GAS PRICES MAY IMPACT SUMMER TOURISM BUSINESS

Local leaders and tourism officials say high gas prices will have an impact on the summer tourism season in the Adirondacks.

But they’re optimistic that the area’s location relative to major population centers and an ongoing surge in Canadian visitation will help to minimize that impact.

As gas prices continue to surge, Douglas Yu, marketing specialist for the Adirondack Regional Tourism Council, says people are probably planning shorter trips for their summer vacations – something he thinks gives the Adirondacks an advantage.

“The Adirondacks have always been a driving destination,” he said.  “I’m thinking there is going to be some impact for us.  Then again, people are looking at destinations closer to home now, maybe shorter vacations.  We’re ideally situated here in the Adirondacks for that kind of choice.”

This isn’t the first summer that travelers have had to consider high gas prices when making their vacation plans.

In previous years, Lake Placid Mayor Jamie Rogers says people have shifted their plans – something he expects to see this year. “The people that are traveling a long distance probably don’t come in the numbers they usually do.  But people that live nearby, within in the state and surrounding states, instead of taking long vacations, tend to take them more in our area.  We don’t expect to see a large impact in this area because of the price of fuel of tourism coming in.”

Lake Placid’s tourism economy can also weather the high gas prices, Rogers said, because of the many regular events the community hosts in the summer.

Jim McKenna, president of the Lake Placid-Essex County Visitor’s Bureau, said the area’s tourism-based businesses are able to bank on those events, regardless of high gas prices.   “If you look at what’s on our schedules for the summer months – the horse shows, Ironman, rugby, lacrosse and the Can-Am hockey schools – there’s a certain amount of guaranteed business that we know we will have.”

Art Lussi, whose family owns the Crowne Plaza Resort in Lake Placid, says those events have been an “insurance policy” for the Olympic village

But other parts of the Adirondacks that don’t have the attractions like Lake Placid could be more vulnerable to high fuel prices.  “There’s no question it could have an effect,” Lussi said.

In Tupper Lake, Chamber of Commerce Director Marty Modzier says she expects people will think hard about driving long distances this summer.  But so far she hasn’t seen any signs of a potential downturn in tourist visits.  “I’m seeing a very active interest in our community and our area,” she said.  “I don’t think we’ve seen a slackening of that type of inquiry that I can document.”

Many of the people contacted for this story said any potential loss of summer tourism due to high gas prices will likely be made up by an ongoing surge in Canadian visitation in the North Country. 

The Adirondack Regional Tourism Council runs a visitor center on the Adirondack Northway in Beekmantown, 20 miles south of the border.  The council’s Douglas Yu says the number of Canadian visitors continues to be strong.  “We haven’t had this much traffic in April coming south since the early 1990’s.  And for the Canadians, the gas prices here in New York are considered a bargain.  I’m very optimistic we’ll have a strong summer.”

Whatever the impact gas prices may have on visitors to the Adirondacks, some officials, like Lake Placid’s Jamie Rogers, say they’re more concerned about the impact on the workforce that supports the tourism industry.

 “That’s a great concern to businesses in our area,” he said.  “If you look at most of our lodging facilities, people travel pretty far distances to come to work every day.  We’re working right now with Franklin and Essex Counties to try and provide public transportation to reduce some of those costs on the labor force in our area.”

A poll released last week by Siena College found 80 percent of New Yorkers plan to cut back on the amount they spend on their summer vacation because of gas prices.

-Chris Knight

FATE OF WAWBEEK BUILDINGS STILL UNCERTAIN

The fate of two historic buildings from the former Wawbeek Resort remains uncertain after the only proposal to save both buildings was rejected by the owners as not viable.

In March, the owners of the former Upper Saranac Lake restaurant and hotel announced they would freely give away the two 19th century buildings slated for demolition to anyone who could remove them by May 20.

Dick and Diane Sittig of Malibu, California had come under pressure to save the buildings by historic preservationists including the Adirondack Architectural Heritage organization.

