significant revenue through New York state’s excise tax on cannabis sales Although there was some disagreement between councilors about what types of projects should be prioritized for funding in the policy they were eventually able to agree about the nature of the overall guidelines for grant approval The council did not vote on adopting the policy on Tuesday They won’t distribute any of the money until they officially accept their new policy He plans to have it on the agenda at North Elba’s July 9 board meeting Although the cannabis shop from which the town is receiving revenue it is also within the village of Saranac Lake the town could have chosen to give 100% of the taxes to Saranac Lake but instead they chose to keep their share of 50% which they intend to grant to “worthy causes,” he said The amount of revenue generated through cannabis sales is unpredictable in part because it is higher when better quality cannabis products are sold the total amount of cannabis tax revenue the town has received so far this year is $61,586 according to town Budget Officer Catherine Edman Councilor Emily Kilburn Politi listed several potential categories whose funding could be focuses of the town’s cannabis tax revenue grants These included illicit drug abuse prevention education for fifth through eighth grade children community development and support for the aging population There was primarily debate around whether this was too broad a range of focuses and whether the money might be spread too thin by so many ventures The board discussed paring down the list a little and putting a cap on grant awards to reduce the risk of running out of money the board remained somewhat divided by the time the discussion concluded Doty said they were still debating which categories of focuses to include in the policy He said that the drug prevention and public safety and law enforcement categories were approved unanimously but that housing initiatives will be taken out of the community development category and that the category of support for the aging population still needs to be better defined He said that there were also still some decisions to be made about whether to increase the grant proposal cap from $5,000 per awardee to $10,000 there was general agreement that the board should have the power to approve grants above the cap as they see fit we want distribution of the funds to be quite discretionary among us so that if there was a valid program that might need 20- or 25,000 Doty said that while the board while be in charge of reviewing the grants Community Development Director Haley Breen will be overseeing the applications Asked how the town’s cannabis grants would be different from its Local Enhancement and Advancement Fund grants Doty said that LEAF’s total amount of capital to disburse is larger — up to $1,000,000 per year — because LEAF gets its revenue from occupancy taxes which are much more lucrative than the taxes from cannabis sales Occupancy taxes are collected on all hotel bed-and-breakfast and vacation rental stays in Essex County LEAF has disbursed more than $3.9 million to dozens of projects Doty said the other difference is that the occupancy tax law requires recipients to use the money for both community and tourism enhancement whereas the cannabis tax grants will be free of that stipulation LAKE PLACID — A public ceremony took place at the North Elba Cemetery on Saturday morning 10 to honor an African American soldier who died during the Civil War Speakers included John Brown Farm State Historic Site Manager Brendan Mills; Kathleen Thomas daughter of researcher Charles Thomas; and Maurice Imhoff of the Black Phalanx Brigade including the scholarly examination and portrayal of the history of people of African descent in the military A new memorial stone was placed in the old section of the Town of North Elba Cemetery this summer The stone is in memory of Corporal William Appo Jr. He was one of 44 Union Army enlistees from North Elba His father was a successful African American composer and musician who purchased 148 acres in North Elba in the 1840s in support of Gerrit Smith’s land grant project to get voting rights for Black men property ownership was required for Black men to vote and family spent time in North Elba in the summer was a friend and neighbor of the family of John Brown was unusual in that he was a Black man who enlisted and served in a white regiment He was one of a handful of Black men from the region to enlist and pass as white their fellow soldiers from the area would have known their ancestry but they were accepted into the army before it was legal for Black men to fight There were at least three other Black men from this region to do so and who survived the war Several others served after 1863 in the USCT John Brown Farm Historic Site placed the stone with assistance from staff from the town of North Elba Mills had sought the placement of a proper memorial after learning of prior efforts by Lake Placid resident Charles Thomas explaining his history as well as honoring the memory of her father who had researched Appo’s service record and first attempted to have a Grand Army of the Republic marker placed at the Epps/Appo obelisk in 1999 bodies of many who fought in the Civil War never made it home and such markers have been placed in cemeteries across the country Recently local officials have approved both a GAR marker that was installed last year and facilitated the placement of the new stone memorial in the Appo/Epps plot Thomas spoke of her father’s quest to publicly honor Cpl His research was sparked in 1997 by an article in the The Placid Pioneer which listed North Elba Civil War soldiers was identified as a private in a “Colored Regiment” who enlisted in 1861 when there were no African American regiments Thomas’s research revealed that Appo actually enlisted on Sept He was mustered in the same day to the 30th New York (Volunteer Infantry) Company I the 30th participated in many skirmishes and battles with the Army of the Potomac His luck ran out at the Second Battle of Bull Run probably died doing what a noncommissioned officer does in battle Steadying his men making sure they are loading and firing properly In doing so he exposed himself to enemy fire and was killed at the railroad cut His sacrifice at Manassas would bring on the Battle of Antietam and in turn the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation,” Mills said Thomas said her father’s research showed that though he was initially buried with others on the battlefield federal troops were exhumed and re-buried at the direction of the Quartermaster General’s Office 1,700 graves were excavated from Bull Run and re-interred at Arlington National Cemetery yet it is not known if he was laid to rest there with the Unknowns Two organizations dedicated to public education of Civil War history were invited to participate in the ceremony which took place during the Civil War Reenactment Weekend Members of a group of reenactors from Fort Tribute (Madrid Josh Wingler of the New York 60th regiment and Patrick Hamilton-Bruen of the New York 118th attended Others from St Lawrence County were turned back on Saturday by flooded and broken roadways due to the remnants of Hurricane Debby Seven reenactor/educators from the national organization Maurice Imhoff addressed attendees and spoke of the heroism of Appo’s choice to answer President Abraham Lincoln’s call before Black soldiers were welcomed to the battlefield The brigade offered a military salute to Cpl Maryland and Pennsylvania to engage in the event The Saranac Lake Civic Center stands empty on Thursday The planned rollerskating program would put the facility to use during the off-season too NORTH ELBA — The North Elba Town Council on Tuesday granted $5,000 of cannabis taxation revenue to the Saranac Lake Civic Center to establish a roller skating program The motion was accepted at a board meeting on Tuesday Although the Saranac Lake Civic Center is not located in the town of North Elba Councilman Rick Preston said the project qualified for funding because it would benefit both North Elba and the village of Lake Placid The next closest roller skating rinks are located in Queensbury the facility organizer at the civic center saying the building on Ampersand Avenue in the village of Saranac Lake is an important asset for North Elba and Lake Placid Saranac Lake is located in two counties — Essex and Franklin — and three towns — North Elba “The town of North Elba has done a really great job supporting the civic center because of the acknowledgment that we’re serving the town of North Elba in multiple ways,” Crane said Crane said the idea for the roller skating rink was partially inspired by the Rockefeller Center which converts its ice rink into a roller skating rink in the off-season When the civic center takes the ice out in March the skating rink would be open in April until the ice is put back in September The roller skating project is also an effort to make the best use of their space which underwent a major renovation in 2021 and 2022 in time for the curling competition during the 2023 FISU World University Games “Is a very welcoming space,” Crane said “And so what we’ve created is somewhat of a community beacon during ice skating The funding is specifically intended for the purchase of 300 pairs of skates that the civic center would rent to visitors They have already been awarded two grants: one for $10,000 by the Franklin County Destination Development/Marketing Program and one for $5,000 from the Cloudsplitter Foundation Crane said they will wait until the project is fully funded before starting but that they hope they can be open in the spring of 2025 The Cannabis Tax Fund was established when the North Elba board passed the new tax policy on July 9 following several months of discussion elderly community members and law enforcement North Elba Community Development Director Haley Breen said the town has collected $87,900 in Cannabis Tax Fund revenue in 2024 Another project seeking approval for funding from the Cannabis Tax Fund is a pollinator garden planned for Lake Placid Elementary School According to the application submitted by Cynthia Baird the project is meant to teach students about gardening and food production The project would “create a platform for biodiversity and to increase learning opportunities for the community,” the application states but the application states that the project would aim to be completed in the spring of 2025 The town council is awaiting further details before approving the funding application The board also received an application for cannabis taxation revenue from the Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society which is seeking funding for a plan to enhance outdoor spaces at the museum The proposed enhancements include landscaping “As part of the Historical Society’s 2023 strategic plan a commitment was made to update the museum facilities and property to provide a better visitor experience and an increased capacity to meet the needs of the community in the twenty-first century,” the application states This application was also tabled pending further information the historical society is also seeking funding through the North Elba Enhancement and Advancement Fund and cannabis grants as well as from private sources — A Rochester man was killed Friday in a motorcycle crash in Essex County New York State Police responded to State Route 86 in North Elba for a report of a motorcycle crash around 11:50 a.m was northbound when he failed to navigate a curve and was thrown from his motorcycle LAKE PLACID — North Elba’s Black Fly Control Program needs help Black Fly Control Program Director John Reilly spoke to the North Elba Town Council on June 11 about the persistence of the Tri-Lakes’ black fly population but is slightly higher than last year despite the program’s efforts to suppress the insects using BTI since 1994 Though he said the program’s method of suppression is effective Reilly called for greater participation in these efforts from local communities saying that hiring more personnel will be necessary in order for the suppression to achieve a successful outcome North Elba’s Black Fly Control Program sends workers into the wilderness to treat black fly hot spots with the BTI insecticide The current treatment area of the program covers waterways in North Elba Armand allows the program to extend into their sector as well all of which the program treats for a period of 15 to 17 weeks North Elba is just one of 24 municipalities and associations in the park that spends annual budget funds to suppress black fly populations through the application of BTI according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation Jay and Keene don’t have their own black fly programs like North Elba North Elba’s Black Fly Program workers are paid employees because of the demanding nature of the job The program recruits through local newspapers job advertisements at seasonal workplaces such as Whiteface The town allocates around $100,000 per year for the program Reilly said he has a “good crew” but that as temperatures rise every year The mid-March thaw this year could have been an advantage in a way since it meant being able to start treatment sooner but Reilly said that because the streams proceeded to freeze over again He said there weren’t many people to help with the treatment at that time of year anyway because most of the program’s workers have full-time jobs that make it hard for them to take time off earlier in the year if the water is only going to refreeze and make any work they do for the program at that time futile He currently has four full time employees and four part time employees but he said he would like to have a crew of six full time employees next year The adult black flies can live for around two to three weeks locals will have to spend a fortnight itching bug bites that Reilly is trying to prevent from happening in the first place Reilly said his hypothesis is that black flies are also coming into North Elba from outside the town He pointed out that sometimes waves of black flies only seem to last for four or five days rather than the two weeks that they are supposed to suggesting that they have already spent some of their lifespan migrating to reach the town from elsewhere This is why Reilly is calling on other communities to participate — more black flies for one town seems to mean more black flies for everyone “It would help if outlying communities did this because it’s to the west (of North Elba),” he said explaining that the black flies are likely hitching a ride on the prevailing winds from that direction which could possibly help the insects travel up to 10 miles although going quite that far would be rare Reilly said that neither the village of Saranac Lake nor the town of Harrietstown has ever had any sort of