LOCAL MEN IMPLICATED IN MASSIVE BURGLARY SPREE

State Police say two local men arrested during a burglary attempt in Blue Mountain Lake in January are responsible for more than 15 other burglaries around the region dating back to last fall.

On January 2, troopers from the Indian Lake barracks responded to a call of a burglary in progress at the Old Station Store in Blue Mountain Lake and arrested two men.

37 year-old Charles Rolley Jr. of Saranac Lake and 33 year-old Eric G. Swinyer of Vermontville were charged with third-degree burglary, possession of burglar’s tools and unlawful possession of a radio device.  Rolley was also charged with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

As the investigation continued, BCI Investigator Dennis Dwyer says police determined the men were responsible for a rash of burglaries from September to December of last year at various locations in all five counties that make up Troop B’s jurisdiction.

Most took place overnight at businesses that were closed and had cash on hand – restaurants, bars and stores.  Thousands of dollars in cash was taken, though Dwyer could not be more specific.

In the patrol area of Ray Brook-based State Police, Dwyer says they’ve linked Rolley and Swinyer to nine separate burglaries – at Leroy’s Auto Sales in Tupper Lake, Crescent Bay in Harrietstown, Helms Furniture Store in Long Lake, the Baxter Mountain Tavern in Keene, Devin’s Deli in Wilmington, Bissel’s Store in Newcomb, High Falls Gorge in Wilmington and the Cascade Cross Country Ski Center in North Elba.  And Santa’s Workshop in Wilmington was allegedly burglarized by the two men the week before Christmas.

Meanwhile, State Police in Malone have charged Rolley and Swinyer with three counts each of third-degree burglary for incidents that happened in September and October 2006.  Investigator Joe Tatro says the men were behind break-ins at Burke Farm Supply, the Trailside Bar and Restaurant in Bellmont and the Adirondack Café in Waverly.  “They made their rounds,” Tatro said. 

State Police in Plattsburgh also say the men were behind three more burglaries reported in September – at Chase’s Mobil in Lyon Mountain, Roberts Sports Center in Saranac and the Cadyville Golf Course.  But they were only charged with third-degree burglary for one of the break-ins as part of a plea deal with the Clinton County District Attorney’s Office.

And that’s not all.

A spokesman for the State Police barracks in Westport says they have been investigating Rolley and Swinyer’s connection to a series of burglaries and are expecting to file multiple charges soon.

Investigator Dwyer also says the men are believed to be responsible for several additional burglaries in St. Lawrence County. 

He says he’s never seen a spree as widespread as this.  “It encompasses five counties,” Dwyer said.

As more cases come up, Rolley and Swinyer have been taken out of jail and brought to court for arraignments.  “It’s an ongoing investigation and more arrests are to follow involving these two,” Dwyer said.

Rolley is now in the Hamilton County Jail on $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 bond.  Swinyer is currently in the Franklin County Jail without bail.

HILTON CONDO COMPLEX REVISED AGAIN

The Hilton Lake Placid Resort’s latest design for a complex of condominiums on the site of the Lake View Motel were presented to an audience of neighboring property owners Wednesday morning.

“We’ve had great input from this group,” said Bill Deforrest, CEO of Lane Hospitality, the Hilton’s management company.  “I think we’ve tried to respond as best we can through this process.”

The Hilton had originally planned a five-story, 46-unit condominium complex that would have required as many as four separate variances.

After residents in the Signal Hill neighborhood complained about the size and scope of the project, the design was revised and scaled down to three-stories and 37 units.

But additional concerns about viewshed impacts and setbacks from neighboring properties sent Dave Schlosser, the project’s architect, back to the drawing board again.

The latest design, presented at Wednesday’s meeting, is for a 36-unit structure that’s been pushed back from property lines and sidewalks and reduced in size by 2500 square feet.  No variances would be needed.