The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation also weighed in saying that the buildings, designed by William Coulter, a noted Saranac Lake architect, were eligible for the National Historic Register.  But that likely won’t prevent the Sittigs from tearing down the buildings.

The Adirondack Park Agency had asserted jurisdiction over initial plans to construct a luxury house over the footprint of the former restaurant.  But the agency later withdrew its jurisdiction after the Sittigs lowered the height of their proposed new house to 2.4 inches below the agency’s 40-foot height restriction.

Had the new plans required an APA permit, the park agency would have been required to consult with the state historic preservation office, which had already ruled the buildings historically significant.

Meanwhile, efforts by a Tupper Lake man to save the buildings have suffered a setback. Jim Lanthier had sought to move the buildings to Tupper Lake in an all-volunteer effort. But his handwritten proposal was rejected this month for lack of funding.

In a letter to Lanthier, Tim Smith, the Sittigs’ Lake Placid attorney, wrote that:  “It appears to us that there are significant organization uncertainties, and that there is no currently-available funding source, and that your group will not be able to complete your work by the originally-prescribed May 20^th date, or any date even close to that.”

Lanthier said he would be providing additional documentation this week to the Sittigs. “I hope they change their mind,” he said.

Details on the only other proposal submitted – a plan to save the Mountain House but not the former restaurant – have not been made public and it was unclear as of Monday whether that proposal would proceed.

-Jacob Resneck

VERIZON SEEKS OK FOR FOURTH I-87 CELL TOWER

Verizon is seeking approval from the Adirondack Park Agency this week for the fourth of eleven new cell towers it’s planning along the Adirondack Northway.

So far, the company has secured APA permits for cell projects in Warrensburg, Lewis and North Hudson.

On Thursday commissioners will consider a proposed Verizon cell tower in Schroon Lake.  It’s the first of the 11 proposed towers that the company plans to disguise as a white pine tree in order to minimize visual impacts.

The structure would be 90 feet tall, with a 12-panel antenna and a lightning rod. The other towers the park agency has approved are roughly 80 feet tall.

The proposal is part of an agreement Verizon reached with the park agency and environmentalists last year to improve cell coverage along a stretch of the Northway between exits 27 and 35.

Apart from the 11 new towers, Verizon is also modifying six existing towers to improve cell reception on the Northway.

The APA’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting will be held Thursday and Friday at the agency headquarters in Ray Brook. 

Among other business, the park agency will consider Dean and Donna Pohl’s proposal to expand a preexisting single-family dwelling in order to create a new tourist accommodation and commercial use restaurant on Raquette Lake.  The project includes an Inn with 27 bedrooms, an 80-seat restaurant with a tavern, a small gift shop and an 8’ x 100’ dock for boat access. 

And, the New York Power Authority is proposing to re-align a portion of the previously approved Tri-Lakes Reliability Project.  The 46 kilovolt electric transmission line would be located parallel with State Route 56 in the Town of Colton for a distance of 3.4 miles.  1.86 miles of the re-aligned transmission line route will be located in what is now forest preserve land for which an amendment to Article 14 of the state Constitution is being sought.

Among Friday’s agenda items, the agency’s Enforcement Committee will meet to determine two enforcement matters; one involving an alleged wetlands violation and the other involving an alleged permit condition violation.  The committee will also discuss the civil penalty for a previously decided matter involving a mining operation in the Town of Ticonderoga.       

For a full agenda or meeting materials go to the APA website: www.apa.state.ny.us

-Chris Knight

PLATTSBURGH MAN CHARGED IN STALKING

A Plattsburgh man was arrested Friday in what police are calling a stalking case.

Plattsburgh City Police arrested 27 year old Nicholas A. Belvedere for allegedly repeatedly following two twelve year old girls to and from school and offering them a ride.     

City Police say they received a complaint from a parent reporting that their daughter and daughter’s friend had been offered a ride and followed to and from school on several occasions. 

An investigation conducted by City Police Detectives resulted in the arrest of Belvedere.