black fly suppression program but that they have the means to do it Harrietstown town Supervisor Jordanna Mallach said that she does not know for certain about what the town has done in the past but she is not aware of Harrietstown or Saranac Lake having such a program now or contracting anyone else do suppress black flies for them She has not yet looked into whether or not they have the ability to do so North Elba town Councilman Jason Leon questioned whether the town should initiate “a collaborative process with the Village of Saranac Lake and Harrietstown” to get a black fly suppression program started there that might “minimize their experience (of black flies) and ours.” Even with a Saranac Lake suppression program Reilly said there is an area near Moose and McKenzie mountains that would be too dangerous for anyone to treat due to the rough terrain Staffing for suppression efforts with earlier thaws is also still a problem whether or not Saranac Lake starts a program The certification process for new employees is time consuming and costs $450 along with a $100 one-time exam fee as stipulated by the state Department of Environmental Conservation Then the certification is valid for only three years the board members in attendance agreed that the overall benefit from increased participation in suppression efforts would be worthwhile saying that what Reilly had been doing so far has already made a positive difference if we do have to communicate within other surrounding communities,” Leon said Reilly said that he would like to start giving talks on this subject annually; having an open house for the public that might even encourage recruitment for suppression programs He wants to give more people an accurate understanding of the reality when it comes to black flies and what it takes to keep them in check “There’s just a lot of misinformation that’s out there,” he said Reilly said that as of June 25 there have been no further talks about collaborating with Saranac Lake to start a suppression program About half of the town’s total BTI treatment area — which includes around 250 miles of waterways — is on private land around 5% of landowners deny black fly field technicians’ requests to treat waterways on their property Because recent springs have been getting warmer the time that black flies start hatching is now a few weeks earlier than it used to be and it appears that they are all hatching around the same time — the very beginning of spring according to Reilly He said the more frequent and intense wind storms happening in this region may lead to an increase in the amount of flies that are blown in from outlying communities beyond the treatment area Warmer winters are also having a hand in increasing the black fly population … Instead of staying completely dormant really ready once spring time comes,” he said which attach to leaf dams and rocks to feed on small particles of plant matter and bacteria that flow into their mouths The program’s method is to spray BTI into and around streams and let the larvae ingest it as they feed The program aims to kill the black flies while they are still larvae the insects don’t feed on stream-borne organic matter anymore meaning that they will no longer ingest the BTI A single female black fly can lay from 200 to 600 eggs which are so small that they are barely visible to the naked eye they are able to get to the black flies while they are still in those initial stages with 95% to 100% kill rates in the areas they treat They try to use 50 to 60 gallons of BTI per year enough to kill billions of black fly larvae according to Reilly Program workers decide how much BTI to use in each location and how much to dilute it in the water by measuring the width They keep a record of all their calculations in the North Elba Town Hall and send a report to the DEC as well Although BTI is effective in killing black flies Reily said it is non-toxic to humans and even to other insects He said it would be safe for a camp to use a BTI-treated stream as its source of drinking water Reilly told the Enterprise last year that he recommends wearing light-colored clothing applying bug repellent and avoiding perfumes or colognes Reilly prefers bug repellents with lemon eucalyptus oil CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that North Elba’s Black Fly Control program is looking to hire six additional full time workers The program is looking to have a crew of six full time workers next year; currently the crew has four full-time and four part-time staff The article also incorrectly stated that treatments of early streams were ineffective due to the streams freezing over again but these treatments actually were effective and were only halted by the streams refreezing The article also inadvertently attributed a quote to Black Fly Control Program Director John Reilly You don't have to be an Olympian to enjoy this amazing toboggan chute in Lake Placid. Get in some serious sledding and head just two-and-a-half hours from the Capital Region to the longest Toboggan Chute in New York State The North Elba Park District runs the Lake Placid Toboggan Chute and it has been in operation since the 1960s. It has recently been rebuilt from the ground up. The current structure replaced the old thirty-foot-high converted ski jump trestle according to the website You will come screaming down the chute and the thrill continues when you are dumped onto frozen Mirror Lake you can travel up to one thousand feet on top of the lake Contact:For current schedule or questionsE-mail - cgeesler@northelba.org Your admission includes a toboggan and unlimited rides per session There is a warning on the website that reads Due to friction when sliding down the Toboggan Slide some types of Nylon Ski pants may wear through Gallery Credit: Matty Jeff You don't have to be an Olympian to enjoy this amazing toboggan chute in Lake Placid. Get in some serious sledding and head just two-and-a-half hours from the Capital Region to the longest Toboggan Chute in New York State.\nRead More The North Elba Park District runs the Lake Placid Toboggan Chute and it has been in operation since the 1960s. It has recently been rebuilt from the ground up. The current structure replaced the old thirty-foot-high converted ski jump trestle according to the website Exhibits at the Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society’s History Museum in the train station are seen on Sept Faithful readers of the Lake Placid News may recall that a couple of weeks ago we visited the new phase of the Adirondack Rail Trail we return to the trail’s eastern terminus in Lake Placid that’s because at the beginning of the rail trail in Lake Placid you will find the train station on Station Street Inside is the Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society’s History Museum which is chock-full of photos and artifacts that tell that story of this village’s history Walking into the museum through the station’s grand green doors on Thursday I was immediately greeted by a beautifully polished Adirondack guideboat suspended above the ticket counter allowing visitors to get a glimpse of the intricate ribs and seats who serves as director of the historical society She provided a comprehensive tour of the museum Our first stop was at the new Main Street exhibit which shows how the village’s downtown stretch has transformed over time The collection was put together by Jon Prime Three wide shots show popular stretches of Main Street buildings today taken at the same level and have the same lighting were carefully photoshopped together to create the elongated display that captures the essence of the buildings Photos that capture individual or smaller clusters of the same segments of that street from various points throughout history are featured around the wide displays the images in this display were taken without people walking in front of the buildings and only have a couple of cars parked along the road Prime’s display allows viewers to appreciate the architecture and downtown layout with minimal distraction “It’s fascinating to see the buildings as they are given that this sidewalk is usually so busy and there’s so much going on in and around them,” Malmgren said She noted that the exhibit was still a work in progress and Prime was continuing to expand the amount of Main Street that he was featuring in the exhibit The museum also has an iPad video display next to the Main Street photos that shows a collection of video footage of Main Street taken throughout the 20th century The tour’s next stop was a collection of area photographs taken by Grover Cleveland Probably not the one you’re thinking of This Grover Cleveland never served as the president of the United States was born Jesse Grover Cleveland in 1887 — during President Cleveland’s first term in office he scrapped his original name and went by Grover J Cleveland became a professional photographer and first made his way to Lake Placid in 1916 He spent much of his life in and around the village among a plethora of aspects of village aspects as he continued to work in the village throughout the late 1950s donated many of her father’s original glass-plate negatives and photos to the historical society on her 100th birthday Reproductions of those donations make up the exhibit While certainly not unique to Lake Placid structural fires have impacted the village’s composition over the years The tour’s next stop was at a photo by Nancie Battaglia capturing the 1992 Lake Placid Club fire that destroyed the property’s main complex — a nearly 100-year-old landmark at the time one can look to that stretch of Mirror Lake Drive and see the same wall in the photo’s foreground with barren ground behind it a stark and tragic reminder of how quickly history can vanish After briefly stopping by the museum’s gift shop perhaps more accurately a gift table as Malmgren pointed out we made our way back to the museum’s main room A series of photo collections highlight Lake Placid’s distinctly different character throughout each season of the year Other sets showcase sports — from the youth to professional level — around the village There are photos and artifacts paying homage to some of the most spectacular camps on Lake Placid Another area of the room focuses on transportation methods and means across the area Apologies to the reader if that last paragraph is rather curt One could easily spend hours analyzing the diverse array of collections offered in the museum The History Museum provides an excellent opportunity for those looking to take a step off of the beaten path and immerse themselves in Lake Placid’s march from humble beginnings to one of New York’s preeminent destination towns I was able to come away with an appreciation for much of the history that provided the foundations for the Lake Placid we see and cherish today Those interested in attending should act quickly the Historical Society does hold several lectures They will reopen for the 2025 season over Memorial Day Weekend The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays exhibits and more can be found on their website You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience Here are five of the best trails in the region to get you started organized based on their distance from the World Cup venue at Mt Van Hoevenberg While proximity to the venue equals convenience remember that everyone else will think the same thing Consider driving to outlying communities for a little Adirondack solitude 5 Mountain Bike Trails Near the lake placid uci world cup you’ll still encounter plenty of classic Adirondack roots and rocks to test your suspension and bike-handling skills The Craig Wood trails have recently been revamped for better flow and water drainage, with the town of North Elba investing $25,000 in trail improvements. The local mountain bike advocacy group, the Barkeater Trails Alliance (BETA) matched that donation with $16,000 of in-kind labor These investments were made “through the lens of the UCI visitors that are expected to come,” said Patrick Carey “We wanted to make sure that the trails could handle that influx but also it was time for a refresh.” While Blue Ribbon was the first flow trail in the region you’ll find two of the best and biggest jump trails in the Adirondacks Green Jacket is a fantastic intermediate jump line with perfectly sculpted tables and berms Gold Jacket provides an alternate entrance to Green Jacket and this short line rightfully earns a “pro-trail” rating for a massive wooden step-down drop funneling into a gigantic table Ninety-nine percent of riders won’t be able to ride Gold Jacket The rest of the trails consist primarily of a mix of roots Sprinkled throughout the network is a wide array of massive rock drops that serve as superb optional double black diamond hits While Craig Wood alone only offers a 7-mile ride even if you hit everything, by utilizing a rebuilt section of the Jackrabbit XC ski trail and some pavement, you can connect Craig Wood to the classic Lussi & Loggers trails for a much longer ride rooty XC trails and have a very different character from Craig Wood The East Branch Community Trails comprise the newest mountain bike trail system in the Adirondacks This is the first trail project where BETA  was “able to approach it and master plan it from ground zero,” according to Glenn Glover “We very quickly saw the potential not just to put in a pump track or skills park but we saw the land potential to build a significant trail network there,” said Carey The 121-acre parcel that the trails are being built on may be small vertical parcel that climbs up a steep mountainside — ideal for trail construction 3.5 miles of singletrack have been completed at East Branch the trail system will contain eight miles of singletrack Local trail builder Luke Peduzzi was hired to create the master plan and build the trails at East Branch and the caliber of the trail building is immediately apparent The East Branch trails have a truly modern and massive berms on the high-speed descent The current batch of trails available at East Branch are some of the easiest trails in the Adirondacks with almost no rocks or roots in sight and predictable flow trail lines intermediate and advanced trails are currently under construction in phase two These more difficult trails will be located higher up the mountainside meaning that East Branch will have a true stacked-loop trail system design East Branch is currently a pretty short ride but it is lappable for those who just want to rip Downriver the whole thing is just so much fun,” said Glover and you’ve got a big smile on your face.” the Hardy Road trail system is located just a few miles further up the road for a convenient two-ride combination Mount Pisgah is a small municipal-run ski area that stands just over 300 feet tall the slopes of the small hill are home to what’s essentially a