A bitter dispute over fire and rescue contracts that strained relations between the Village of Saranac Lake and three surrounding towns may finally be nearing an end.

At a special Friday night meeting at the Saranac Lake fire house, the village and town boards reached a compromise on more than a half-dozen issues the towns wanted addressed before they agreed to sign new contracts.

The village board still has to formally adopt the memorandum of understanding at its meeting tonight.

Provided that happens, Harrietstown Supervisor Larry Miller said he thinks his board will agree to sign the village’s one-year contract offer. “I believe the town will approve the amount we budgeted as long as the village does what they said they’d do on the MOU,” he said.  “We’re satisfied with the results of tonight’s meeting and we’ll move forward from here.”

Much of the dispute has centered on the village’s decision to equalize fire and rescue protection costs by switching from a per-call to an assessed value formula.

But Friday night, Mayor Tom Michael said they weren’t going to talk about dollars and cents.  Instead, he asked the town and village board members to try and come to an agreement on the language of the proposed MOU.  “My hope is we come out of this meeting with at least some middle ground,” he said.

The group went item-by-item through the list of contract issues.

They agreed to establish an appropriate formula for future contracts by September 30.  The village will also provide a detailed budget for operation of the fire department that will include the expenditures and revenues of the volunteers. 

The elected officials also pledged to create a fire advisory board made up of representatives of the village, towns and fire department by March 1.  It will be tasked with investigating some of the other items in the memorandum like rescue billing and hiring full time EMT’s.

Another compromise seemed to be reached on creating a sunset clause in future contracts to keep the last contract in place 60 days after it expires.  “So we don’t have another incident like we had this year,” said Miller. 

Santa Clara, Brighton and Harrietstown have all set public hearings on the village’s request for a one-year contract at the amount each town budgeted in 2007 for coverage from the village.

With all sides seeming to reach a compromise on the MOU, Santa Clara Supervisor Mickey Webb seemed hopeful that the contract will be approved. “I can’t preclude what my public hearing is going to come up with,” he said.  “But the three board members and myself who sat here and listened to the presentation and the articles in the MOU feel very good that they can go back and be very positive about the contract.”

Town of Brighton Councilman David Knapp also said it will depend on what the public has to say at their hearing. “There’s been a lot of speculation,” he said.  “It’s good to get this issue out in the public.  Tuesday night at our public hearing we can try to get a feeling of what direction they want us to go.”

Fire Department officials have been caught in the middle of the dispute, with some saying the impasse has hurt morale among the volunteers.  After the meeting, Rescue Chief Vernon James said he was happy that the towns seemed to be willing to move forward. “It looks like their working toward signing the agreements finally which takes us out of the hot seat,” he said. “I’m glad it looks to be almost out of the way now.”

Elected officials from North Elba, Franklin and St. Armand – who had already agreed to a contract offer from the village – also took part in the meeting. 

CLIMBER SURVIVES 100 FOOT FALL ON PITCHOFF MT

An Ithaca man who was ice climbing Saturday morning survived a 100-foot fall after he slipped and tumbled off a popular local mountain.

37 year-old Simeon Warner was not securely roped when he slipped off the ice-covered north side of Pitchoff Mountain in Keene around 11:20 a.m.

Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers, State Police and Lake Placid firefighters responded to the Old Mountain Road area to rescue Warner, who suffered several broken bones and abrasions from the fall.

He was taken by ambulance to Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake before being transferred to Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vermont.

Rescue officials said his injuries were not considered life-threatening.

Several climbers taking part in the Adirondack International Mountainfest in Keene Valley helped emergency personnel in the rescue.

SL MAN ARRESTED AFTER WEEKEND DOMESTIC DISPUTE

A Saranac Lake man is facing felony and misdemeanor charges after a domestic dispute that spilled into the street early Saturday morning.

Saranac Lake Village Police say they investigated a domestic violence complaint against 29 year-old Rodney Sheldon. 

He allegedly punched and bit the face of a woman and wouldn’t allow her to leave an apartment.  Police say the dispute continued onto a village street where Sheldon allegedly threatened to strike another person with a two by four.  He then allegedly used the two by four to strike and damage a vehicle.

Further investigation found Sheldon had allegedly violated an order of protection by assaulting and causing physical injury to the victim. She was treated at Adirondack Medical Center and later released.

Sheldon was charged with third-degree assault, second-degree unlawful imprisonment, second-degree criminal mischief and second-degree menacing, misdemeanors.  He also faces a felony count of aggravated criminal contempt.

Sheldon was arraigned in Saranac Lake Village Court and remanded to the Franklin County Jail without bail.

JAY CAR WRECK CAUSED BY HEART CONDITION

State Police say an Ausable Forks man involved in a one-car rollover crash in the Town of Jay Saturday night is believed to have died due to a heart condition.

