For Immediate Release: August 14, 2001
Contact:
Victoria Hristovski | Director Public Information | Adirondack Park Agency
contact@apa.ny.gov | (518) 891-4050
NORTH CREEK - At this month’s Adirondack Park Agency meeting at the Copperfield Inn, in North Creek, Agency members discussed a variety of issues and topics including two new projects, a request for re-consideration, a towers policy update and a panel discussion on tourism in the Adirondacks.
Agency members were welcomed by Maureen Donovan, vice-president of the Warren County Regional Economic Development Corporation, on behalf of Johnsburg Supervisor William Thomas on Thursday, August 9th, in the West Terrace Room of the Copperfield Inn.
After convening into committees, the Regulatory Programs Committee met and reviewed two new-projects. Committee members (and on Friday the full-board) unanimously declined to approve a project involving a 98-foot telecommunications tower in Willsboro. A request for re-consideration of an earlier Agency permit decision was also declined by the Committee members and later the full-board. The project involved a proposed amendment to a variance order for a residence on Lower Saranac Lake, in the Town of Harrietstown, Franklin County.
Agency members decided to hold a public hearing for a new project in Stony Creek. The project involves a single-family dwelling and boat storage building in a Resource Management land use area on Lens Lake.
During the Administration Committee meeting on Thursday, Committee members reviewed and discussed preliminary draft recommendations for an updated Agency policy on telecommunication towers. After some discussion, Committee members felt the draft policy, prepared by the Agency’s consultant the LA Group, needed some further re-drafting before reviewing it with the public. Agency staff stated they would implement committee members suggestions and work with the consultant to come up with a revised draft of the policy for Agency consideration in September.
The Friday morning meeting of the Economic Affairs Committee featured a panel discussion on tourism in the Adirondack Park. Panelists included: Linda Wohlers, Deputy Commissioner for Advertising and Marketing at Empire State Development’s Division of Tourism; Ann Melious, Executive Director of the Adirondack Regional Tourism Council; Carl Wiedemann, Chief of Bureau of Recreation at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation; and, Terry Martino, Executive Director of the Adirondack North Country Association. The panel detailed current advertising and marketing initiatives, discussed emerging trends in regional tourism, and emphasized the strong relationship between communities of the Park and recreational opportunities on state and private lands.
The next Adirondack Park Agency meeting will be held at the headquarters in Ray Brook on September 13th and 14th. All meetings are open to the public.