pedal-served downhill park Mount Pisgah offers “enduro-style riding where you ride up to the top maybe the same way or a different way to get back up to the top The best way to get to the top of Pisgah is by following Zonkers to Iron Lung providing a steep but rideable uphill filled with roots and tight corners the two most popular descents are The Cure and Senduro The Cure is a rugged flow trail and the most popular descent on the mountain While the jumps and berms aren’t quite as dialed as Green Jacket While some online sources give The Cure a black diamond rating and Senduro a double black The Cure is approachable for the vast majority of intermediate riders the rooty climb up to the top may pose more problems for intermediate riders than the obstacles on The Cure descent If you only have one day to ride, go to Hardy Road “That’s basically the safest place to send somebody to for a good time,” said Carey That “good time” comes down to a few different factors the quality of the trails at Hardy Road is top-notch My personal favorite trail from my trip to the Adirondacks was at Hardy Road: the descent off the top of the mountain on All-In Hardy Road is the most reliably dry trail system We rode Hardy the day after a severe downpour “it rides even better after a rain,” said Carey The trails at Hardy Road are quite diverse Some of the lower trails are easy and approachable for beginners whereas my favorite — All In — gets a black-diamond rating Hardy also has some alt lines hidden back in the woods with a few massive rock drops pushing into the double black range For a little extra mileage, pedal down the road and loop in the Three Sisters trails as well Three Sisters is beginner-friendly and one of the best places in the Adirondacks to take a new rider for their first time on singletrack The Blueberry Hill trail system in Elizabethtown is one of the only historic trail networks included on this list as it was determined that the trails can withstand the crowds that the World Cup is sure to draw Blueberry is the furthest-afield trail network on this list (which means it may be one of the least crowded) The miles don’t come easy at Blueberry with stiff climbs filled with roots and rocks followed by even steeper descents “Blueberry is not the place to start mountain biking,” said Glover in the understatement of the year BETA has rerouted some of the trails at Blueberry to make them more sustainable and a new section of trail is currently under construction in the network you can still find plenty of Northeast chunder to entertain you at Blueberry Blueberry is also one of the few trail systems that provides a spectacular view at the top As anyone who’s ever lived on the East Coast knows but the upper trails at Blueberry climb to the top of a cliff face providing expansive views over the surrounding Adirondack wilderness The vista is breathtaking and is more than enough reward for the grueling climb to reach it While in Elizabethtown, you can also check out a newer trail system with more progressive and approachable trails, known as Cobble Hill Blueberry plus Cobble Hill might be one of the best places in the region to get a fairly long singletrack ride in with almost non-existent road connections Most of the other trails on this list are quite short and go by quickly For those who are unfamiliar with Lake Placid it might seem like an odd place to land the only mountain bike World Cup in the USA this year hosting yet another global-level competition is just business as usual.  Lake Placid hosted the Winter Olympic Games in both 1932 and 1980 and has continued to host World Cup events in the bobsled They also hosted the World University Games in 2023 and a connection with the right person at the Games led to landing a UCI World Cup contract To attract the UCI Mountain Bike World Series the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) has drawn on its lengthy experience hosting world-class events and investments in the high-quality television and broadcasting infrastructure invested at Mt Van Hoevenberg an area that serves as a cross country skiing venue in the winter a professional-grade cross country mountain bike race course at Mt Van Hoevenberg has been constructed Thanks to substantial investment in World Cup-level infrastructure it’s possible that Lake Placid will become a staple on the UCI World Cup circuit in the same way that nearby Mont-Sainte-Anne has ORDA has signed a three-year contract with the UCI and Warner Brothers so we’re sure to see the World Cup return in both ’25 and ’26 We’re excited to watch top-tier competitive mountain biking in Lake Placid Remember, if you’re planning to spectate at the UCI World Cup in Lake Placid, be sure to use our link to get a discount on your ticket Enter your email for the top stories in mountain biking plus product picks and deals delivered to your inbox each week LAKE PLACID — The village of Lake Placid and town of North Elba were introduced to their Distinguished Volunteers of the Year on Sunday during the sixth annual Lake Placid Community Day at the North Elba Show Grounds Two volunteers were named — one adult Northwood School 11th grade student JT Wint as this year’s theme was “superheroes.” “We’re here to thank our volunteers,” Lake Placid Community Day Committee chair Valerie Abraham-Rogers said to the crowd before the volunteers were introduced “They are the heart and soul of this community and we couldn’t do any of the things we do without the incredible volunteer presence that we have.” Abraham-Rogers also said this event is a thank-you to the community as a whole “We constantly open our arms and welcome the world “but we rarely give ourselves a pat on the back Lake Placid Community Day is an opportunity to celebrate volunteers and the volunteer spirit in the town and village Almost 40 organizations had tables in the pavilion to explain their work in the community Free food and beverages were provided by the U.S Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Lake Placid Lake Placid Pub and Brewery and the local Ben & Jerry’s shop and there was live music by Big Boss Sausage Community Day is a joint initiative of the Lake Placid/North Elba Community Development Commission and the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism and the Lake Placid Community Day Committee joined him on the deck during the volunteer of the year speeches It gets a little bit better every year,” Ericson said about Community Day at the ROOST table in the pavilion She is the Lake Placid region community liaison at ROOST “Everybody’s able to come and share what their organization does and get volunteers to sign up.” “The committee had several impressive nominations but the numerous and glowing letters of support made the choice clear,” town of North Elba Councilor Rick Preston said while introducing Debbie Erenstone Erenstone’s volunteer efforts include the Lake Placid Outing Club Lake Placid Community Cross-Country Ski Program New York Ski Educational Foundation and the Rotary Club of Lake Placid she is the liaison for the ski club and the Lake Placid Rotary Foundation She heads the free hot chocolate station during the annual Lake Placid Village Holiday Stroll has coordinated the Salvation Army bell ringing during Christmas for several years and is a captain of the duck wranglers for the club’s annual Dam Duck Race One of Erenstone’s fellow Rotarians said she has over the years reflected on the value of Rotary in her life and how she learns from her fellow volunteers “In case you’re starting to see a volunteer who wears many hats she does so even more with her long time involvement with the Lake Placid Outing Club where she currently serves as treasurer and secretary,” Preston said “She handles fundraising and grant writing making the Outing Club activities possible She partnered with the Elementary Summer School and High Peaks Cyclery to get kids out on paddleboards on Mirror Lake She spearheaded many projects and trips and coordinated many partnerships with other organizations all for the betterment of our community’s youth.” She fills a room with enthusiasm and positivity whenever she is around Any board or organization is lucky to have her.” Erenstone reflected on the award and those who have inspired her over the years to volunteer “When I first learned that I was going to be recognized with this honor I was filled with so much joy and gratitude I simply could not stop smiling,” Erenstone said “Volunteerism is at the core of our community values People like Dmitry (Feld) and Tina Leonard stand out as role models and inspiration for us all Several letters of support for JT Wint were sent to the nomination committee he has volunteered as the school’s mascot for the past three years and plans to continue in his senior year serves as a tour guide for the admissions department and is a steward for the Northwood Pollinator Flower Garden “He is one of the most active members of the CARE community service club where he helped to raise over $3,000 for local charities has made hundreds of holiday cards for the residents of Elderwood purchased and delivered hundreds of dollars of food and hygiene items for the food pantry collected winter coats and gear for a clothing drive and organized a can and bottle recycling program,” Lake Placid village Mayor Art Devlin said while introducing Wint Wint has volunteered as a stage crew member for the Lake Placid Center for the Arts and other community performances helped with the Songs at Mirror Lake summer concert series and a Lake Placid Marathon & Half aid station and he volunteered for the Nordic and speedskating events during the 2023 FISU Games He has also volunteered for local emergency services He is CPR and first-aid certified and attended NARCAN training in Saranac Lake “He is a volunteer with the Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Department and can often be found spending his downtime at the firehouse going through the trucks and learning everything he can,” Devlin said In her letter to the nomination committee LPVFD Assistant Chief Jen Marshall described Wint as “passionate and has already been a great addition to our department.” Devlin noted that community service hours are not a requirement at Northwood School “The one common thread in his letters of support is that he volunteers because he loves to be helpful and get involved,” Devlin said Northwood School Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs Noel Carmichael said “His volunteerism is driven by his internal desire to be helpful to others JT is on a path to a lifelong commitment to his community.” Wint expressed appreciation for the recognition but he said it’s not the recognition he seeks when he volunteers “I do it because it’s what I love to do,” he said my preschool teacher told my parents that I was always the first kid to be on the scene when a student got hurt or was crying.” Wint’s explained that his first community service “gig” began when he was around 7 or 8 years old “I would go to the local nursing home and push their people to the chapel on Sundays for Mass,” he said “Volunteering has always been important to me It’s something I really enjoy doing at school and the local community my parents say I could do a little bit more at home.” LAKE PLACID — Parking enforcement hours were officially extended in Lake Placid on Monday Residents and workers will also now enjoy some new parking perks along Main Street courtesy of a slate of parking system changes announced by the village The Lake Placid Village Board of Trustees voted unanimously Monday to extend parking enforcement hours from 8 a.m The hours will take effect as soon as the state confirms its receipt of the amendment to local parking laws Village Trustee Marc Galvin was absent from the meeting due to a family matter but the board said Galvin approved of the enforcement changes and would’ve voted for them if he was present Village Mayor Art Devlin also announced several parking permit changes based on feedback the board received during its public hearing regarding the parking enforcement hour changes earlier this month The resident parking pass — free for all people who own property or are registered to vote in Lake Placid — will now be valid from 6 to 8 p.m in addition to its original hours of 8 to 11 a.m North Elba resident Ellen Collins suggested the board implement that change to “give the people with our (resident parking passes) a break.” also colloquially referred to as the “blue pass,” allows pass holders to park in metered spaces on Main Street at no charge It’s valid for two years and is administered through the North Elba town clerk’s office for North Elba and Lake Placid residents who have the free parking pass they’ll only have to feed the meter if they park on Main Street between 11 a.m Around 800 resident parking passes have been distributed to date The village will also create additional annual permit parking spaces along Parkside Drive near the Lake Placid Toboggan Chute and on Mirror Lake Drive near the High Peaks Resort The $200 annual permit is administered by the Lake Placid Police Department and is only available to Main Street employees and residents It allows permit holders to park in designated spots around Main Street that visitors are barred from At the board’s July 1 public hearing Main Street employees said there weren’t enough permit spots to go around Police Chief Chuck Dobson later confirmed that the department’s last parking audit in 2023 counted 116 permit parking spots; the department had sold 202 annual permits as of July 2 Free 15-minute parking is available now through the Flowbird meters for people who need to run quick errands on Main Street people currently still need to go to the meter and punch in their license plate number they’ll be prompted to print a free 15-minute ticket or insert their credit card to pay for a longer parking period This feature currently does not work correctly on the Flowbird app where it will only tack the free 15 minutes on to a paid hour of parking but village officials said they’re working with Flowbird to fix this issue Devlin said that there may be more parking adjustments in the future as the village board continues to try to make parking on Main Street a more positive situation It’s a work in progress,” he said “Nobody is going to be satisfying everybody but this is the direction we feel the board wants to go in.” Though the board only passed the new parking enforcement hours on Monday signs on Main Street near the meters have read “Meter parking Dobson told the Enterprise on Sunday that the signs were installed recently by Flowbird meter technicians who came to work on the machines Devlin clarified that the signs were actually part of Lake Placid’s 2021-22 Main Street overhaul Because the signs were part of the Main Street and they could order them and then (the changes) never got put in place,” Devlin