Jul 08, 2005 — The Adirondack Park Agency says a close ally of Governor Pataki damaged the environment when he began construction of a new mansion on a hillside overlooking Lake Placid. An APA committee ruled yesterday that Arthur Spiegel built a house twenty-feet taller than his permit allowed. They also claim that he put the structure on a steep hillside. The unfinished mansion is visible from Rt. 86, on the outskirts of the village. Some critics have called it an eyesore. But as Brian Mann reports, the Agency faces stiff political pressure in this case. The committee stopped short of calling for the house to be torn down.