Schlosser said they spent a lot of time working on the building’s configuration at the intersection of Main Street and Saranac Avenue.  And they’ve broken up the linear look of the building by staggering the individual units.  “This is going to look like a series of residential developments as opposed to a single mass development,” he said.

At its highest point the building is 39 feet, ten inches tall – just below the APA’s 40 foot height requirement.

Schlosser said they tried to balance the concerns of the public with the economics of the project.

But several neighbors were still wary of the project’s size and scope.  “My personal feeling is that it’s not within the character of my neighborhood,” said Pat Grant, who lives adjacent to the property.  “Its beautiful. But for me it doesn’t say ‘small town.’”

Georgia Jones said the Hilton should develop a full master plan for all their buildings, especially if they’re considering any changes to match the design of the new condo complex.  “I’m concerned about the cumulative impact,” she said.

Other residents felt not enough had been done to reduce the building’s impact on the view of Mirror Lake, Cobble Hill and Mt. Whitney coming down Saranac Avenue.

Developers of the project will be finalizing their designs before submitting the plans to the Lake Placid-North Elba Joint Review Board.  A public hearing will eventually be held on the project.

VISITOR’S BUREAU AIMS FOR NEW LAKE PLACID ‘BRAND’

The Lake Placid-Essex County Visitor’s Bureau is looking to redefine Lake Placid’s image to potential visitors.

A committee of visitor’s bureau officials, board members and other community leaders were treated to presentations Wednesday from three different companies looking to take on a branding initiative for Lake Placid.

Jim McKenna, President and CEO of the visitor’s bureau, described it as an effort to keep Lake Placid competitive with other travel destinations.  “The consumer has a lot of different options,” he said. 

“Sometimes we feel we know what our identity is in the marketplace.  But in reality that’s determined by the visitors.  What we’re trying to do here is judge what that is so we can better focus marketing and reach out to attract the appropriate target audience for this.”

To maintain Lake Placid’s success, McKenna also said they have to unify marketing efforts in the region to attract as many new visitors as possible.  “Its not that we want to get busier at any one time,” he said.  “The goal of the bureau is to try and even off the seasons and you do that by figuring out how you stand in the marketplace.”

The field of applicants for developing a branding initiative for Lake Placid has now been narrowed to three companies.  Strategic Marketing and Research Inc. of Indiana, Shugoll Research of Maryland, and Longwoods International of Toronto all made their pitch to the committee on Wednesday.

Dirk Gouwens, the visitor’s bureau’s new vice president of marketing and brand development, said the company they hire will do the research to help them identify the image they want Lake Placid to project.

In addition to talking to people within the community and potential visitors, the work will also involve finding out why some visitors choose to go elsewhere, Gouwens said. “That’s one of the key things we don’t know right now.  Why are people going somewhere else and not coming here.  And what do we need to do with our message to find some kind of element they’re interested in so they’ll come here.”

Gouwens said they’ll select one of the companies by sometime next week.   The research process will then take at least three to four months. 

ASSEMBLY GOP BACKS DEATH PENALTY FOR COP KILLERS

Assembly Republicans are backing a pair of bills that would reinstate the death penalty in New York for those convicted of murdering police officers or correctional officers.

The push came earlier this week after the murder of a Utica-area police officer – the latest in a string of recent police officer slayings which continued on Wednesday with the fatal shooting of a state trooper in the Catskills.

Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward said the state has to send a message to would-be cop killers. “Our police officers are out there every day protecting us,” she said. “They are just like we are, they get up in the morning and they go to work, but the difference is they’re out there protecting us. And with no death penalty in New York State there is nothing to prevent people from just senselessly killing our police officers.”

Under the bills introduced this week, those convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of a police or correction officer would face one of three sentences from a prospective jury - death, life imprisonment without parole or a minimum sentence of between 20 and 25 years.  If the jury were not able to unanimously agree on a sentence the court would impose life imprisonment without parole.