said we had … very limited parking enforcement and a lot of these things didn’t come to light and they slipped through the cracks.” The signs were likely installed around September 2022 Village Treasurer Mindy Goddeau added — close to the end of the project “I will take full blame,” Devlin said “I’m the mayor; the buck stops here now that we finally have full-time enforcement and we’re finding these problems Devlin was elected mayor in 2021 and was sworn in on the first day of the Main Street overhaul He previously served as a village trustee from 2009 to 2021 Goddeau said at Monday’s meeting that the machines wouldn’t have accepted payment after 6 p.m she clarified that the machines displayed a message saying enforcement ended at 6 p.m. but if people did not read the message and still tried to purchase parking “The meters continued to accept money after 6 p.m. which I didn’t know,” Goddeau said Tuesday it would continue to accumulate (past the end of enforcement).” She said that this was a result of miscommunication between the village and Flowbird The village requested the meters not take payment after 6 p.m. but Flowbird implemented the enforcement hours message instead of cutting off payments looking back at available transaction timestamps she said that few mistaken transactions happened after 6 p.m She added that it would be difficult to issue refunds to those who were mistakenly charged for parking on days or at times when it was supposed to be free “The only thing we could refund are credit cards we don’t know who you are,” she said “If someone called (for a refund) … I could look into it and attempt to try but there’s no way for me to personally tell.” Because of compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) data security standards the village does not have credit card records for the meters going farther back than a month It also does not receive the full credit card number Goddeau would likely no longer have records of their credit card transaction or their full card number to refund “We have learned a lot,” Goddeau said “A lot of these parking laws were put in force before we were employed here and it really made us kind of sit up and take attention.” there should be no charge for parking on New Year’s Day are not listed in the law as exempt days for parking enforcement Village officials were unaware of this rule until Monday morning and parking has been enforced every day of the year in the village “Jackie (Kelly) just made us aware of that we have someone who likes to go back and read all this stuff,” Devlin said in a tourist town when it’s most important since holidays are the village’s “busy time,” the board will likely in the future look into allowing parking enforcement on those holidays the meters will be updated to no longer enforce parking on the listed holidays Goddeau said Tuesday that the same potential refund situation applies for people who were mistakenly charged on holidays; She can try her best but PCI compliance will likely stand in the way Village attorney Janet Bliss told the board during Monday’s meeting that the entire parking law should be reevaluated “That local (holiday parking) law has been in place for many many years and nobody wanted to recognize that change,” Bliss said the whole local law about parking and about street designations should be looked at in total — not just piecemeal.” TUPPER LAKE — Village police charged Jessica A of Tupper Lake with second-degree criminal .. LAKE PLACID — A new trailhead for the Adirondack Rail Trail is set to go up on Station Street in Lake Placid The Lake Placid Village Board of Trustees is working with the Open Space Institute a New York-based conservation organization to build the trailhead on an almost two-acre plot next to the Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society Village Mayor Art Devlin said that the state government ushered in the partnership between the village and OSI The village is close to finalizing the $249,000 purchase of the land on which the trailhead will be built currently belongs to the Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society which has been in the former Lake Placid Railroad Station since 1967 is funded by $300,000 from the 2023 state Environmental Protection Fund which funds capital projects that also promote conservation “June 1 was the date we were supposed to buy the property,” Devlin said “I’m under the understanding it’s imminent.” While OSI is handling most of the improvements to the property the village will be helping out in any way it can Some of the anticipated work includes bringing water and electricity to the property for the restroom facilities The parking area will open as soon as the property is in the village’s hands and should be able to serve those using the Rail Trail throughout the summer OSI’s Senior Vice President for Communications Eileen Larrabee said that construction on the trailhead’s amenities will likely not begin until next year as OSI is still $300,000 away from its $1.55 million fundraising goal for the project “It’s an important $300,000,” she said The project has so far received funding via a $300,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Smart Growth Grant program a $50,000 grant from North Elba’s Local Enhancement and Advancement Fund and an unspecified grant from the Cloudsplitter Foundation Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society board member Peter Roland Jr said that the new trailhead is going to drive traffic to the historical society’s museum “When you operate a facility like ours your biggest challenge is having people find you — getting residents to take the time to come and visit you and visitors to find you,” he said “Since we’ll be immediately adjacent to what is already a really popular attraction … it’s going to give us exposure to an audience that we’ve been hard-pressed to reach.” The first phase of the Adirondack Rail Trail a 10-mile stretch between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake This is the first summer tourist season when phase one of the trail will officially be open — since railroad ties first started getting removed in 2020 the DEC has asked the public to stay off sections of the trail with active construction 34-mile trail will connect the villages of Tupper Lake which will span from Saranac Lake to Floodwood Road in Santa Clara Before the former rail corridor underwent construction the section from Lake Placid to Saranac Lake was used by the Adirondack Railway Preservation Society to run a scenic tourist train locals debated the benefits and drawbacks of the trail with some arguing that the unused railroad tracks made for a decent trail already and public funds could be better spent on other projects and others arguing that a smooth trail would make for better year-round outdoor recreation and spur the local economy OSI has participated in other conservation projects in the Adirondack Park including acquiring the 10,000-acre Tahawus Tract; contributing the Finch the largest addition to the forest preserve in 100 years; and conserving more than 600 acres of the Trembleau Mountain-Lake Champlain shoreline (Enterprise and Lake Placid News Editor/Publisher Andy Flynn contributed reporting.) LAKE PLACID — Lake Placid Central School District’s proposed $22.4 million 2024-25 budget passed 334-83 a 3.38% increase over the current year’s levy but still under the state-imposed tax cap of 3.45% A total of 420 votes were cast in this year’s election The district’s 2024-25 budget is 3% higher than this year’s $21.7 million budget The majority of the budget will be funded by taxes with $843,853 pulled from the district’s unassigned fund balance Tax rates would be around $5.61 per $1,000 in assessed value in both North Elba and Wilmington up from last year’s rate of $5.44 per $1,000 in assessed value in North Elba and down from $6.79 per $1,000 in assessed value in Wilmington This means a person with a home assessed at $300,000 in either town could expect to pay $1,683 in school taxes next year the purchase of three gas-powered school buses District officials have said that the tax levy increase is a “direct result” of the bus purchases LPCSD currently leases its buses on three- to five-year cycles but with a state deadline to switch to exclusively purchasing electric buses on the horizon the school board opted to purchase buses instead as a way to operate with a hybrid fleet A $634 increase in Wilmington’s public library funding was approved 381-34 Elected to the school board were Colleen Locke who ran unopposed to fill the current board president Dan Cash’s seat Locke and Mellor will serve three-year terms that expire in June 2027 has been the owner and administrator of Kids R Us Early Learning Center in Saranac Lake since 1997 and has served on the LPCSD school board since 2018 when she was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Linda O’Leary he returned to his alma mater for a 43-year-long career there as a teacher Mellor has also worked with the Lake Placid Outing Club the Whiteface Mountain gondola evacuation team the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s high-angle rescue team and the Samaritan Family Counseling Center the superintendent of Craig Wood golf course has been named the new park district manager for the town of North Elba who announced his retirement in October after 41 years in the job “I’m excited and would like to get some things done for this community,” St He served in the Coast Guard for 10 years before returning to Lake Placid and serving as a village police officer he accepted his current role at Craig Wood Louis will start as park district manager on Friday “Matt’s qualifications are exemplary He’s a boots-on-the-ground kind of guy who understands everything about building And then you move into his administrative qualities where he’s a very fair leader,” said North Elba Supervisor Derek Doty “We’re looking to Matt to be just a great ambassador for the town of North Elba and in so many respects he will be exposed to a greater degree of the public than I am here as supervisor.” Doty said that the town had four “very qualified candidates” who were all locals Louis had all of the qualities the town was searching for in a successor to Martin “He’s going to be a good person to ask a few questions (of) which I’m sure I’ll have,” St “They’re very large shoes to fill I think he has 57 years total going toward his retirement.” Martin started his career in 1967 as a rink attendant and was the director of operations at the Olympic Center during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games He also coaches the Saranac Lake Placid girls hockey team “I have had the privilege of working closely with Matt over the years His passion for our community and his expertise make him an ideal successor,” Martin said in a statement “I am confident that the park district will continue to thrive under his leadership.” The park district manager oversees Craig Wood the Lake Placid Airport and the land that the state Olympic Regional Development Authority leases from the town such as the land upon which the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex is built where the Olympic Center is located and where the Olympic Speedskating Oval is located as well as the property where ORDA has built offices on Church Street The role includes “constant interaction with the public,” Doty said as well as regular communication with the town supervisor town council and the Lake Placid Sports Council The manager also oversees the toboggan chute on the shore of Mirror Lake and employees who maintain the town’s public parks and the town beach which underpins the operations orchestrated by the park district manager “It is one of the most responsible jobs in the town,” Doty said Louis said that he wants to use the role to encourage the feeling of community in Lake Placid something he feels has been declining in recent years seeing how we’ve kind of lost that community sense … it drove me to want to get more involved from my current position here at Craig Wood to better the community sense around here,” he said Some of his priorities are to get the horse show “back to its former glory,” maintain the lacrosse fields and enhance the toboggan chute He was officially hired on Tuesday night at the North Elba Town Council meeting Louis said he will be helping him throughout the transition A retirement party for Martin will be hosted by the town at Craig Wood from 6 to 8 p.m The party will be open to the public and feature appetizers and a cash bar Aerial view of Mirror Lake and Main Street in the village of Lake Placid (Provided photo — ROOST) LAKE PLACID — The town of North Elba and village of Lake Placid opened for submissions a survey on Monday that will gather public input for the Pathways project an effort to update the town and village’s joint comprehensive plan The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and includes questions about perceptions of public transit and experiences with housing It is mainly geared toward residents of North Elba and Lake Placid town and village Community Development Director Haley Breen said including those who live part-time in the region Aside from the new updated comprehensive plan the survey will also inform the region’s ongoing LEED for Communities recertification process as well as a new master plan for the North Elba Show Grounds and nearby athletic fields “We are using the same consultants for the master plan and comprehensive plan,” Breen said “We figured we may as well find ways to integrate (the surveys) so we don’t exhaust people.” The town and village have hired a Burlington-based team from planning firm SE Group to help update the comprehensive plan an environmental consultant from Common Ground Consulting in Albany a sub-committee of the Lake Placid/North Elba Community Development Commission Comprising the committee are chair Dean Dietrich The town and village boards have liaisons on the committee: Councilor Emily Kilburn-Politi and Trustee Jackie Kelly Brennan is also a village trustee but joined the committee before she was elected to the board Economic Development Director Adam DeSantis is also involved Rather than creating a comprehensive plan from scratch the Pathways project will update the town and village’s current joint comprehensive plan The comprehensive plan guides the development commission’s action as well as the local governments’ policy decisions many of the themes of the 2014 plan are likely to be carried forward into the updated version “Obviously a lot of those big themes that are hard to escape are going to be carried forward like housing and economic development,” she said “There will probably be more emphasis on climate change.” Fitzgerald said she expects one of the largest themes will be sense of community “One of the things that we’re very conscious of