STATE OF EMERGENCY IN TUPPER LAKE AFTER ICE STORM

Power is still out for many residents, schools are closed and a state of emergency continues today in Tupper Lake after a weekend winter storm that coated trees and power lines with a mixture of freezing rain and heavy, wet snow.

At the height of the storm, which hit the area beginning Saturday afternoon and continued through Sunday morning, about two thirds of electric customers in Tupper Lake were without power. 

Carl Steffen, Tupper Lake’s emergency manager, said Sunday morning that crews had their hands full.  “We’ve got sporadic lines down all across the community.  We have a lot of branches and trees laying over primaries, service wires pulled away from houses.  There’s all kinds of wires down from cable to telephone to power lines.”

In some areas roads were impassable because of the downed branches and utility lines.  A state of emergency was declared early Sunday morning and a shelter was opened at the Knights of Columbus Hall on High Street. 

Tupper Lake Deputy Mayor Marty Hughes said last night that the state of emergency, which includes both the town and village, had been extended from one to three days.

Some homes have seen their service restored, but many people are still in the dark, he said.  “In some of the areas, the telephone poles have snapped and they just can’t get to them right now.  They’re trying to get the main areas hooked up but they’re running into problems just because of the weather and stuff.”

Hughes said it could be another one to two days before power is completely restored.

He said the village’s municipal electric department has had help from utility crews in Lake Placid, Massena and Plattsburgh. But by 8 p.m. last night, Hughes said, the crews were suspending their work so they could rest and get an early start today.  “The men have been at it all night long,” he said. “They put up a couple lines, then the wind blows and a tree falls and takes the line down somewhere else.  It’s been a constant battle but they are gaining, its coming along slow.”

DEC Forest Rangers, State Troopers, and Tupper Lake Fire Department members were also called in for assistance.  Hughes said snowmobiles were used to make contact with people in remote areas and on the outskirts of town.  No injuries have been reported.

The Tupper Lake Central School District has cancelled classes today.

Anyone needing transportation to the shelter or any other assistance should call 359-3341.

Tupper Lake wasn’t the only area hit by the storm – thousands of people across the North Country are still dealing with outages today and some may not see their service restored until Tuesday.

On Sunday morning, as many as 6700 National Grid customers in Essex County were without power. 

Emergencies were declared in Port Henry and Ticonderoga.  George Daley is fire chief in Port Henry. “We’re just assisting our elderly, checking on them and making sure we have heat for them,” he said.  “We’re heating up houses and moving onto the next one.  My understanding is that Mineville and Ticonderoga have been hit pretty hard.”

As of 6 a.m. this morning there were some 3100 people in Essex County without electric service, primarily in Moriah, Westport, Ticonderoga, Crown Point, Schroon and North Hudson.  Service in Westport is expected to be restored by midnight.  But the other towns may not see their power back on until Tuesday afternoon.

Only 100 National Grid customers in Franklin County were still without power, including 78 in the Town of Harrietstown and a handful in the Town of Santa Clara.  Their power is expected to be fully restored this morning.

In Hamilton County, National Grid reported 101 customers in the Town of Indian Lake without power.  Their service was expected to be restored by 6 p.m. today.

In St. Lawrence County, 759 National Grid customers were still without power this morning, primarily in the Towns of Clifton and Fine.  40 customers were still without service in Piercefield, although the utility said their power should be back on by 10:30 a.m. this morning.

Some 3500 National Grid customers remain without power in Warren County, some of whom may not see the lights turned on until Tuesday.

New York State Electric and Gas still had customers without power this morning in Elizabethtown, Keeseville, Lewis and New Russia.  Specific numbers of NYSEG customers without service were not available.

-Chris Knight

TIME WARNER CABLE PLANS RATE HIKE APRIL 1

Most cable television customers in the Tri-Lakes can expect to see the rates on their bills increase in less than a month.

Time Warner cable recently notified the 650,000 customers in its Central New York division, which stretches from Syracuse to the North Country, that its rates will be increasing by an average of 2.6 percent as of April 1.

The increases have been spurred on by the rising cost of doing business, according to Jeffrey Unaitis, a Time Warner spokesman. “We’re looking at higher costs for things like gasoline,” he said.  “We drive many trucks in the North Country and drive pretty far distances in your neck of the woods.  So we’ve been hit maybe harder than most by the rise of the gasoline costs.”

But the biggest factor fueling the increased rates, Unaitis explained is a spike in programming costs. “Every network we carry has a fee that they assess us.  If they have to pay out more in program expense, they have to keep their heads above water, so they pass the rate to us and ultimately it’s the viewer who gets and enjoys the programming who ends up paying for it in a rate increase.”

The rate for basic cable in the villages of Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake and Lake Placid will actually be decreasing by 25 cents, from $6.95 a month to $6.69 a month.  But standard service will increase nearly $4, from $50.62 a month to $54.15 a month. 

For Time Warner customers in the Towns of North Elba, Franklin and Harrietstown, basic cable rates will decrease two cents – from $8.38 a month to $8.36.  Standard service will increase nearly $3 – from $50.62 to $53.15 a month.

And all Time Warner customers with a three way package that combines digital cable, digital phone and high-speed Internet, which the company calls “All the Best,” will see a $2.55 rate hike. 

Time Warner gave customers a 30-day notice of the rate change, Unaitis said.

The company also increased its rates April 1 of last year after it took over the local cable systems from Adelphia Cable. 