Assemblywoman Janet Duprey said the legislation was “critically important” to the North Country. “We have eight correctional facilities within the district, and the huge area that our Sheriff’s Department and our State Troopers are covering out there in cars alone in all hour of the day and night, certainly with the border crossing and the Northway with the direct line between New York City and the Canadian boarder where they’re exposed all the time,” she said. “The death penalty as a deterrent to criminals has got to be on the books.”

In 1995 the state Legislature and former Governor George Pataki reinstated the death penalty in New York. But in 2004 the State Court of Appeals ruled parts of the statute were unconstitutional due to a provision in the law dealing with deadlocked jury instructions.

Similar legislation to the bills now being proposed was defeated in 2005 and 2006.

TL FIRE DISPATCHING MAY BE HANDLED BY MALONE

Elected officials from Tupper Lake and members of the Tupper Lake and Piercefield Volunteer Fire Departments met with Franklin County Emergency Services Director Malcolm Jones and Deputy Director Ricky Provost yesterday morning.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss a plan to turn over the Tupper Lake Fire Department’s emergency dispatching to the 911-dispatch center in Malone.  The same thing was done early this year when the village’s rescue line was transferred to the Malone call center.

Supporters of the move say the Malone 911 facility is better equipped to handle incoming emergency calls through a computer system that automatically displays the caller’s name and address. 

And area residents are paying already 35 cents a month on their phone bills for the 911 service.

Fire Chief Ken Gravlin and Village Police Chief Tom Fee will be working on an interim system allowing the police department to dispatch emergency calls for both fire departments until dispatching can be switched over to the Malone 911 center.

And, before the change can be made, a second fiber optic line from Malone to southern Franklin County will have to be installed to assure reliability.

Currently, emergency calls are handled by the village’s two paid fire drivers who take turns manning the station 24-hours a day.

Later Wednesday, village officials and Town Supervisor Roger Amell sat down with fire drivers Mike Rule and Mike Barten, their union representative Marty Fuller and Fire Chief Ken Gravlin.

The group discussed the switchover and the village’s plans for a third fire driver position that’s been vacant for months. Since that time, Rule and Barten have been working overtime to fill the shift.

Village officials are looking to save overtime costs by not adding a third driver, and instead replacing the position with part timers who would carry a pager and work on a per call basis. They’d be paid $1.50 an hour.

Mayor Mickey Desmarais said the two fire drivers shouldn’t worry about losing their jobs.  He said they are welcome to cover the third shift on an on call basis. “We’re offering it to you first,” said Mayor Desmarais.

The elimination of the position would save the village around $40,000 – money that could be set aside for a new fire station. “I’d like to see whatever we save put in a building fund,” said Trustee Marty Hughes.

Another issue raised Wednesday was dispatching to Piercefield. If someone dials 911 in Piercefield the call goes to the St. Lawrence Emergency Center, which then calls the Malone 911 Center who calls the Tupper Lake Police or Fire Department who then contacts Piercefield firefighters.

Piercefield Fire Chief Jay Rust asked Provost and Jones if there was a way for the emergency calls to be routed directly to Malone to streamline their response.

Provost said it was possible but would be a huge undertaking because Malone doesn’t have St. Lawrence County maps and addresses in their system. “I have mixed emotions on that,” said Provost. “It’s going to take a ton of work to get it to come together because remember we have no St. Lawrence County data.”

Jones suggested they contact St. Lawrence County Emergency Services Director Mike Wassus. “He can call me and we’ll look at the issues,” said Jones.

HOSPITAL PHONE SYSTEM TO BE DISRUPTED

Due to a scheduled upgrade of the telephone system at Adirondack Medical Center, service will be temporarily interrupted tonight for about 10 minutes between 11:15 p.m. and midnight. This will affect both the Lake Placid and Saranac Lake sites.

Hospital officials say you should contact your local law enforcement agency or 911 if you are unable to contact the hospital in the event of an emergency during this scheduled maintenance time.