this time around is that people are expressing the loss of a sense of community — that “And we have to figure out how to change that the perception and the reality of it.” The survey is the first part of the Pathways project’s engagement plan the project team will prepare a “Values and Stressors” report that details the community’s most prevalent priorities and concerns the project team will also host an open house to collect public input in person Breen said there is not a specific date for that open house yet but she expects it’ll be around late March The project team will also assemble a number of focus groups from “stakeholder groups” — that is different stakeholders in the welfare of the community teachers and more — who will provide more specific feedback to the team Fitzgerald said that the emphasis on community feedback is crucial to this comprehensive plan update “That’s a big piece of what’s different this time the plan has been determined with some input from community but really from a committee of 20 people,” she said “We want feedback from hundreds of people hitting issues and themes most people are concerned about.” Municipalities in New York are not required to have comprehensive plans their zoning laws are required to be adopted in accordance with a comprehensive plan making an updated comprehensive plan a de facto requirement for any municipality that wants to continue to have and update its zoning laws “You need to have some sort of planning and some proof that you’ve gotten community sentiment for development,” she said “They usually recommend that you update these plans every five to 10 years or so and we just happened to have the resources to do it now.” The survey will be open until around late February but the project team will close the survey as responses start tapering off next month She added that people with concerns or questions about the comprehensive planning process are welcome to reach out to learn more and that the Community Development Commission’s meetings which happen every third Thursday at the North Elba Town Hall Fitzgerald said that the committee’s request for public feedback is sincere “We would not be going through this process and spending the town and village’s money to not pay attention (to the feedback),” she said “People are very quick to criticize the work that’s being done and very slow to help the work that’s being done To complete the survey visit the Pathways website at www.placidpathways.org CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly said that the Lake Placid/North Elba Community Development Commission had hired a consulting firm based in Washington to work on the 2024 joint comprehensive plan update The firm is actually based in Albany; there is a similarly-named firm in Washington Work was continuing on the new beach volleyball and pickleball courts next to the North Elba Athletic Fields in Lake Placid when this photo was taken on July 29 The town of North Elba received a Local Enhancement and Advancement Fund grant of $48,000 in November 2022 to go toward new fencing to separate the beach volleyball and pickleball courts from the lacrosse fields and to install new gates to keep the town’s landfill and construction and debris pit areas more secure Kudos to North Elba officials — including the supervisor Town Council and North Elba Park District employees — for developing new uses for town venues specifically at the North Elba Show Grounds and the North Elba Athletic Fields There’s a real sense of community when people gather here The show grounds are already established as a destination for residents and visitors especially for community events when the horse shows are not active summer day camp for local children and Lake Placid Classic Half Marathon and 10K and the view is amazing — the High Peaks With fencing going up around the new beach volleyball and pickleball courts at the athletic fields — known as the lacrosse fields — it’s clear that the town officials’ vision to make this area more accessible for casual recreation — not just lacrosse and rugby — is coming into focus There is a lot of potential to make the athletic fields more like a public park development of this area could someday include public restrooms Why not build a pavilion that can be used for picnics and gatherings such as the ones at Mount Sabattis in Long Lake and the municipal park in Tupper Lake The view of the ski jumps and the High Peaks is spectacular it’s a meeting place for local wild turkeys and migrating Canada geese It could also be a great meeting place for residents and visitors throughout the year Lake Placid News Editor Andy Flynn’s dog Arabella a 5-year-old chiweenie (chihuahua/dachshund mix) explores the North Elba Show Grounds dog park on Sunday Here’s a question: Could the relatively new off-leash dog park at the back of the show grounds be moved to the athletic fields The current one is set up with temporary fencing which is taken down during the Lake Placid Horse Shows and replaced with a horse tent A dog park at the athletic fields could have permanent fencing — never shutting down — with unique features that would make it a destination unto itself adding so much to the quality of life for residents and the quality of visit for tourists We love the fact that the town has set up this dog park so dogs can run around and socialize without being leashed But some of the users we’ve interviewed said they’d like to see permanent fencing (some dogs have jumped over or crawled underneath the temporary fencing) more frequent emptying of the trash can (flies multiply quickly where the poop bags are deposited if they are not removed daily) more than one bench for humans and a double gate system such as those found at other dogs parks (so when one dog is let in Supervisor Derek Doty told the Lake Placid News that he’d like to see the dog park look more professional Creating a more professional dog park with permanent fencing — whether it stays at the show grounds or moves to the athletic fields or another location — will take time Users of the current dog park are praising the venue; it gives their dogs more opportunities for socialization and helps with training puppies We see it as an asset for those living here and visiting we see an opportunity for the town to create a more open dialogue with the public about how to best use the show grounds and the athletic fields for the community’s needs (including tourism) — and what could be developed for the future To the Town Council: Please tell us how the public can get involved and help pit bull and cattle dog mix — at the North Elba Show Grounds dog park on Monday at the North Elba Show Grounds dog park on Monday Tom Trapanese walks in the North Elba Show Grounds dog park on Monday pit bull and cattle dog mix — play with Amanda Birchenough-Morrell’s dog Angus What happened last month at the Tupper Lake Pine Mill is something that is taking place across New York and much of .. The Readers’ Choice for Best of the Mountains 2025 is back Dan Mayberry understands the importance of child care in the North Country it is hard to imagine how the words "Peace on Earth" have any true relevance .. we have officially ventured into the winter season LAKE PLACID — An agreement between the town of North Elba and the state Olympic Regional Development Authority which authorizes ORDA to operate the town’s Olympic venues the town has continued to pay ORDA the annual sum the agreement requires this amounted to $12.6 million in public funds and an $1.95 million more in state grants As town and ORDA officials hash out the details of a new agreement the former chairman of the Lake Placid Sports Council — which was created to run the North Elba Park District and oversee a fund that disburses town funds to ORDA each year — is accusing the town and ORDA of “backroom” dealings and Open Meetings Law violations and calling for better transparency and public involvement in the process The town and ORDA may have violated the Rule Against Perpetuities a law that limits the terms of bequests and leases by not renewing its agreement when it expired Legal counselors say that the current situation could leave both the town and ORDA “vulnerable” if either decided to no longer hold up its end of the bargain The last agreement between the town and ORDA expired during former North Elba town Supervisor Shirley Seney’s tenure according to former town Supervisor Roby Politi “We don’t have a legal lease with ORDA currently,” current town Supervisor Derek Doty said in a March 19 interview Politi clarified that the expired agreement is not a lease but rather an “operational agreement” — though part of the agreement does include the lease of the town’s Olympic venues to ORDA It is unclear precisely when the agreement expired; Doty and Politi both could not recall an exact year and Seney died in 2015 at the age of 83 ORDA Board of Directors Chairman Joe Martens said that the town and ORDA did not wish go through the process of renewing the lease repeatedly and instead agreed that the lease would Doty said that the expiration was first brought to his attention in 2018 Turnover in town and ORDA leadership has led both parties “to not pay attention to the lease,” according to Doty Jay Rand served as town supervisor in 2020 and 2021; and Politi from 2008 to 2019 Doty and Rand were both on the town council before they were elected supervisor current President and CEO Ashley Walden was named as successor to Mike Pratt last August Pratt took over as president and CEO from Ted Blazer in 2017 Martens was appointed chairman of the ORDA Board of Directors in 2022 by Gov Martens also served as ORDA board chair from 2007 to 2011 Doty and Politi both said that the town’s working relationship with ORDA has been so positive that renewing or renegotiating the agreement was not an urgent concern Doty said that creating a new agreement will help future town councils; it was one of his priorities when he took office in 2022 I’d love to have a maintenance agreement or whatever we’re going to call it,” he said “It’ll be something that future boards can work with the state of New York for years to come.” When Walden became CEO at the end of this past September Doty reached out to tell her about the expired agreement Walden said that conversations about a new agreement began in earnest eight weeks ago at most Pratt and Blazer could not be reached for comment by deadline The deal between the town and ORDA for the agreement to go on indefinitely appears to have violated the Rule Against Perpetuities a law that says a lease agreement cannot go on forever “(ORDA and North Elba) mutually agreed that the lease would just go on forever “I think they thought it was an elegant solution and they wouldn’t have to revisit it every year that is something that is not permissible.” Though both parties continued to honor the agreement there was nothing binding them to that agreement Martens said there is a piece of paper he’s seen “somewhere along (his) travels” where the town and ORDA agreed to uphold the agreement but that piece of paper likely wouldn’t be binding due to the Rule of Perpetuities Lawyer Mark Schachner — whose firm serves as North Elba’s legal counsel — said that the expiration of the town and ORDA’s agreement did not create significant “potential vulnerability.” we’re not concerned about the existence of any potential vulnerability largely because the town and ORDA have been working cooperatively together for decades,” he said should the town or ORDA become “tremendously upset” with something and a rift between the two entities form there could be some potential legal vulnerability North Elba pays ORDA every year to operate the Olympic venues that the town owns: the Olympic Jumping Complex Sheffield Speed Skating Oval (co-owned with the Lake Placid Central School District) This arrangement originated under the expired agreement and has continued despite its expiration The amount that the town pays ORDA has varied over the years. The expired agreement requires the town to follow a formula that includes the amount paid in the previous financial year, adjusted by the North Elba Park District’s full tax assessment of real property. This formula is located in Title 28, the law that created ORDA in 1981. It can be viewed at tinyurl.com/2fh93hyb North Elba would currently have to pay ORDA somewhere in the ballpark of $2 million annually but it would help drive this little town bankrupt,” he said North Elba currently pays ORDA $500,000 per year — a fraction of the payment the formula would dictate the town paid a higher amount annually to ORDA He said he approached ORDA and lowered the rate to a flat $500,000 payment in 2022 since the town was no longer receiving state Department of Environmental Conservation grants It is unclear if there is anything on paper regarding this agreement according to a town document tracking ORDA payments since 2005 provided by North Elba Budget Officer Catherine Edman reached a peak of $902,645.02 annually between 2010 and 2012 Edman said the town and ORDA reached a verbal agreement in 2013 to pay a $750,000 flat rate This rate was offset by DEC grants from 2015 to 2019 meaning that the town paid $500,000 to $600,000 from its own funds during those years Politi said this rate was a good deal for the community “The town of North Elba could never have managed the facilities or paid for the operation of the facilities,” he said “We felt that $500,000 was reasonable at the time.” there were no grants to offset the payment and the town paid the $750,000 in full which is tasked with auditing and providing independent oversight over state and local finances The town and ORDA started the process of creating a new agreement in February Doty requested that the $500,000 flat rate be formalized he asked that North Elba residents get certain benefits He also proposed to eliminate the agreement’s payment formula which could significantly raise North Elba’s payments to ORDA and would likely require the state Legislature to pass an amendment Doty says he hopes one of the options presented by the town and ORDA’s legal counsels is to ask the state Legislature for an amendment to the law that created ORDA “So much has evolved since the inception of that law that it’s not practical or realistic anymore,” he said Doty also asked for ORDA to bring back the Community Advisory Panel (CAP) a 19-member panel that is supposed to “advise and assist” ORDA by providing community feedback and identifying competitions to be held at ORDA venues Doty said he envisions a different role for the CAP — or a CAP equivalent — going forward He is pushing for the new agreement with ORDA to have a maximum 20-year term He also wants to retain those three representatives chosen by the town of North Elba on the ORDA Board of Directors All of Doty’s requests already exist in Title 28 CEO Walden and chairman Martens