54 year-old Ronald C. Depo was eastbound on State Route 86 when his Ford Escape went off the right side of the road near the intersection with Danielle Drive around 7:15 p.m.

The Jay Fire Department responded quickly to the accident.

Depo was taken by ambulance to Adirondack Medical Center in Lake Placid where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy performed by Dr. C. Francis Varga found the death was due to cardiac disrhythmia secondary to advanced coronary artery disease.

The police investigation was continuing on Sunday.

MCHUGH, CLINTON  TRAVEL TO IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN

North Country Congressman John McHugh and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will be returning Tuesday from a four-day Congressional Delegation visit to U.S. Forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The group, which also includes Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, completed their full day of visits in Iraq on Saturday and traveled to Afghanistan on Sunday.  All three are members of armed services committees.

The delegation ate breakfast with troops from New York and Indiana at the main U.S. base in Afghanistan on Sunday before meeting with the top American general in Afghanistan and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, officials said.

Their meetings in Kabul were closed and neither Clinton, McHugh or Bayh talked with journalists.

Gen. Karl Eikenberry, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, gave Clinton and her colleagues an update on the security situation, including the pace of reconstruction and the progress of Afghan army and police training.

The delegation's trip to Kabul came a day after a visit to Iraq, where Clinton expressed doubt that Iraq's government would follow through with its promises to secure Baghdad as she met with top Iraqi officials and American commanders there.

The delegation has scheduled a press conference on Tuesday to discuss the trip.

PRIVATE FIRM WANTS TO RUN COUNTY NURSING HOME

A private company is making its pitch to take over the operations of Essex County’s Horace Nye Nursing Home in Elizabethtown.

Supervisors Noel Merrihew of Elizabethtown, Robert Ashline of Willsboro and Ron Jackson of Essex recently met with representatives of Columbia Development Companies of Albany to discuss the future of the facility.  Horace Nye’s administrator, Deborah Gifford, also took part in the discussions.

While people are proud of the nursing home and the care it provides, “a county cannot break even with running a nursing home,” said Jackson, who chaired the meeting.

Last year the facility was $3.6 million in the red.  Things look better this year but it will still cost the county a reported $2.5 million to operate the nursing home.

The group discussed several topics including how the facility could be run more efficiently, the possibility of downsizing the number of beds and conducting a long-term study of their possibilities including remodeling, building a new facility or selling the nursing home.

Joseph Nicolla, President of Columbia Development Companies, described what they’ve done in other locations.  “There would be no benefit for us to lease a facility,” he said.  “I know we can do a great job if we purchase and build a nursing home.”

Nicolla outlined the reasons why a private company can make a profit while the county cannot. He guaranteed all staffing would remain local, though benefits might not be as great as what the county offers.

The cost of building a 100-bed nursing home was estimated at $15 million.

Even if a new nursing home is privately constructed and run, there would still be a cost of roughly $500,000 to Essex County. 

Jackson said “the worst solution is to do nothing.”

POLICE AND FIRE REPORT

A Tupper Lake woman is facing felony and misdemeanor charges after allegedly using her vehicle to ram a pair of snowmobiles and a pickup truck belonging to her ex-boyfriend.  Tupper Lake-based State Police arrested 40 year-old Rebecca M. Ladue on Saturday and charged her with four counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanor, and one count of third-degree criminal mischief, a felony.  Police say the charges stem from an earlier domestic dispute.  Ladue allegedly drove her vehicle between a pair of apartments and struck two snowmobiles parked in the back yard.  She also is accused of hitting the front of a GMC pick-up truck belonging to her ex-boyfriend.  Police also say there was damage to the yard and to the apartment buildings from when she drove between them.  Ladue was arraigned in Town of Tupper Lake Court and released under the supervision of probation.

Tupper Lake Village Police issued an appearance ticket to 40 year-old Edwin J. Stevens of Tupper Lake at 1:09 a.m. this morning.  Police say Stevens was charged with endangering the welfare of a child.  No further details were provided.  Stevens is scheduled to appear in village court January 22.

Residents in part of the area were left without power for part of Saturday after a power pole fire in the Town of Harrietstown. A spokesman for the Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department says the pole fire occurred just before 11:50 p.m. Friday night about a half-mile from Donnelly’s Corners on State Route 186.  Three members and one fire truck responded to the scene.

Firefighters closed off part of the road and stood by until National Grid crews could arrive. The utility company reportedly had to turn off power in the surrounding area in order to make repairs.  National Grid officials could not be reached for any more information. Firefighters returned to their station by 2:50 a.m. Saturday morning.

Tupper Lake firefighters were called to the Stewart’s parking lot at 11:55 a.m. Saturday for a report of a fuel spill.  One truck and 34 members responded.  They used thirty gallons of speedy dry to clean up the spill and returned to the fire station by 12:26 p.m.