-Chris Knight

LITTLE, SENATE GOP OPPOSE GAS TAX CAP REPEAL

Republicans in the State Senate say they’re opposed to a budget proposal advanced by Governor Spitzer that would eliminate the sales tax cap on gasoline.

Under the proposal, the governor would do away with the gas tax cap enacted in 2006 on any state sales tax over $2 by consolidating the tax into the Petroleum Business Tax.  The measure is designed to increase gasoline tax revenues by nearly $56 million annually.

The cap was approved in the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Pataki two years ago.  The Senate GOP says it and saved New Yorkers money at the pump.

“The last thing the working families I represent need are higher taxes on the exorbitant gas prices they're now paying,” said Senator Betty Little (R-Queensbury) in a news release.  “People are hurting and, instead of proposing relief, the governor is prescribing more pain at the pumps.”

Senate Republicans are also opposed to the governor’s plan to increase the Motor Vehicle Insurance fee from $5 to $20 on every vehicle registered in New York.  The fee has been scheduled under current law to be reduced to $1 annually on July 1, 2008.

-Chris Knight

APA MEETS THURSDAY, FRIDAY IN RAY BROOK

The Adirondack Park Agency has set the agenda for its regularly scheduled monthly meeting this Thursday and Friday at the agency headquarters in Ray Brook. 

The full agency will convene on Thursday morning at 9 a.m. for the Interim Executive Director’s monthly report.

At 9:15, the Regulatory Programs Committee will consider one project – a new 35-acre commercial sand and gravel extraction operation in the Town of Fort Ann.

The committee will also consider a general permit that would authorize the state DEC, Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, qualified lake associations, local municipalities, certified lake managers, and qualified aquatic consultants to manage aquatic invasive plant species.  The general permit would only apply to hand harvesting and benthic barrier use in water depths less than two meters.

The Regulatory Programs Committee will also hear a presentation on the Ski Bowl Village at Gore Mountain project.  The residential/ resort project application includes a 120 room hotel, 34 room inn, 60 room inn, 131 townhouses, 80 condominium/hotel units, a private ski lodge, 18 single family dwellings, an equestrian center, spa, retail space and a nine hole par 3 golf course.  Restoration of the former North Creek Ski Bowl trails with a connection to Gore Mountain is also proposed.  The board will not take any action on this project this month.

The State Land Committee will convene later in the morning to interpret a provision of the State Land Master Plan that allows for “no material increase” in snowmobile trails.  The board will consider adopting a snowmobile mileage cap of 848 miles.

At 1 p.m. the Park Ecology Committee will hear presentations from DEC Region 5 Bureau of Wildlife staff. 

The Enforcement Committee is also scheduled to meet at 2:30 p.m.

Friday’s business includes a presentation on the Lake George Park Commission’s Draft Stream Protection Regulations, an amendment to the Town of Horicon’s Agency Approved Local Land Use Program and an appeal for party status for the Adirondack Club and Resort.

For a full agenda or meeting materials visit the agency’s website: www.apa.state.ny.us.

-Chris Knight

POLICE AND FIRE REPORT

Lake Placid Police charged an Ulster County man with driving while intoxicated after his car struck two village of Lake Placid highway department vehicles early Sunday morning.  30 year-old Joseph A. Leon of Modena was charged with DWI, speed not reasonable and prudent for road conditions and failure to keep right.  Police say Leon was traveling on Main Street around 3:30 a.m. Sunday when his car struck a village bucket loader and dump truck that were performing snow removal.  Leon and a passenger suffered minor injuries.  They were transported to Adirondack Medical Center in Lake Placid where they were treated and released.  Leon was released on bail to reappear in village court at a later date.  Lake Placid firefighters responded to the scene with one truck and 15 members.  They assisted in patient care and closed down the road, returning to the fire station by 4:13 a.m.

Lake Placid Police arrested a Gilmanton, New Hampshire man at 10:30 p.m. Friday.  49 year-old David E. Strang allegedly restrained a ten year old boy by the arm and dragged him down a flight of stairs at a local hotel.  Strang was charged with harassment and unlawful imprisonment.  He was arraigned and released on $200 cash bail to reappear in village court at a later date.

Saranac Lake Police arrested a Bloomingdale man last week for allegedly stealing a vehicle to sell it as scrap metal.  45 year-old Robert C. Colby was arrested Thursday on felony counts of grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.  Police say he allegedly stole a vehicle in Saranac Lake and took it to a Clinton County scrap yard to sell.  Colby was arraigned on Thursday and sent to the Essex County Jail without bail.  He’s scheduled to return to court at a later date to face the charges.

Saranac Lake firefighters were called to multiple reports of trees on power lines this weekend.  Firefighters responded to a report of  power lines down on Old Ray Brook Road at 7:33 p.m. Saturday night.  One truck and 11 members responded.  Another call sent firefighters to Forest Hill Avenue at 1:08 a.m. Sunday for a report of a burning tree on a power line.  Five members and one truck responded.  And Saranac Lake firefighters went to another report of a burning tree on a power line on Nottingham Way in Ray Brook at 1:24 a.m. Sunday.  One truck and 15 members responded.  In each case, firefighters stood by until National Grid crews arrived on the scene.  Saranac Lake Fire Department members were also called to a pair of alarm activations triggered by a power outage early Sunday morning – at Aldi on Lake Flower Avenue and the North Country Community College gym on Santanoni Avenue.