agreed with Doty and said the goal of the new agreement is to make sure that the relationship between the town and ORDA is brought up to modern standards Doty’s terms for the new agreement have been a source of conflict between him and former Lake Placid Sports Council chairman Jeff Erenstone who resigned this month citing ongoing conflict with Doty over the town’s “backroom” renegotiation of its operational agreement with ORDA Erenstone said he worries that approaching the state Legislature could result in the town having to pay more to ORDA Doty said he is not concerned about this happening “I think the state will recognize whatever both sides agree on to move forward,” he said Erenstone also disagrees with Doty’s approach to these terms saying it’s redundant to ask for things that are already in the law Doty said that the redundancies are on purpose When asked if they were not already enforceable Doty said that’s a determination only the town and ORDA’s legal counsels can make The town expects a draft of the new agreement from counsel by May The divergent opinions came to a head when Erenstone resigned as chairman of the LPSC on March 12 He said that the negotiation of the new agreement was happening in a “backroom,” citing a Feb 2 Open Meetings Law violation and private conversations between the town and ORDA that he alleged have been going on since October “They’re hoping to finish (a) first draft … without the public seeing anything,” Erenstone said Erenstone said the LPSC — which has legal input into the use of North Elba Park District funds where ORDA payments come from — should have a role in talks about the new agreement The public should also get a chance to comment “If you’re using someone’s property they tend to have oversight over you,” he said “The public should help advise.” He said that the town should go through a public hearing process with the agreement similar to the one it recently went through to develop its system of short-term vacation rental permitting Doty disagreed that the LPSC should be involved in the talks saying that Erenstone thinks of himself as having powers over the town board He said that he eventually plans to bring the public into the loop not necessarily through hearings but rather through what he would call a “public awareness session.” The town is not required by law to gather any public feedback on a new agreement he said the town “welcomes public feedback on a regular basis” at its meetings which could include feedback on the new agreement Former town legal counsel Ron Briggs said that though he has not done any recent research on the agreement he would’ve likely advised the town council to hold a public hearing if an agreement expired a long time ago and you want to enter a new agreement I think you’ve got to hold a public hearing,” he said Walden said she was not opposed to gathering feedback from the public on the new agreement though she wasn’t familiar with town protocols “It’s going to be a legal document that talks about the management of the town facilities and the reciprocal program for town residents so I don’t have any concerns about that going up for public comment,” she said North Elba Town Hall (News photo — Andy Flynn) LAKE PLACID — The town of North Elba and village of Lake Placid building and planning department will roll out a new online permitting platform on March 25 eliminating paper applications for building permits and applications to the Lake Placid-North Elba Joint Review Board and Zoning Board of Appeals Though the permit applications will move online the information they require will not change according to Codes and Zoning Coordinator David Wright All the required documents are the same,” Wright said “It’s all exactly the same; we tailored the program to our needs.” hosts the permitting procedures of more than 500 local governments across the country the platform is used by around 20 municipalities North Elba and Lake Placid are the first local governments in the North Country to adopt the platform; most municipalities in New York that use Cloudpermit are south of Interstate 90 Wright said the shift to Cloudpermit began when the building and planning department decided their current system was “not adequate for (their) needs.” “All the newer programs happen to be online,” he said The department went with Cloudpermit and has been using it since the beginning of the year to process applications Wright said no one has submitted an application through the platform so far though it is still a few weeks before the switch is set to happen The new permitting platform will not change anything for the members of the review and zoning boards Applicants appearing before the board will see no changes to the substance of their applications The building and planning department will not accept paper copies of applications after March 25 unless an applicant is granted specific permission by the department to do so Wright said there are a few benefits to the new platform “It reduces paper going forward,” he said “It’ll allow us to have applications completed and paid for before they go before any of the boards or a building permit is issued so that we don’t have to be hunting people down later.” Cloudpermit allows both applicants and the building and planning department to access their applications on a variety of devices It also shows the status of permits and cases Applicants will be able to request inspections send messages and pay fees through the platform There is also an option for applicants to meet with someone at the building and planning department for a consultation before submitting an application “It would allow (applicants) to schedule a time to talk to us about the application just like they can now,” Wright said whether or not they can be approved.” North Elba and Lake Placid currently process short-term vacation rental permits online Wright said that Cloudpermit does not offer an STR permitting system right now The building department expects to stick with GovOS for STR permitting for the time being LAKE PLACID — The Saranac Lake Placid girls lacrosse team’s four game win streak came to an end on Monday when the team fell to the Massena Raiders 9-6 Playing at the North Elba Athletic Fields the two squads were deadlocked at 5-5 after the first half The Raiders took control of the contest after the intermission by scoring three straight goals “We’ve got to play like we did as a team last Monday against Canton,” SLP co-head coach Jeff Denkenberger said “We just struggled maintaining possession of the ball tonight.” SLP scored one goal in the second half when Phoebe Peer found the back of the net the Raiders controlled the ball through most of the contest and limited SLP’s offensive chances “Our defense played the entire game and they did a great job,” Denkenberger said but (Brooke Terry) and (Jayla Thompson) were solid together they could catch the ball and they could shoot we’ve got to maintain possession of the ball move the ball down the field and take good shots We couldn’t find the net today.” defends Massena’s Jayla Thompson during Monday’s game at the North Elba Show Grounds while Thompson added three goals and three assists The Raiders’ Lindsay D’Arienzo and Hailey LaShomb netted one goal each Peer led SLP with two goals and one assist while Kaitlyn Yando and Juliana Tremblay each had one goal “We’ve got to bury tonight and focus on the rest of the season,” Denkenberger said The team will wrap up the regular season with a road contest against Ogdensburg at 5:45 p.m today and home game against Salmon River at 6 p.m The team will then compete in the playoffs “We’ve got to beat Ogdensburg and we’ve got to show up here and be able to contend against Salmon River and get us ready for next week,” Denkenberger said Saranac Lake’s Emily Gay makes contact during Monday’s home game against Ticonderoga The Saranac Lake softball team suffered a 16-2 home loss to the Ticonderoga Sentinels on Monday The Sentinels jumped out a 2-0 lead before the Red Storm scored its first run in the third inning Ticonderoga extended its lead with 10 total run in the fourth and fifth inning Saranac Lake’s Paige Mott hit an RBI single in the sixth but the Sentinels scored four more runs in the seventh to close out the game Ticonderoga’s Myleigh Drinkwine had six strikeouts and the Red Storm’s Emma Akey had five punchouts which came off the bats of Mott and Ayla Small Cassidy Mattison and Sophia Johndrow had two hits each Drinkwine and Sophia Dorsett chipped in with one hit each will wrap up the regular season at home Wednesday at 4:30 p.m The Lake Placid softball team found themselves in a close battle during Monday’s regular season finale against the Boquet Valley Griffins in Lake Placid With just a one run lead in the top of the seventh the Griffins rattled off five runs to defeat the Blue Bombers 12-8 Boquet Valley’s Jalynne Orciani tossed a complete game Lake Placid’s Reid Pedu pitched four innings before being relieved Lili Draper and Kyra Jordon also pitched for the Blue Bombers Lake Placid finished the contest with three total hits The Blue Bombers’ Anisa Cecunjanin had the lone extra-base hit — a double Boquet Valley had six hits as Sophie Pulsifer led the way with two The Blue Bombers closed out the regular season with a record of 2-9 The team’s postseason opponent is yet to be determined The Lake Placid baseball team wrapped up the regular season at home on Monday by defeating the Boquet Valley Griffins 13-3 Monday afternoon The victory marked the second consecutive season that the Blue Bombers finished Mountain and Valley Athletic Conference play undefeated extending its win streak in league play to 24 games The last time the team lost to an MVAC opponent was on May 13 the Blue Bombers pitching staff of Ryan Curry Jon Caito and Vann Morrelli combined for 14 strikeouts in six innings The Griffins used three pitchers — Ben Burdo Ted Gay and Maddox Rice — in the loss Jarrett Mihill and Hyler Isham tallied two hits each in the win while Isham and Max Hyman both had a triple Rice and Boden Buehler had two hits each for Boquet Valley Lake Placid finished the regular season with an overall record of 12-2 The team will host a playoff game with both the date and opponent yet to be determined The Lake Placid girls tennis team suffered a 4-1 loss to the Plattsburgh Hornets on Monday The host Blue Bombers’ Jennifer Giroux won her team’s lone match the Hornets’ Ava Perry topped Sydney Garrison 6-1 Nadia Phillip and Kayden Glascock were defeated by Julia Lack and Leanne Cook 6-1 6-1; Laura Leon and Danna Perez fell to Reba Maken and Aubree Mulligan 6-3 6-1 and Jenna Audlin and Fiona Sullivan lost to Ava O’Brien and Emma Slattery 6-0 The squad will travel for its next match against the Beekmantown Eagles at 3:30 p.m LAKE PLACID — Registration for the first-ever event on the Adirondack Rail Trail — Sunday The Lake Placid High School marching band performs during the 2023 Memorial Day parade in Lake Placid LAKE PLACID — The Lake Placid American Legion Post 326 will observe Memorial Day on Monday May 27 by lowering and raising flags in honor of local veterans who are no longer with us and who had honorably and unselfishly served and sacrificed for our country so we may enjoy our freedoms as Americans the post will sponsor its annual Memorial Day parade followed by a closing ceremony and luncheon at the American Legion home on Main Street Six flags that have been flying since Veterans Day will be retired and replaced by six new flags Retired flags will be presented to the family members in attendance Another flag at the North Elba Cemetery is also maintained by the American Legion Post 326 in honor of all deceased local veterans which will be retired and replaced with a new one A wreath will be placed at the Legion’s Memorial Monument by the American Legion Auxiliary Joseph’s Recovery Center will place flags on the graves of all veterans with markers in the local cemeteries starting at 9 a.m then proceeding to the North Elba and the Jewish cemeteries The May 27 ceremonies will begin at 9:30 a.m at the Adirondack Community Church and the World War I Memorial where a flag honoring Roland White will be lowered and a flag honoring Robert Fadden will be raised a ceremony will be held at Elderwood of Uihlein at Lake Placid lowering a flag honoring Henry Trombley and raising a flag honoring Dennis Smythe a ceremony will be held at the Lake Placid Health and Medical Fitness Center where a flag will be lowered honoring John Petters and one will be raised honoring Clifford Wells a closing ceremony will be held where flags will be lowered honoring William Kelly Flags will be then be raised honoring Robert Peacock All veterans are encouraged to join the American Legion in the parade friends and families are invited to attend any and all ceremonies superintendent of the Craig Wood Golf Course has been named the new North Elba Park District manager who will retire this month after more than 41 years in the job graduated from Lake Placid High School in 2004 Coast Guard for 10 years before returning to Lake Placid and serving as a village police officer he accepted his current role at the town-owned golf course and will start as park district manager on Friday where he’s a very fair leader,” said North Elba town Supervisor Derek Doty Doty said that the town had four “very qualified candidates” who were all locals and St Lake Placid Airport and the land that the state Olympic Regional Development Authority leases from the town the Olympic Center and the ORDA office building on Church Street The manager also oversees the Lake Placid Toboggan Chute on the shore of Mirror Lake and employees who maintain the town’s public parks and the municipal beach LAKE PLACID — Three of four candidates running for a seat on the North Elba Town Council discussed some of the top issues facing the town during a forum hosted by Adirondack Daily Enterprise Managing Editor Elizabeth Izzo at the Shipman Youth Center in Lake Placid on Monday which was co-sponsored by the Enterprise and the Lake Placid News included the region’s affordable housing crisis the Ironman triathlon and the local tourism industry People can watch the archived forum recording on the Enterprise Facebook page under the “Live” tab The Enterprise will also publish questionnaires answered by the candidates next week Edward “Andy” Borden and incumbent Emily Kilburn Politi The four candidates are vying for two open seats on the town board Also on the ballot will be town Supervisor Derek Doty and town Highway Superintendent Ken Porter who are running for reelection unopposed; one state Supreme Court justice seat Davenport; and the race for Essex County clerk — Chelsea M Merrihew and Stephanie DeZalia are running to fill the position 5 at one of two locations: At the Lake Placid Beach House or at the Essex County Public Safety Building Polls will be open