Ray Brook, NY, Oct 01, 2010 — A new firestorm has erupted between the Adirondack Park Agency and some local government leaders in the North Country.

The Park's Local Government Review Board issued a report last week, claiming that the APA is "under the influence and in need of detoxification."

Park Agency chairman Curt Stiles responded with a letter questioning the Review Board's honesty and its legitimacy. Brian Mann has our story.  Go to full article

Ray Brook, NY, Sep 30, 2010 — Gov. David Paterson is moving ahead with his promise to cut 2,000 jobs from the state workforce by December 31. Specifcs on cuts at state agencies are emerging this week. The numbers aren't clear yet, but local leaders and environmentalists worry that more cuts at the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Adirondack Park Agency could cripple regulators in the North Country, and tie up local projects.
Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article

Saranac Lake, NY, Sep 30, 2010 — Two men familiar to North Country health and environmental interests are already off the state payroll. Al Hicks and Dr. Ward Stone both accepted early retirement offered to help close New York's budget deficit. The two made names in the region by sorting through some of the most troubling health and environmental problems, from PCB contamination along the St. Lawrence River's Massena industrial zone, to the emerging threat of white nose syndrome killing bats across the east. Martha Foley talks with Adirondack Bureau Chief Brian Mann about what the loss of Hicks and Stone means.  Go to full article

Ray Brook, NY, Sep 22, 2010 — Local government officials and property rights advocates in the Adirondacks are hoping to organize a new legal defense fund and lobbying group. They say the Foundation for Land and Liberty will "level the playing field" with environmental groups and state officials, particularly the Adirondack Park Agency.

Bob Flacke was the APA Chairman in the late 1970s. He now sits on the Foundation's board of directors. Flacke says the project was inspired in part by Essex County farmer and millionaire Sandy Lewis, who prevailed in a lengthy and costly legal battle with the APA.  Go to full article

Aug 20, 2010 — Critics of the Adirondack Park Agency have long claimed that its zoning rules and regulations stifle economic activity.

But over the years, the APA has approved eight shovel-ready business parks for light industry and manufacturing.

Businesses who choose to locate in these industrial parks - which stretch from Tupper Lake to Moriah - face little or no APA oversight.

Still, most remain empty or nearly empty.

As Jon Alexander reports, the real problem may be the lack of infrastructure and convenient access in remote rural towns.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Aug 12, 2010 — The Adirondack Park Agency has won a five year legal battle against a Plattsburgh businessman who built a 10,000-square-foot mansion in Lake Placid in violation of an APA permit. A judge has upheld the APA's enforcement action against Arthur and Margaret Spiegel - a decision that could force the Spiegels to tear down their partially built home in Lake Placid's Fawn Ridge subdivision. Chris Knight reports.  Go to full article

Ticonderoga, NY, Jul 09, 2010 — The Adirondack Park Agency has approved a major expansion to a sludge landfill operated by International Paper in Ticonderoga. Yesterday's decision by the APA board was unanimous, despite objections from some neighbors.

As Brian Mann reports, company officials at IP say the new facility will allow the mill to continue operating for another three decades.  Go to full article

Ray Brook, NY, Jun 30, 2010 — New York State's budget crisis, and routine staff retirement plans re combining to threaten the Adirondack Park Agency's economic development office.
A job freeze that's part of Gov. Paterson's budget would mean a key job at the top of the APA's staff would go unfilled.
Jon Alexander has the story.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Jun 07, 2010 — The Adirondack Park Agency has been trying for months to nail down new rules for boathouse construction in the Adirondack Park. Commissioners will try again at their monthly meeting in Ray Brook this week. They'll consider redefining "boathouse," after deadlocking on a similar proposal last month. Chris Knight reports there are new commissioners in the mix this time, and observers hope a new focus on environmental issues.  Go to full article

Ray Brook, NY, May 14, 2010 — The Adirondack Park Agency wrestled yet again yesterday with the question of how to regulate boathouses. The issue has flummoxed state officials for decades. As Brian Mann reports, APA commissioners remain deeply divided, with some arguing that boathouses shouldn't be regulated at all.  Go to full article