For Immediate Release: January 7, 2004
Contact:
Keith P. McKeever | Public Relations | Adirondack Park Agency
contact@apa.ny.gov | (518) 891-4050
RAY BROOK, NY - The Adirondack Park Agency will hold its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on January 8 and 9 in Lake Placid in the Whiteface meeting room of the Olympic Arena on Main Street. Highlights for this month’s meeting include a panel discussion on the January 1998 Ice Storm and a presentation on socioeconomic change in the region. An amendment to the Independence River Wild Forest Unit Management Plan (UMP) will also go before the Park Agency Board for action.
The Agency’s meeting will begin at 9:00am on Thursday with a resolution recognizing Dr. George P. Miller III in his tenure as President of Paul Smith’s College. After seven years as college president, Dr. Miller is leaving Paul Smith’s for a new position as president of American Intercontinental University in Dallas, Texas. Under Dr. Miller’s leadership, the College has advanced international understanding of the Adirondack Park and has been a crucial partner to the Agency in many endeavors, such as Local Government Day.
Following Dr. Miller’s presentation, Executive Director Daniel Fitts will review the Agency activities in 2003.
At 9:30am, Resource Analysis and Scientific Services staff will begin the 1998 Ice Storm forestry retrospective. Staff will discuss forest damage, salvage operations and regrowth. Following staff’s presentation panelists will detail the effects of the ice storm on landowners, forest management and the future of the Adirondack forest. The panel consists of Tony Woods of Wagner Forest Management LTD, Larry Denis of Landvest and Herb Boyce of Northwoods Forest Consultants, LLC. Following the forestry panel discussion, the Regulatory Programs Committee will discuss one proposed project. This involves the subdivision of a 348 acre site into 11 lots including eight new building lots. The project is proposed in an area classified Resource Management in the Town of Horicon, Warren County. The project also involves the creation of a homeowners association which will own and be responsible for a shoreline access parcel and two “green areas” parcels.
Thursday after lunch, the State Land Committee will act on a proposed amendment to the Independence River Wild Forest UMP. The Independence River unit is a large wild forest area located in Lewis and Herkimer counties at the western edge of the Adirondack Park. The amendment includes seven accessibility enhancement projects.
Following the State Land Committee, the Legal Committee will hear a status report from Legal Division staff on ongoing regulatory revision efforts. On Friday at 9:00am, the Economic Affairs Committee will hear a special presentation on demographic and economic change in the Adirondack region. The presentation will be given by James Murphy, Associate Director of the Merwin Institute and Kate Brennan, Labor Market Analyst with the NYS Department of Labor.
At 10:30am, the full Agency board will convene to hear committee reports and take actions as appropriate. Following its usual practice, the Agency will end its meeting with public comments.
The next Agency meeting is scheduled for February 12-13, 2004 at the Olympic Arena in Lake Placid.