at the Shipman Youth Center (Districts 1 4 and 5) and at the North Elba Town House in Saranac Lake (District 2) from 6 a.m The North Elba Town Hall in Lake Placid is not a polling station this year Izzo asked the candidates what North Elba — and they as individuals — could do to address the area’s lack of affordable long-term housing Borden said the town has already been taking steps to address the housing crisis He said that the best approach to increasing North Elba’s long-term housing stock is “working together … with developers and businesspeople.” Borden also said he supported the MacKenzie Overlook apartments on Wesvalley Road an affordable housing complex that opened earlier this year but voiced reservations about the housing system “I like the idea that they put that apartment complex on Wesvalley Road,” he said it’s filling up with a lot of people that Politi highlighted her past work on the town board to address this issue including creating the position of community development director “whose main focus is housing,” and the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism’s economic development director “who is charged with the diversification of housing.” She also said the town’s short-term vacation rental regulations are helping to restore the stock of long-term housing and called MacKenzie Overlook a “success story.” Politi said that the town should also work with private developers to create a range of long-term housing options “We need a whole spectrum of housing and a diversity of housing,” she said Balzac said that developers who want to build high-end housing developments should be required to “set aside a percentage for low to moderate income.” This provision is already included in the town’s zoning laws developers are required to set one “affordable” unit aside for a household that earns 120% of the area median income they are required to make a payment instead to a housing fund held by the Adirondack Community Housing Trust Balzac later clarified that he would like developers to be required to provide more than just one 120% AMI unit per 10 units He also said he supports a public housing system similar to those used in Europe where households with different levels of income live in the same building Izzo asked the candidates to share the other challenges they believe North Elba currently faces and how they would address them Politi said that a lot of the challenges North Elba faces “go back to housing,” including aging infrastructure She said that the town’s impending modeling project — which will analyze the stresses and capacities of the town’s infrastructure — will help with future development Politi also said that staff retention and fair pay within the town government is a concern for her Balzac said that a “big” challenge in town is “quality of life for year-round residents,” which he tied back to STRs He felt the town board created and passed STR regulations too slowly He said that climate change will be a local challenge in the coming years proposing that the town board should study the environmental impact on “any significant resolutions or bills that they pass.” Balzac also said that the local economy should be diversified so that it does not depend so much on tourism Borden also cited infrastructure as a challenge as well as safety — especially pedestrian safety who was a police officer in Lake Placid for 20 years called for safer sidewalks and intersections throughout town especially if new housing developments are constructed He also said that the emergency room at the Lake Placid Health and Medical Fitness Center should be re-opened Izzo asked the candidates if they agreed with the growing sentiment that there has been a loss of a sense of community in North Elba and how they proposed to change that perception Balzac said that North Elba spans multiple communities — including the hamlet of Ray Brook and part of the village of Saranac Lake — and this sentiment may vary by community he pinpointed the village of Lake Placid as a place that may feel this way citing the large amount of tourism within the village He felt that residents’ concerns about the Ironman triathlon “were not really heard” by local governments and that the 2023 FISU Winter World University Games were “a bust” for the local economy “We just need to make sure that we are prioritizing our year-round residents so that we have to think hard about it,” he said Borden said that he disagrees that North Elba has lost its sense of community though Lake Placid has changed in recent decades — he cited smaller graduating classes at Lake Placid Middle/High School and families moving out of the area as examples it’s a lot of vacation people-driven.” Borden said that Lake Placid could become a “family … community” again with diversification of the economy and more affordable housing Politi also disagreed that North Elba has lost a sense of community but I still feel such a sense of community when I’m here,” she said “I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t I listed all of the boards I’m on; I wouldn’t do that if I didn’t think there was a community here I have two young children; I wouldn’t raise children here if I didn’t think there was a sense of community and a sense of belonging.” people need to accept that community can “start to look different.” Izzo asked if the North Elba zoning code was sufficient and what changes should be made to it “I think that our zoning codes need to be looked at,” Borden said He added that the town needed to “get input” and “have some serious discussions” to identify potential problems with the code Politi said that the town started to clean up and “revamp” the zoning code in 2020 though there are still changes that can be made as the town creates an updated comprehensive plan with an outside consultant they will be able to identify parts of the zoning code that aren’t working well and should be altered Two aspects of the code that she would like to revisit as they affect the area’s options for affordable housing “You need more density and you need more height,” she said “We know we’re running out of land and so that’s one thing that the zoning code will look at in terms of housing.” Balzac said that he has not read North Elba’s zoning code but is “a bit familiar” with the village of Saranac Lake’s code he found that Saranac Lake’s code was “rather inadequate.” Izzo asked the candidates how they propose to balance the needs of large-scale sporting events such as the Ironman triathlon with the needs of the community Politi said that opening a dialogue with event organizers and local residents can help to keep the events in the community without inconveniencing the town She cited work by the town’s Ironman Task Force “I think it’s about conversations and making sure that you’re always listening to both sides,” she said there is an economic generator effect from major sporting events and they support our local businesses and they are weather-proof.” Balzac said that the traffic closures that have come with Ironman in the past “are really disregarding the will of the people.” He also restated that the 2023 FISU Games were “not … the success they were touted to be.” He said that North Elba residents needed to participate more in their local government in order to have their concerns heard Borden said that working as a police officer during Ironman in the past was “quite an ordeal” and that both sides of the argument surrounding events like Ironman need to be represented in task forces and during meetings He also said that large sporting events “keep us going.” “It’s something that you can look forward to,” he said Our community’s biggest income comes from people coming here.” Izzo next asked a question about young residents in the area many of whom are struggling to find housing and make ends meet She asked what the town government could do to help young locals Balzac said that he is “aware of the impact of the local economy and the lack of opportunity for young people in this area.” He said that more interaction between the town board and the local schools could help the local government identify youth issues as well as diversifying the local economy to bring in more job opportunities and affordable housing Borden said that his four adult sons experienced firsthand the lack of affordable housing and job opportunities in the area He said that young people should “get as much education as (they) can … to land a better-paying job in the future.” He also said that the affordable housing stock should be increased in the area Politi agreed with Balzac and Borden that the town board needs to work toward creating more local job opportunities and affordable housing She pointed to the economic development director position as one tool in the town’s arsenal “better-paying and better-skilled jobs” and “a diversity of housing” will become available Izzo asked how important it is to get young residents involved and engaged in local government and how the candidates could encourage young people to get involved in local politics Borden said that civic engagement “starts through schooling and parenting.” He said that he would like to see more interaction between local school districts and local government “How many board meetings are there and the schools don’t have anybody there even covering the board meetings somethings He suggested that student governments be represented at town and village board meetings Politi expressed support for the Lake Placid Central School District’s recent Community Schools initiative A community school is a school that not only provides education for local adolescents but also provides holistic support to the community which may include extracurricular learning opportunities throughout the year Politi also proposed holding a “Civics Day” at local schools where elected officials can interact with students and talk to them about how local government works Balzac said that the local economy should take more advantage of the “amazing concept” of the Adirondack Park He also suggested instating a student representative or delegate to school and town board meetings and said that the town board committees should be opened up to citizens He agreed with Politi that there should be a Civics Day in local schools Izzo asked each candidate to tell the audience why they were the right person to sit on the town board Politi said that her educational and employment background prepared her to sit on the town board “If you could ever go to school to be a politician that’s literally what I went to school for,” she said “My education basis has set me up for public budgeting and public administration and everything that I do every day when I go to the town hall.” Politi also said that she is “passionate,” a “team player” and knows “a lot about housing,” citing her experience in both non-profit and private housing development Balzac said that he has “a record of fighting for people,” citing his involvement in the campaign to restore the covered bridge in Jay He said that he has also been involved “in a number of groups and efforts” including the Concerned Citizens to Protect Lake Placid and Residents for a Sustainable Community Borden said that he is a strong communicator which he attributed to his former career as a police officer and his current work as a business owner and pastor “Communication is a two-way street,” he said “It’s what it’s all about is being able to talk to people and being able to hear people and to be able to understand what they’re saying and being understood.” LAKE PLACID — Lake Placid’s new short-term vacation rental regulations have been approved After months of multiple public meetings and hearings about — and revisions to — the new STR regulations the Lake Placid Village Board of Trustees and the North Elba Town Council on Tuesday The law will prohibit the issuance of new unhosted STR permits in residential neighborhoods among other new measures that elected officials say are intended to preserve the Lake Placid community while still inviting the economic benefits STRs bring to this village — specifically through the 5% occupancy tax on STRs and all hotel A portion of the revenue generated through the tax is funneled into the North Elba Local Enhancement and Advancement Fund a grant program that has doled out more than $2 million to local projects since 2020 The new STR regulations essentially ban new unhosted STRs from residential areas in the town and village cap the number of permits that would be issued in the town and establish a waitlist for when the cap is exceeded remove the definitions “rooming/boarding house” and “bed/breakfast” from the land use code and change the definition of “hotel/motel,” and require that STR permits be renewed once a year the town board this past December raised STR permit fees to pay for new “STR compliance monitor duties” assigned to Building and Planning Department Clerk Britt Isham Waite including scrubbing software and websites for noncompliant STRs on a daily basis and streamlining communication about STR noncompliance between town code enforcement officers The new STR law — the first local law passed by both boards this year — is available online at tinyurl.com/4fvr3rrt Though the town and village passed a joint STR law the municipalities have to file the law individually The town’s STR law will officially go into effect on Jan 9 while the village’s will go into effect immediately upon filing with the secretary of state Village Clerk Anita Estling expects to file the village’s law by the end of this week The town and village’s current moratorium on the issuance of new STR permits — which is set to end on Jan 31 — will now end as soon as the new local laws are filed Town Councilor Emily Kilburn Politi said in an email Wednesday that the waitlist for unhosted permits in select districts and for hosted permits in town residential districts — where the number of available permits is capped and where there’s room for new permits to be issued in each category — is expected to open at midnight on January 9th “and not a minute before.” Details about applying for North Elba’s waitlist are found on pages 19 and 20 of the new local law Village Trustee Marc Galvin and town Councilor Jason Leon were the only two elected officials to vote against the new regulations Galvin said he voted against the law because he didn’t agree with the new law’s requirement that any STR owner with three or more units in the Village Center or Gateway Corridor districts as well as the stretch of Main Street from Brewster Park to the North Elba Town Hall offer one long-term rental for every two short-term rentals available Leon said he voted against the law because he didn’t think it was restrictive enough on unhosted STR permitting in the town where there will be room for unhosted STR growth in the Rural Countryside Old Military and Gateway Corridor