SWEENEY RESIGNS AS SL VILLAGE MANAGER

The Village of Saranac Lake has another top administrative position to fill after the village board voted 3-2 last night to accept the resignation of Village Manager John Sweeney.

Sweeney, after five years on the job, will step down June 21, according to Mayor Tom Michael. “It was a result of several months and weeks of discussion about management styles and where we were going,” Michael said. “He felt it was in the best interest of the village and himself to tender his resignation.”

In his resignation letter, Sweeney said he hopes his tenure “will be seen as a positive for all the village residents I had the pleasure of serving.” “It’s been a pleasure working with village staff and I hope to possibly return at a future date,” he wrote. 

In a conversation last night, Sweeney said he just felt it was time to move on. “For me personally, it was something I needed to do.  I needed to take a step back,” he said.  “It was the most challenging job you could ever imagine.  There were the downsides, but there were a few people that made that job an absolute joy for me.  But right now its just time for me to move on.”

Sweeney said he’s looking forward to spending time with his kids this summer, which he hasn’t been able to do enough since he started as village manager.  He also will be looking for a new job and hopes to land something in the next three to four months.

As part of the resolution accepting Sweeney’s resignation, the board offered him a severance package of $15,000 in exchange for an agreement where Sweeney releases the village from any potential claims.  He will also receive about $12,000 in accrued personal, vacation and comp time.

Tom Michael praised Sweeney for his efforts and dedication to the village over his tenure.  “I’m very grateful to John for his five years of public service in that position,” he said.  “It’s a very difficult position.  It’s a very high stress job.  I see it as an opportunity for John to transition into another job where he can have more of his life back.  And it’s an opportunity for the village to transition into a different manager or management style.”

Michael said they’ve already started developing a job description and will be seeking a candidate with long-term planning skills and whose open to new and innovative ideas.  The search will be nationwide, he said.

The mayor hopes a replacement could be hired in 70-90 days.  An interim manager will be brought on to help in the transition period.

But the vote to accept Sweeney’s resignation wasn’t unanimous.  Michael and Trustees Susan Waters and Christy Fontana were in favor.  Trustees John McEneany and Dan Olson were opposed.

McEneany said last night that Sweeney quit because his position was not reappointed by the mayor.  “So he tendered his resignation and I chose not to accept it,” he said.

But asked if he felt Sweeney was being forced out, McEneany said no. “Basically John feels this is in his best interest at this time and I respect his thoughts on the issue,” he said.  I think John has done a fantastic job for the village.   I’ve never met a village manager more committed to his job and the people he serves.”

Despite the split vote on Sweeney’s resignation, McEneany said he felt the village board can work together on hiring a new village manager.  Board members and other staff may have to pick up the slack in the meantime, he said.

“I know the trustees will step up to the plate as best they can and I would assume the administration will pull together as well.  Its not going to be smooth sailing but this is the situation we’re presented with and I’m sure everybody’s going to pull together.”

The loss of Sweeney means there are now three key village administrative positions that are open, the others being permanent police chief and community development director.

BODY OF EX-SARANAC LAKER FOUND IN ALASKA

An AmeriCorps volunteer who died while on a camping trip in Alaska had lived in the Catskills and the Adirondacks and had planned to return to New York's North Country.

That's according to a friend of Liza Lomando, whose body was found in a lake in Alaska's interior earlier this week.

The 20-year-old Lomando was on a camping trip last weekend with two other AmeriCorps volunteers when their empty canoe turned up. Her body was found Tuesday.  Police say no life jackets were on board the canoe.

On Wednesday a digital camera was found with pictures of the three in the canoe, drinking whiskey.

Lomando attended North Country Community College in Saranac Lake and worked at a local restaurant before heading to Alaska to work with Native American tribes.

A friend tells the Adirondack Daily Enterprise that Lomando intended to return to Saranac Lake because she loved the community so much.

According to her site on MySpace.com, Lomando also attended community colleges in Cayuga, Ulster and Sullivan counties.

She was born in East Meadow on Long Island.

The search for the other two AmeriCorps volunteers continues.  They’ve been identified as 19 year-old Travis Alexander, originally of Fort Yukon, Alaska and 24 year-old Kathy Garrigan of Oak Park, Illinois.

CAR HITS MOOSE OUTSIDE LAKE PLACID

Police and local firefighters were called out last night to a report of a car hitting a moose just outside Lake Placid. 

Two trucks and 21 members of the Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Department responded at 9:18 p.m. to the intersection of Carolyn Road and State Route 86.

State Police in Ray Brook say 35 year-old Stacey Sears of Saranac Lake was traveling westbound on Route 86 when she failed to see the moose enter the road.

The car sustained significant damage and the moose was killed in the accident. 

Sears, along with 40 year-old Tina Premo and 17 year-old Brittany Rolley, were transported to Adirondack Medical Center in Lake Placid for treatment of minor injuries.

No tickets were issued. The Department of Environmental Conservation was notified.

Firefighters returned to the fire station at 9:59 p.m. last night.