He was charged with two counts of second-degree stalking, a class E felony, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of making a punishable false written statement, misdemeanors.

Belvedere was arraigned Saturday and was taken to the Clinton County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond.  He’s scheduled to be back in court later this week.

Police are asking anyone with information on the case to call 563-3411.

-Chris Knight

MCHUGH: TOBACCO MAILING BAN PASSES COMMITTEE

A bill proposed by Congressman John McHugh that would outlaw the shipping of cigarettes and other tobacco products using the U.S. Postal Service moved forward last week.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted to send McHugh’s “Do Not Mail Tobacco” bill to the full House of Representatives for consideration. 

McHugh, in a news release, called it an important step forward in protecting minors from getting cigarettes online.

He says private mail carriers like UPS, DHL, and FedEx have already changed their policies.

“Right now, the U.S. Postal Service is the sole carrier still delivering cigarettes through the mail, allowing children to order tobacco products online from vendors with few safeguards to stop underage purchasers,” McHugh said.

“We need to enact this legislation so we don’t continue to undermine the efforts of parents, teachers, and organizations across the country that have worked to educate children on the dangers of cigarettes.” 

The bill would restrict cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and roll-your-own-tobacco from being carried or delivered by the Postal Service.  It also imposes a penalty of $100,000 for each violation. 

In addition to the potential for cigarettes to be delivered to minors, McHugh says online tobacco vendors have cost state and local governments billions in lost tax revenue, and hurt the ability of small businesses to compete.

According to an American Journal of Public Health study, almost 20 percent of tobacco sales websites do not say anything about prohibiting sales to minors, more than half require only that the buyer indicate they are of legal age, and another 15 percent require only that the buyer type in their date of birth. 

The legislation has received the backing of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the American Cancer Society, and the New York Association of Convenience Stores, among others.

The bill is now before the full House of Representatives for consideration. 

McHugh had introduced similar versions of the legislation in June 2007 and in the previous Congress.

-Chris Knight

POLICE AND FIRE REPORT

Saranac Lake Police arrested 31 year-old Bryan K. Cole of Malone on Sunday at 12:40 a.m.  Police say an Essex County Sheriff’s Department patrol traveling to the Saranac Lake police station observed Cole’s vehicle failing to stop at a stop sign on Kiwassa Road, then speeding on Main Street.  A sheriff’s deputy allegedly observed a beer can being thrown from the front passenger side window.  Police stopped Cole’s vehicle and say he appeared to be intoxicated.  He refused to take a roadside screening test and was placed under arrest.  Cole was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, refusal to take a breath test, speeding and failure to stop at a stop sign.  He was processed and released to a third party to appear in village court at a later date. 

Saranac Lake Police arrested a 17 year-old male from Saranac Lake at 6:38 p.m. Saturday.  The teen, whose name was not released due to potential youthful offender status, was arrested on a warrant for allegedly riding in a vehicle which he didn’t have permission to be in.  He was also accused of stealing gasoline from two different local merchants.  The teen was charged with two counts of petit larceny, sixth-degree conspiracy and third-degree unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.  He was processed, arraigned in village court and released of his own recognizance to appear again at a later date.

Lake Placid Police charged 21 year-old Thomas Tarka IV of Saranac Lake with disorderly conduct at 3:35 a.m. on Saturday.  Police say Tarka was arrested for yelling obscenities at people on Main Street.  He was released to appear in Lake Placid Village Court at a later date.

Tupper Lake Village Police arrested 20 year-old Georgia L. Smith of Tupper Lake on a bench warrant from Malone Village Court on Sunday at 3:17 p.m.  She was remanded to the Franklin County Jail pending an appearance in Malone Village Court.

Lake Placid firefighters were called to the Comfort Inn on Saranac Avenue at 11:54 p.m. Friday night.  Two trucks and seven members responded.  They found a fog machine being used in a banquet room activated the smoke alarm.  The fog machine was turned off and firefighters returned to the fire station by 12:32 a.m.