districts and certain developments — like the Whiteface Inn development district — under the new law Leon said he appreciated added restrictions on unhosted rentals in residential districts as well as the town board’s “transparent” process while forming the new regulations but he was hoping that the law would place a greater emphasis on protecting locals from an “oversaturated” STR market that he said is driving up the price of local housing “I can’t say a lot of locals are super happy about it The town and village held a third public hearing for the STR law as well as a review of any potential adverse environmental effects of the law before approving the new regulations on Tuesday Four people attended the hearing in person a Lake Placid local who moved back to the village around two years ago Baker thought the village should lower permit fees restrictions for residents and loosen its limit on how many nights per year that year-round residents could rent out their homes — though there’s no limit on how many nights per year a hosted STR can rent in the town or village’s residential districts — as well as prioritize locals when issuing permits Baker submitted a guest commentary to the Enterprise “Put locals first in Lake Placid STR law,” published on Dec The boards ultimately passed the law without changes on Tuesday though village Mayor Art Devlin told Baker that his board plans to reassess the law in the future to see how it’s working Town and village boards have both stated that they want to review the STR law annually with the town council expecting to review the law at the council’s regular board meeting this coming October The town’s environmental review of the STR law which was required by the State Environmental Quality Review Act determined that the new law wouldn’t have any negative environmental impacts on the area’s natural resources Elected officials on the town and village boards gave each other kudos for their work in creating the law with town Supervisor Derek Doty especially thanking Kilburn Politi for her attention to the law Kilburn Politi is on the Lake Placid-North Elba Land Use Code Committee — which worked for years on developing ideas for STR regulations and formed recommendations for a new STR law nearly a year ago — and she said she wrote the town’s first STR law in 2006 as an intern Village Mayor Art Devlin credited village Trustee Jackie Kelly for her work on the law Kelly also sits on the land use code committee The two boards also thanked Dean Dietrich Dietrich was one of the four people who attended the boards’ public hearing on Tuesday 24 in the North Elba Cemetery near the grave of Lyman Epps Sr. one of the first Black settlers and lifelong residents of North Elba who is a house guide and interpretive assistant at the John Brown Farm State Historic Site started giving tours of the North Elba Cemetery this year after visiting Epps’s grave and being inspired to research more about the cemetery’s history LAKE PLACID — The first time Cheryl Craft visited the North Elba Cemetery she was searching for one person’s grave: Lyman Epps one of Lake Placid’s earliest Black settlers But she found that the cemetery is filled with other local history too — some that’s been well-documented and some that’s still being discussed and discovered Craft started offering tours of the Old Military Road cemetery on behalf of the John Brown Farm State Historic Site where she’s worked as a house guide and interpretive assistant since 2021 Though different people have offered tours of North Elba’s cemetery through the years Craft said she got the idea for a new tour on the way to work one day She didn’t want to offer the tours as a tourist attraction; she wanted to explore the connections local people might have with the cemetery’s earliest history “(I thought that) maybe some local people would be interested in some of this background because a lot of people here have ancestors buried in this section of the cemetery,” Craft said at the cemetery on Monday motioning to a swath of graves in the west portion of the cemetery — what she calls the “original” section of the site Craft said her interest in local history was ignited by a few different things — she read “Cloudsplitter,” a novel by Russell Banks that fictionalizes the life of John Brown She worked for years in the lab at the now-defunct Cornell University’s Uihlein Potato Research Station on Bear Cub Lane and she often cross-country skied by the nearby John Brown statue She’d also seen the Dreaming of Timbuctoo exhibit which now has a permanent home at the John Brown Farm John Brown history had become a theme throughout her life She did some research into local history in her spare time while she worked at the lab but her knowledge of local history started deepening after the lab closed and she started work at the John Brown Farm Craft said that her North Elba Cemetery tours are mostly trained on the John Brown-related connections among the graves there — and there are a lot — but she’s discovered more connections to living local families that motivate her to keep researching Craft has noticed some themes among the first people buried in the North Elba Cemetery She said there was a strong anti-slavery sentiment among the early families in North Elba and many of the first men buried here fought to abolish slavery by joining Union forces during the Civil War The American Legion has placed bronze markers throughout the cemetery recognizing these graves The joint headstone for Thomas and Polley Brewster is seen here at the North Elba Cemetery on Monday There are several plots of Brewsters throughout the cemetery “A lot of people from this area were willing to go fight,” she said Craft has also noticed that her tours have a strong bias toward men when talking about history in North Elba But that’s not because she wants to leave women out of her conversations Craft said the historical record of the women buried here isn’t as well-known as the history of men who settled in the town Craft’s first cemetery tour was on Memorial Day weekend A couple of people who work at the Lake Placid Public Library attended the tour and Craft said they added some historical insight to the tour That back-and-forth was exactly what Craft wanted to generate with her tours “That’s kind of what I was hoping for really — to sort of spark discussion among people,” she said Craft said her tours generally last around an hour and a half adding that “If people do know families around here Adirondack hermit Noah John Rondeau is buried near the chapel in the North Elba Cemetery Some of the highlights of the cemetery tour included: His grave in the Epps family burial plot is in the old section of the North Elba Cemetery He was the reason Craft came to the North Elba Cemetery in the first place Epps settled in North Elba with his wife and children in 1849 after moving from Troy He was one of many to receive a land grant from abolitionist Gerrit Smith to help create a community of free Black men — called Timbuctoo — so they could earn the right to vote He was one of the area’s first lifelong residents and one of the founders and early trustees of the Lake Placid Public Library he was the oldest resident of North Elba at the age of 102 Well known for singing at John Brown’s funeral in 1859 Craft said there are Brewsters scattered all over the North Elba Cemetery because they have connections with so many other local families Brewsters were the first people to be buried in the cemetery The Brewster story in North Elba stretches back to the 1800s when Benjamin Brewster and Joseph Nash established the area’s first known hotels Craft said the Brewster ancestry has been traced back to the Mayflower and there are still Brewsters living in Lake Placid Craft called Rondeau the “famous Adirondack hermit.” He lived on his own in a shanty on Cold River before the state kicked him out of the woods after the Big Blowdown wind storm of 1950 leveled many trees in that region of the High Peaks Saranac Lake and Wilmington and was a substitute Santa Claus at Santa’s Workshop The Epps family burial plot is seen at the North Elba Cemetery on Monday A Brewster burial plot marker is seen here on Monday 24 in what guide Cheryl Craft calls the “original” section of the North Elba Cemetery — where many of the cemetery’s first graves were dug NORTH ELBA — In the town of North Elba four candidates are running to fill two town council seats Edward “Andy” Borden (Republican and Concordia) incumbent Richard “Dick” Cummings (Republican and Integrity) and incumbent Emily Kilburn Politi (Democratic and LP Local) Supervisor Derek Doty (Democratic and Common Sense) Town Clerk/Tax Collector Laurie Dudley (Republican) and Highway Superintendent Kenneth Porter (Republican) are running unopposed for reelection The Lake Placid News sent questionnaires to candidates running in the contested race Below is the response for Emily Kilburn Politi A: I would like to continue working on the projects that are not yet complete including: the update to the Comprehensive Plan which will most likely lead to an update to our land use code; master plan for the show grounds/athletic fields; child care task force; Wesvalley sidewalk project; and the transition of a major leadership position within the North Elba Park District And who knows what other exciting projects will pop up A: My educational background is in political science with a master of public administration degree My professional background is in the land use code and housing nonprofits I have served on the town board for four years I serve on nonprofit boards and committees that work to serve the North Elba region and keep me connected to the needs of the greater community Based on the questions that the Lake Placid News and Adirondack Daily Enterprise asked at the Oct 16 candidate forum (and sourced through the public) I would add the need to engage youth and engage community I love the idea of being involved in the school district through Community Schools I hope we get suburb public participation in the Comprehensive Plan process and that conversation continues to move forward Q: What do you think are the three biggest problems in the town Housing: the need for diversification of housing Task our community development director and economic development director to pursue all options Provide in-kind services where appropriate Have data on where our infrastructure can handle increased usage identify the gaps and the funding sources (public/private) to bring it up to the needed standards Staying within our 2% tax cap and still being able to maintain/expand our services AND pay our employees an appropriate wage AND build our staff to a professional level Solution: continue to pursue additional sources of revenue and identify cost-saving measures Solution: This one is so tough for me because it’s outside of my knowledge base What I can offer is that I’m willing to have conversations I’m willing to listen and I am willing to admit it is a major problem in our area A: We have had many great accomplishments in the last four years I hope you will give me the opportunity to keep working toward our shared goals and to serve my community Whether you are a resident or a visitor of the town of North Elba and the village of Lake Placid you have a unique opportunity to help this community with its next Joint Comprehensive Plan To get the planning process started, town and village officials have launched the North Elba-Lake Placid Pathways project and are asking people to take a Visioning Survey, which is available online at placidpathways.org The survey asks people what they most value about their experience in Lake Placid; what they think are the greatest challenges in the community; what they think are the greatest threats to Lake Placid’s success; what their primary concerns are regarding housing; what their greatest concerns are regarding climate change; how they feel about the economy in the town and village; and what their vision is for the North Elba Athletic Fields and North Elba Show Grounds We encourage you to take some time and fill out the survey and become involved with the Joint Comprehensive Plan process The survey is designed to assess community priorities and concerns and the project team will prepare a “Values and Stressors” report for the 2024 plan based on the results The survey will also be helpful for the ongoing LEED for Communities Recertification for the New York Olympic Region and a new North Elba Show Grounds and Athletic Fields master plan project the project team will enter the “Community & Stakeholder Engagement” phase of the comprehensive planning process The team will also hold a series of focus groups for stakeholders and community organizations there will be two “Scenario Planning” workshops — one for town and village officials and one for the general public — and will submit a report on the workshop findings the team will create a draft plan for town and village officials to adopt The Joint Comprehensive Plan was created in 1996 and last updated in 2014. It can be read online at the Lake Placid/North Elba Community Development Commission’s website: www.futurelakeplacid.com Chapters in the plan include: Government Structure and Function The 10-person Community Development Commission has seven volunteer members plus liaisons from the town and village and Community Development Director Haley Breen Sub-committees include the Housing Committee In the wake of the 1980 Olympic Winter Games “What’s next?” Financial troubles with the Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee led to the formation of the state Olympic Regional Development Authority climate change and stressors from special events “Where do we go from here?” You can help answer that question — and help the community — by taking the Visioning Survey Melissa is a journalist with experience as a reporter and editor with the Burlington Free Press Ithaca Journal and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner She worked as a communications specialist for the Adirondack North Country Association and is currently digital editor for Adirondack Explorer overseeing both the Explorer's website and its community forum the Adirondack Almanack and rescue animals -- two dogs and two cats “Old John Brown has just been executed for treason against a state even though he agreed with us in thinking slavery wrong It could avail him nothing that he might think himself right.” — Abraham Lincoln The same can be said for Aamon Bundy and the seditionists who plotted against the governor of Michigan…wouldn’t you say The Showtime series once again portrays Brown as a lunatic; he was anything but particularly in Kansas often without taking in the context of what was taking place at the time his focus was in leveraging change and in that he succeeded He did believe that the process would be a very violent one; on that score