For Immediate Release: May 13, 2009
Contact:
Keith P. McKeever | Public Relations | Adirondack Park Agency
contact@apa.ny.gov | (518) 891-4050
RAY BROOK, NY – The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) has been engaging communities throughout the Park with a groundbreaking segment during its monthly Agency meeting. The new “Community Spotlight” series is an opportunity for local elected officials to directly inform the Agency about the strengths, weaknesses and very fabric that makes their community special. Each month, APA Chairman Stiles will invite an Adirondack Park chief elected official to give a presentation to the Board about their community. Important community issues, challenges and assets are the key topics discussed and shared with the Agency Board and general public.
In March 2009, the Agency Board debuted the Community Spotlight series with a presentation by St. Lawrence County Town of Fine Supervisor Mark Hall. The series continued in April with a program by Essex County Town of Westport Supervisor Daniel Connell. At the May 14 Agency meeting, Herkimer County Town of Webb Supervisor Robert Moore will discuss his home town.
Chairman Curtis F. Stiles said, “The goal of our Community Spotlight is to further increase communication between the Agency and local government resulting in mutually beneficial solutions to the challenges that face our unique towns and villages. Having supervisors visit us at our monthly meetings gives the Board a chance to meet them in person, learn about issues important to residents, and better understand the diversity of Park communities and the challenges they face.”
Since his appointment in 2007, Chairman Stiles has made a point of traveling throughout the Adirondack Park, touring communities and meeting with residents, business leaders and elected officials to better understand the distinct qualities and needs of the Park’s communities.
He met Mr. Hall in Star Lake in 2008 and subsequently invited the supervisor to highlight the Town of Fine during the inaugural Community Spotlight presentation at the March Agency meeting.
Town of Fine
“I’d like to thank you for inviting me,” Mr. Hall told the Agency Board. “This is a big deal for the Town of Fine. This is a big deal for me. I accepted the opportunity because I’m still new in government and young enough to think I can make changes.”
The Town of Fine was established in 1844 and includes the hamlets of Fine, Star Lake, Oswegatchie and Wanakena. It covers an area of about 167 square miles with a year-round population of 1,622 (2000 census). The town includes parts of the Five Pond Wilderness Area and the Aldrich Pond Wild Forest as well as the SUNY-ESF Ranger School.
During his presentation, Mr. Hall said it was hard to talk about the Town of Fine without talking about the neighboring Town of Clifton, as both towns share services such as the hospital, golf course, Central School and recreation center. Many times, the towns act as one “Clifton-Fine” community.
He highlighted the new community development coordinator position (funded by a NYS DEC Smart Growth Grant), the new community center and fire hall, projects proposed and completed by the Clifton-Fine Economic Development Corporation, and the town’s Waterfront Revitalization Strategy.
The major challenge in the Towns of Fine and Clifton today, according to Mr. Hall, remains the cleanup of the former J&L Iron Ore Processing Facility, an open pit strip mine that closed in 1977. It is located in the southern portion of the Town of Clifton near the Town of Fine border and was the site of one of the largest fuel oil spills in New York State, with about one million gallons contaminating the property, adjoining the Little River. Although most of the spill has been cleaned, other contaminants and the abandoned buildings are major obstacles in re-using the property as a development-ready industrial site in the Park. Mr. Hall said he would like to have this site cleaned up and eventually provide economic relief to the Clifton-Fine community.
Town of Westport
During his Community Spotlight address in April, Westport Town Supervisor Daniel Connell detailed Westport’s key institutions, agricultural heritage, quality-of-life advantages on Lake Champlain, transportation, communications, infrastructure upgrades and land-use challenges. Stabilizing the year-round population, he said, is vital to the future of the Westport.
The Town of Westport was established in 1815 and includes two APA designated Hamlet Areas, Westport and Wadhams. At roughly 58 square miles, the town’s year-round population was 1,280 in 2007, and swells to about 3,000 residents in the summer. The year-round population has declined, along with enrollment at the Westport Central School, currently serving 251 students (with 206 living inside the town).
“The student population is critical to our town,” Mr. Connell said. “I think most towns do not want to lose their school. And this is becoming a question in Westport, ‘Are we going to have to centralize?’”
As in many Adirondack communities, the Westport Central School is the hub of the community, Mr. Connell said, with many residents attending sporting events, concerts, plays, etc. Losing the school could diminish Westport’s sense of community.
“That’s a real concern for us,” Mr. Connell said.
Attracting younger families to Westport could help; however, the town needs to offer new residents affordable housing opportunities. Mr. Connell proposed some changes to the Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan that would help the Town of Westport provide additional housing, specifically by increasing the Hamlet Classification in sections of Wadhams and Westport.
Located on the western shore of Lake Champlain, the Town of Westport is an ideal location for families wishing to re-locate. The town boasts an 18-hole golf course, two libraries, Ballard Park, Camp Dudley, a medical center, a marina, two playgrounds, a New York State boat launch, the Depot Theatre, a private airport, an Amtrak train station, two historic districts, and the Essex County Fairgrounds.
Westport has a dedicated group of residents working hard to improve the quality of life in town, as evidenced by the Blue Ribbon Committee, the Chamber of Commerce, the Future of Westport committees, town employees, and the local planning and zoning boards.
Mr. Connell ended his presentation with a look at Westport’s new logo, featuring a mountain and lakeshore with the tag line, “Westport: Simply the good life,” and an optimistic view of the future:
“The goal – with everybody working on all of these committees and the Town Board – is smart growth and a quality community.”
The Community Spotlight on the Town of Webb will begin at 9:30 a.m. on May 14 at the Adirondack Park Agency in Ray Brook. This presentation will be webcast live from the APA’s website found at www.apa.state.ny.us.
Previous Community Spotlights are archived on the Agency’s web site at www.apa.state.ny.us under Current Activities - webcasting.
The New York State Adirondack Park Agency was created in 1971 by the State Legislature to develop long-range land use plans for both public and private lands within the boundary of the Adirondack Park. With its headquarters located in Ray Brook, the Agency also operates two Visitor Interpretive Centers, in Newcomb and Paul Smiths. For more information, call the APA at (518) 891-4050 or visit www.apa.state.ny.us.