DEC PLANS PERMIT SYSTEM FOR LOWS LAKE FLOAT PLANES

Commercial float planes would be allowed to continue to land on Lows Lake in Hamilton and St. Lawrence Counties for the next ten years under a new permit system proposed by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The proposal, announced Friday, postpones a ban on float plane access to the lake that was set to take effect this year.

The permit system is part of a draft amendment to the Bog River Flow Unit Management Plan.  It would impose specific restrictions on the location, timing and frequency of float plane access to the lake.

But the plan is already drawing fire from environmental groups, who claim it violates the State Land Master Plan. 

John Sheehan is spokesman for the Adirondack Council.  “I don’t see what legal precedent DEC thinks its using here,” he said. “I understand they want to try and do something to help some businesses remain viable, but that is not their mandate.  “Their mandate is to take care of the public resources of the park.”

Sheehan said he believes the issue may be “ripe” for a potential legal challenge.

Environmental groups have argued that the State Land Master Plan specifically designates Lows Lake as a primitive area with a canoe route that should be protected for its wild character without motorboat or airplane usage.

The Adirondack Park Agency voted to phase-out float plane access to Lows Lake in 2003.  As part of the agreement, the state said it would find other lakes that may be more suitable for float plane access. 

DEC says it evaluated 23 lakes and ponds as possible alternatives. But the state said Friday that each one was found to be unsuitable.

Sheehan said the environmental groups had agreed they would not pursue legal action to end float plane access to Lows Lake while the state looked at those other options.

“Everybody signing the letter said we want to give you five years to make this all work out for everybody,” he said.  “What we find at the end of the five years is DEC did absolutely nothing.  They know want another five years, maybe ten, maybe longer to try and make up their mind about what to do next.  That is not living up to their responsibility as stewards of the Forest Preserve.”

Sheehan said their primary concern is the ecology of Lows Lake, which he says is being harmed by the continued use of float planes. 

But one of the two companies that provides float plane access to the lake supports the proposed permit system. 

Tom Helms of Helms Aero Service in Long Lake says the restrictions on the number and frequency of flights may make business difficult. 

But the permit system will allow him to keep running a service that’s been in his family for more than sixty years. “There aren’t many places to go – that’s a good for seaplanes.  Although I would have liked to have seen something a little less restrictive come out as a proposal, any of it is better than nothing.”

DEC surveyed paddlers in the area to see how they might be affected by float planes during visits to Lows Lake.  The state says the study found most support less restrictive management alternatives than an immediate ban on float planes, including the proposed permit system.

Public comment on the proposal is being accepted until June 30.

-Chris Knight

ADK CELL SERVICE IMPROVING, BUT NOT GREAT

Vacationers heading to the Adirondacks this season will find more cell service than last year, although vast remote areas of the mountains remain dark.

That includes a nearly 50-mile stretch of Interstate 87 on the way to Montreal.

The Adirondack Park Agency says there's more cellular coverage in hamlets and population centers, including the areas around Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake. There's also increased coverage near Old Forge, Warrensburg, Lake George and heading north toward Plattsburgh.

Lawmakers have pushed for expanded cell service in the Adirondack region, citing a Brooklyn motorist who froze to death last year after he crashed and couldn't call for help.

Cell providers say it's a challenging area to get coverage in due to the geography and zoning regulations, as well as environmental concerns

Also, depending on your cell company, you could be further out of luck.

There are two incompatible technologies that divide the U.S. market roughly in half, and they don't allow roaming signals on each other's cell towers.

GSM, or global system for mobile, now common outside the United States, is used by AT&T and T-Mobile. CDMA, or code division multiple access, is used by Verizon and Sprint Nextel.

“In some ways it might have been better for the government to dictate what technology be used and tell them they've got to serve everybody,” the Adirondack Council's John Sheehan said. “At least they'd be more accountable to the public about why there are such gaps in such places.”

Verizon Wireless plans to build a dozen cell towers to cover the Adirondack Northway, has state approval for four, and aims to have three operating before the end of the year, according to spokesman John O'Malley. “Once we get our sites up along that corridor, if another carrier wants to co-locate (on the towers) we're certainly open to that,” he said.

Verizon added about 10 cell sites this year and a dozen last year in or just outside the Adirondack Park.

AT&T has some cell sites in the Adirondack Park and provides service through a roaming agreement with Rural Cellular, spokeswoman Kate MacKinnon said. The company is building some new sites just east of the park, she said.

T-Mobile USA also has a roaming agreement with Rural Cellular for parts of the Northway and the park, according to senior manager Jane Builder. They are working with the park agency and other carriers to identify possible cell equipment locations, she said.

Nextel has cell sites in 10 Adirondack towns and villages, while Sprint has five, spokeswoman Kristin Wallace said. She said Sprint also has a roaming agreement with Verizon. “It's a very challenging area to get coverage in due to the geography and zoning regulations,” she said.

The park agency encourages co-location of a second phone service's antennas on towers, but doesn't require the first company to share space as a permit condition, spokesman Keith McKeever said. Some approved sites could also accommodate a second company's tower, he said.

“The park agency isn't saying no to anybody,” said Sheehan. “There just aren't enough customers per square mile to make it worthwhile.”

-AP wire reports

TL MAN SENT TO PRISON FOR GRAND LARCENY

A Tupper Lake man was sent to prison Thursday on a charge of fourth-degree grand larceny.

28 year-old Jesse A. Marsh was arrested last year as part of a Tupper Lake Village Police investigation into the larceny of checks from a local resident.  Marsh allegedly cashed the checks at various Tupper Lake businesses.

He appeared before Judge Penelope Clute in Franklin County Court and was sentenced to two to four years in state prison as a second felony offender.

