ALDI APPROVED BY SL PLANNING BOARD

The Saranac Lake Planning Board signed off Wednesday night on ALDI’s plan for a 15,000 square foot limited assortment grocery store on the site of the former Stanley Chevrolet car dealership on Lake Flower Avenue.

The board’s unanimous approval, with three conditions, came after the project’s engineer outlined several changes to the plans since the last meeting in January.

Chris Kambar of APD Engineering said they agreed to add a right turn lane at the intersection of Will Rogers Drive and Lake Flower Avenue.  They also added a crosswalk and moved the light fixtures closer to the building.

But the most significant changes, based on previous comments from the board, were to the property’s landscaping and architecture.

Kambar said they added raised beds along Lake Flower Avenue to help hide the store’s parking areas.

They also tried to break-up the view of what had been a long, solid wall on the Will Rogers Drive side of the building by adding two more canopies, another raised bed of landscaping and several columns. 

While board members seemed satisfied with the building design, there were additional questions about the entryway to the site off Will Rogers Drive.  Board member Mike Hannon said it would make more sense to line it up with the entry to the neighboring Mobil gas station.

Kambar said they decided not to have the two entryways intersect because they’d have to change the grade and remove some trees.  And DOT still has to review the plans, he said.

Chairman Wayne Feinberg asked for higher berms along the southwest corner of the property to further screen the parking area.  Kambar agreed they could raise some sections by another foot.

Overall, Mike Hannon said the design has come a long way.  “I think ALDI’s done a good job,” he said.  “I can live with what’s proposed.  I think it will benefit Saranac Lake.”

The board drafted three conditions before voting on the project.  ALDI has to provide a letter of credit to ensure the proposed landscaping takes place.  The berm in the southwest corner has to be made one foot higher.  And the board wants ALDI to tell DOT they’re requesting the entryway be moved to intersect with the entryway to the Mobil station.

The project was approved unanimously with the attached conditions.

Kambar said after the meeting that construction would most likely begin in the spring.

GROUPS ASK PLANNING BOARD TO SUPPORT RETAIL CAPS

The Saranac Lake Planning Board will do its own research and seek additional public comment before considering the Save Saranac Lake Coalition’s proposed cap on the size of retail stores and shopping centers in the community.

The board, after a presentation last night, decided to put the matter on the agenda of its March meeting.

Jamie Konkoski of the Save Saranac Lake Coalition had asked for the planning board’s support of a two-year interim cap at 40,000 square feet for a single retail store and 68,000 square feet for a shopping center.  The same size caps were put in place in North Elba and Lake Placid in 1998.

Konkoski said a retail cap would help the community maintain its small-town charm, encourage the growth of small business, provide stability and give local boards more control over development. 

The interim cap, she said, will provide breathing room as a committee of local officials continues to work on updating the master plan and land use code for the village and Town of Harrietstown.  Konkoski asked that the interim cap be adopted before the next building season.

The group made a similar presentation last week to the Harrietstown Planning Board, which later recommended its town board consider retail caps of 50,000 square feet for a single store and 68,000 square feet for a shopping center.

While most of the village planning board seemed to think a retail cap would be a good thing, no one was willing to commit to a specific size just yet.  “Personally I think some kind of retail size cap is good for Saranac Lake,” said Mike Hannon.  “But I’m not sure if these are the numbers.”

“I think there is a maximum size appropriate for the community,” said Chairman Wayne Feinberg.  “But I don’t know what the exact number is.”

Feinberg asked what the urgency was, since there are currently very few places inside the village where a large retail store could be proposed.

Although there’s nothing immediate, Mark Kurtz of the Sound Adirondack Growth Alliance said it’s important to have something in place to address the issue before it comes up.  “The opportunity is to negotiate on your terms, not their terms,” added Jason Brill.

Other supporters described the interim cap as something that would be the starting point of a community discussion on what size retail store is appropriate.

The board, however, decided to put off its discussion on the size cap until next month so they can do their own research.  Hannon said they also want to hear from people who may have different opinions.

Meanwhile, the Save Saranac Lake Coalition and SAGA plan to make their pitch directly to the Saranac Lake Village Board and Town of Harrietstown Town Board.

TL POLICE CONSIDER STARTING BIKE PATROL

Better accessibility to the public, more effective law enforcement, and a savings in fuel costs are three reasons why the Tupper Lake Police Department should start up a bicycle patrol, Officer Michael Vaillancourt told the village board Monday night.

Vaillancourt said there are two members of the department interested in being bike patrol officers – himself and Officer Wesley Hoyt. “We know where kids hide out,” he said. “We know where we can’t go with a patrol vehicle and they also know where we can’t go with a patrol vehicle so that’s what we’re trying to take care of.”

Vaillancourt estimated the purchase of the two mountain bikes and associated gear would cost around $4,300, which includes an intensive five-day certification course.

The addition of the bike patrol would make officers more accessible to the public. “A lot of the public doesn’t know the officers these days,” Vaillancourt said.

He also said there are many tactical advantages. For instance a bike patrol could have a quicker response to areas where there are inadequate roadways like trails, behind buildings and at the municipal park. Additionally the low amount of noise created by the bicycles makes them more stealth. “It’s very easy to hide the bike and the officer from persons conducting suspected criminal activity,” Vaillancourt said.

The bike patrol could also be utilized for different events throughout the year like Woodsmen’s Days, the Flea Market and around Halloween.

The bikes, Vaillancourt said, would also cut down on gas use. “If we can use these bikes for four or five months out of the year then we will definitely save some money in fuel expenses,” he said.