$70,000 IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY UPGRADES COMPLETED

More than $70,000 in energy conservation renovations has been completed at the Lake Flower Apartments in Saranac Lake thanks to a grant secured by ComLinks.

David Trudeau, Director of the ComLinks Neighborhood Revitalization Program, applied for the grant from New York’s Weatherization Program, which is administered by the State Department of Housing and Community Renewal.

The owner of the 78-unit nine story building, the Harrietstown Housing Authority, also contributed funding toward renovations.

The upgrades include high-efficiency light fixtures, ballasts and bulbs, changes to the existing domestic hot water solar pre-heat system, and insulated window blinds for all the windows in the building.

The Lake Flower high-rise now has one of the largest solar preheat systems in the North Country, utilizing 48 four-foot by eight-foot solar collectors resting atop the building

The changes in lighting involve removing the old fluorescent bulbs with ballasts and T8 bulbs, which save on energy costs.  And exit signs were switched from fluorescent to LED.

The lighting changes are expected to reduce lighting costs by 25-percent.  In addition, the installation of insulated blinds on the buildings 124 windows is meant to reduce heat loss.

David Aldrich, Director of Harrietstown Housing Authority, said in a news release that the renovations will reduce energy consumption while helping the authority maintain affordable housing. “Through our partnership, we were able to take advantage of current technology to reduce our utility costs,” he said.

The latest news is one of several energy efficiency programs undertaken by housing authorities in the area. Last week, it was announced that Energy Star refrigerators were being installed in public housing units in Tupper Lake and Lake Placid.

VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLANNED ON RR CORRIDOR

On Monday the State Department of Transportation will begin vegetation management activities along the railroad corridor between Remsen and Lake Placid.

The work, which will be performed in accordance with the Adirondack Park Agency, will be limited to spraying herbicides on a 12-foot ballast area of the railroad bed. The intent is to eradicate weed and brush growth along the corridor to keep it enjoyable for travelers, to ease future railroad expansion and keep it in operable condition.  

It’s the tenth year of similar or related vegetation management along the corridor.

Work is anticipated to last through the end of July pending weather conditions.

The Remsen-Lake Placid corridor was acquired by New York State in 1975 and is maintained by the state Department of Transportation. The 118-mile stretch of track once belonged to the New York Central Railroad, Adirondack Division.

BOATING, DEFICIT FINANCING LEGISLATION PASSES SENATE

The State Senate passed a pair of bills this week sponsored by Senator Betty Little.

The first measure would mandate chemical tests for operators of public vessels to determine if alcohol or drugs are a factor in accidents resulting in serious injury or death.

The current law allows for chemical testing only when a police officer has reasonable cause to believe an operator is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Little said the new legislation not only gives police officers help in upholding the law but also sends a clears message to boaters operating under the influence. “Having this information available would ensure a more thorough investigation of a serious public boating accident,” she said. “Strengthening the law to be more consistent with the heightened responsibility of operating a public vessel is the right thing to do for the public and the boating industry.”

Refusal to submit to a chemical test would result in immediate suspension of an operator’s boating privileges and the revocation on any public license issued by the state. The operator would also face fines ranging between $2,500 and $5,000.  And failure to submit to a chemical test could be offered as evidence at ant subsequent criminal or administrative hearing.

The bill was delivered to the Assembly.

Meanwhile, legislation sponsored by Little that would create a statewide standard for municipal deficit financing passed the Senate on Thursday.  “This legislation would provide a uniform standard for schools and municipalities seeking state authorization to issue bonds for debt financing,” said Little.  “It would eliminate any uncertainty by giving them a clear indication of the state’s stringent requirements.”

Provisions of the bill would prohibit municipalities and school districts from issuing bonds to finance a deficit until the State Comptroller verifies the existence and amount of the deficit.  The legislation would also require that municipalities and school districts prepare a report detailing the amount and cause of the deficit and submit such report as well as an audit report for the last completed fiscal year to the State Comptroller.

A corresponding bill is sponsored by Assemblyman Sam Hoyt of Western New York.

NATIONAL TRAILS DAY EVENTS ON SUNDAY

The Adirondack Mountain Club will celebrate National Trails Day, this weekend, by coordinating its 15th annual trails event.

National Trails Day is an annual nationwide day of public events, all locally planned and organized.  It is recognized as America’s largest celebration of the outdoors.

ADK will also be celebrating its 85th anniversary and its first trail project, which was the creation of the 133-mile long Northville-Placid trail.

On Saturday, approximately one hundred volunteers will gather for the day to improve a host of trails in the Saranac Lake and Wilmington Wild Forests/ High Peaks and Dix Wilderness areas.

Trails that will receive maintenance will include hiking, ski/snowshoe, mountain bike, rock and ice climbing access, as well as maintaining portions of an alpine summit.  A number of waterways, including the Saranac and Raquette rivers will also receive maintenance in conjunction with National River Clean-Up Week that begins on Saturday.

After the workday, a celebration including dinner and live music will be held at the Adirondak Loj at Heart Lake located just outside of Lake Placid.

For more information go to www.adk.org or call 518-523-3480.