An order of protection was issued until 2020 and Marsh was ordered to pay nearly $2000 in restitution.

In other court action, a Saranac Lake man was sentenced to jail time for third-degree attempted burglary.

25 year-old Jason Keese was arrested in October of last year for burglarizing and stealing items from North Star Industries on Petrova Avennue.

Keese was sentenced by Judge Clute to a year in the Franklin County Jail.

-Chris Knight

DA: FELONY CONVICTION RATE IN COUNTY AT 98 PERCENT

The Franklin County District Attorney’s Office had a nearly 98 percent felony conviction rate in 2007.

That’s according to the latest statistics from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.

The total number of felony cases in Franklin County last year involved 146 defendants.  Of that number, 143 defendants were convicted for a conviction rate of 97.9 percent.

Guilty pleas accounted for 140 of the convictions while trials accounted for the remaining three convictions.

District Attorney Derek Champagne said he was pleased with the county’s conviction rate but said convictions are not the primary focus for his office.

“Cases need to be handled on a case by case basis and people need to be treated fairly,” he said in a news release.  “Treatment and rehabilitation, when appropriate, need to be used in an attempt to reduce our overall crime statistics.  Others, who clearly deserve incarceration will be treated accordingly.”

Among the 143 convictions, 47 of the defendants were sentenced to prison terms and another nine received jail time.  21 defendants were given felony probation and jail, 12 were sentenced to felony probation with no jail and one defendant was given a conditional discharge.

Champagne said the primary focus for his office this year continues to be narcotics and prescription drug abuse.  Another priority is a proposed wireless camera system to be used by law enforcement, emergency services, border agencies and local municipalities.

Champagne also says his office has been meeting with area schools regarding security measures and hopes to further assist schools in the county with upgrades in video surveillance.

The DA also plans to continue a series of individual meetings with towns and villages across the county.  The effort is meant to focus on community prosecution, where each municipality can assist the DA’s office in reducing crime street by street and neighborhood by neighborhood.

-Chris Knight

LITTLE’S PROPERTY RELIEF TAX BILL PASSES COMMITTEE

A state Senate committee is supporting legislation sponsored by Senator Betty Little that she says would provide meaningful tax relief for homeowners by limiting residential property taxes paid based on income.

Little said families are hurting, seniors are leaving and young adults are moving to other states because they can’t keep up with the rising tax burden.  “This legislation would create a fairer system, ensuring that no one is taxed out of their home because their income has not kept pace with their property tax bills,” Little said in a news release.  “It would target the greatest amount of relief to those most in need.”

The legislation, which was reported out of the Senate Investigations and Government Operations Committee, would establish a cap on the maximum real property tax paid by New Yorkers who have a household adjusted gross income of $250,000 or less.

In Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Warren and Washington counties, the total property taxes paid by a homeowner who earns $90,000 or less a year would be capped at 6 percent of their household gross income.

The state would issue a credit for 70 percent of any property taxes that exceed 6 percent of the household income.

The threshold would rise to 7 percent for residents earning between

$90,000 and $150,000 and to 8 percent for residents earning between $150,000 and $250,000.

Eligible homeowners not filing a tax return or not owing income taxes would receive a rebate check.

To qualify, the taxpayer must have resided in their home for at least five years.  The Basic STAR exemption and Enhanced STAR exemption for senior citizens would remain in effect.

A report by the New York State Commission on Property Tax Reform, led by Nassau County Executive Tom Souzzi, was due last week. However, the announcement of the report has been postponed until June 3.

Some form of a ‘circuit-breaker’ tax relief program, similar to Little’s proposal, is expected to be a cornerstone recommendation of the commission.

-Chris Knight

HUDSON, CHAMPLAIN CELEBRATIONS PLANNED FOR 2009

New York State is finally getting the word out about a pair of big anniversaries in 2009.

Next year communities from Manhattan to the Canadian border in northern New York plan to mark the 400th anniversary of the explorations of Henry Hudson and Samuel de Champlain.

The state created a special commission six years ago to help organize and market events linked to the Hudson-Champlain quadricentennial. But little got done, and some historical groups were concerned that the anniversaries wouldn't get the attention they deserve.

The commission now has new leadership, and despite having their budget cut by 3 million dollars, the directors say they're drumming up plenty of support in the 300-mile-long Hudson-Champlain corridor for next year's commemorations.

Local events are planned from New York City to Rouses Point. Organizers hope to have a member of the Dutch royal family attend the downstate events, while French and Canadian government leaders will be invited to the Champlain celebrations.

-AP wire reports

POLICE AND FIRE REPORT

A Saranac Lake woman was charged with felony driving while intoxicated early Sunday morning.  State Police in Ray Brook arrested 45 year-old Kristin P. Finn for DWI after pulling over her vehicle on Main Street in the Village of Lake Placid at about 1:05 a.m. Sunday. She was arrested and later released on an appearance ticket for village court.

State Police in Ray Brook charged 21 year-old Anthony Dudley of Lake Placid with third-degree assault and obstructing governmental administration last night.  Police say he allegedly struck another person in the face.  Dudley was processed and released on $2000 cash in bail to appear in Town of North Elba Court at a later date.

State Police-based in Tupper Lake arrested a 16 year-old male from Tupper Lake on Monday afternoon.  He was charged with trespass, fourth-degree criminal mischief and giving a false statement.  Police say the teenager allegedly caused damage to a storage trailer owned by the Town of Tupper Lake.  He was given appearance tickets for town court.

Saranac Lake firefighters were called to wooded area behind the Saranac Lake High School on Monday morning for a report of a tree smoldering.  10 members and one truck responded at 9:45 a.m.  They extinguished the blaze and returned to the fire station by 10:30 a.m.