Trustee Chad Martin made a motion to continue exploring the idea with the focus on seeking funding for the bicycles and equipment from local civic organizations. “In retrospect it’s a small amount of money,” said Martin.

“The gas savings is good,” said Mayor Mickey Desmarais. But Desmarais said what was more important was the connection the bike patrol would make between the police department and the community, namely young adults.  “It’s such a small cost to head in this direction,” he said.

The board passed the motion made by Martin to further explore the idea and to seek funding.

DEPOSITIONS NEXT WEEK IN SLCSD CAPITAL PROJECT SUIT

More than three years after the litigation was filed, the attorney representing the Saranac Lake Central School District will take sworn testimony next week from the key defendants in the district’s multi-million dollar capital project lawsuit.

John Muldowney, the lawyer handling the case for the district, said depositions are scheduled to take place Tuesday and Wednesday in Albany.

The district is suing the Pike Company of Rochester, EYP Architecture and Engineering of Albany and Ryan Biggs Associates of Troy for the problems associated with the 1998 capital project.

Muldowney says he will be questioning the lead architect from EYP, an engineer from Ryan Biggs Associates, and the construction manager from the Pike Company who was onsite during the project.  “They were the most responsible employees on the job site for the three named defendants,” he said.

This is the first group of depositions that have taken place in the case. “What we hope to get out of it is their recollections and their contentions concerning what actually happened during the course of these events,” Muldowney said.

The district’s lawsuit, filed in November 2003, sought $4 million in combined damages.  It accused the defendants of a host of wrongdoing including breach of contract, malpractice, negligence and fraud, among other things.

But Muldowney says next week’s depositions will focus on a much more specific issue – a substitute fill that was used under the new buildings.  Engineers hired by the district say the fill underwent a chemical reaction and caused slab movement that created serious structural deficiencies.

 “The litigation consists of a number of different issues, but right now were focusing on the substitute fill issue,” Muldowney said.  “We’re going to be questioning them on that topic to determine exactly what it is that transpired that led to this series of events.”

The next step depends on what’s said during the depositions, Muldowney said.

The case could eventually go to trial or settlement talks could take place. “Any time we have an opportunity to explore settlement it’s in everybody’s best interest to at least explore it,” Muldowney said.

The attorney discussed the capital project lawsuit in an executive session with the Saranac Lake School Board last night. “We had a full and thorough discussion of all the issues related to the litigation,” Muldowney said.   

TUPPER REVITALIZATION COMMITTEE REVISES GOALS

Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce President and Revitalization Committee member Don Dew Jr. approached the Tupper Lake Village Board this week to ask for their support in the committee’s revision to a plan created five years ago.

The committee has added 12 goals they want to accomplish in the next five years, some of which have been achieved, some of which are nearing completion.

New goals identified in the master plan include revitalizing the commercial district, reopening the Big Tupper Ski Area, finishing the Wild Center, establishing youth programs, building the Adirondack Public Observatory and winterizing the country club clubhouse for year round use.

Another part of the plan is to get the multi use recreational trail up and running. The trail project was awarded over $600,000 last October for the first phase, which is intended to link bicyclists, hikers and joggers to different points if interest throughout Tupper Lake.

“It was time to look at what we’ve accomplished, maybe cross some of those off, maybe add some new goals for the community and we came up with a list of 12 bullet points,” said Dew.

The plan, Dew said, is also critical for the committee’s fundraising efforts. “The first thing people say is ‘what’s your plan,’ so this will fill that role,” he said.

Last year was a successful year for the committee with the allocation by former Governor George Pataki of $5 million for railroad renovations between Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake, the grand opening of the Wild Center, and the start of construction on the train depot in the junction.

The village board voted to support the revised master plan.

ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION PROBED IN BRUSHTON FIRE

Investigators are looking at a possible electrical malfunction in the house fire that killed Siegfried Landau, the founder and former conductor of the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and his wife in Brushton.

“We're sure it's him. He died in the fire,” Franklin County Coroner Brian Langdon said.

Landau died from extensive burns and Irene Landau died from breathing in toxic, hot fumes during the blaze early Tuesday, he said.

“It's amazing the people in your backyard,” Langdon said of the accomplished couple. “And we didn't know them as such.”

Landau, 85, and the former Irene Gabriel, 77, who had a modern dance company in New York City in the 1950s and '60s, had retired to the house in the village of Brushton.

Landau left the philharmonic in 1972 after 17 years, spokesman Adam Teeter said. He had earlier conducted Carnegie Pops Concerts, the Hunter College Series and Brooklyn Museum Concerts.

State Police Investigator Gary Brown said investigators believe the fire may have started with an electrical short in Landau's bedroom, but the case is still under investigation.

POLICE AND FIRE REPORT

Tupper Lake Village Police served a criminal summons to 21 year-old Shawna M. Smith of Tupper Lake at 2:52 p.m. yesterday.  Smith was charged with second-degree criminal trespass for allegedly refusing to leave a residence.  She’s scheduled to appear in Tupper Lake Village Court on March 5.

Lake Placid Police charged 44 year-old Bruce A. Sumner of Fort Ann, NY with second-degree criminal contempt at 3 p.m. Wednesday.  Police say Sumner was arrested on a warrant stemming from a complaint that he violated an order of protection.  Sumner was arraigned in Lake Placid Village Court and remanded to the Essex County Jail in lieu of bail.

Saranac Lake firefighters were called to Coakley’s High Peaks Ace Hardware at 1:25 p.m. yesterday after a report of smoke coming from the roof.  10 members and two trucks responded.  They found a motor for a heating and cooling unit had malfunctioned.  The power to the unit was shut off.  No other damage was found and firefighters returned to the fire station by 2:29 p.m.