Town of North Hudson

Think Spring

I hope this message has all of you doing well. I don’t know about the rest of you but I sure am ready for spring.
That being said, with the mounds of snow we still have, I am certain there will be a lot of run off into roads, flooding and
potential water in basements. If anyone has any concerns regarding these matters, please reach out to me.
As many of you have seen in the recent press release, Gov. Cuomo has dedicated funds to repair Rt. 9 from Blue Ridge Rd. south to Schroon Falls. I will continue my efforts in pursueing the upgrade of the North end of Rt. 9 to Exit 30. Again, if
anyone has any concerns regarding the condition of roads, please put it in letter form so as I can also bring your concerns
to the appropriate Department.
Please feel free to stop in to the office any time to see me with any questions. Again, THINK SPRING!

November 27, 2018 Newsletter

November 27, 2018

 

Friends,

It’s been awhile since my last newsletter, so I thought that I’d try to bring you up to date.  Much of this is also on the North Hudson web page, northhudsonny.com, under the Supervisor’s Message section.

In March the Adirondack Park Agency’s classification of the Boreas Ponds Tract was approved.

In April we had the groundbreaking of the Frontier Town Campground, Equestrian and Day Use Area and a new brewing facility for Paradox Brewery.

In July the DEC’s Unit Management Plan was also approved.  Implementation of the plan has begun and when complete it will provide recreational access to the Boreas Ponds including:

  • Constructing additional parking areas near LaBier Flow and Boreas Ponds
    • A six-car permit only parking area 1/10 of a mile from Boreas Dam will have an informational kiosks and a bike rack
    • Four of the parking spots will be available through Reserve America and two will be available for people with (Motorized Access Program for People with Disabilities) permits
  • Constructing hand launches at the Boreas Pond dam and on the shores of LaBier Flow
    • The launch at Boreas Ponds dam will be ADA compliant and accessible to people with disabilities
    • The launch on the southern shore of LaBier Flow will include a drop off area for unloading and loading boats and equipment but not for parking

Frontier Town Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

In October Phase One of the campground was completed, which includes:

  • An equestrian camping area modeled after DEC’s Otter Creek facility with space for 33 equestrian camping sites with electrical hookups and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant features;
  • Parking for all-season trail access located off Frontier Town Road near NYS Rt. 9, providing year-round parking for 26 vehicles, including spots for 18 vehicles with trailers, six for vehicles only, and two for accessible vehicles;
  • Seasonal day-use area along the shoreline of the Schroon River with 34 parking spaces, a pavilion, two playgrounds, a comfort station, and electric vehicle charging stations;
  • Entranced ticket booth utilizing solar energy to support part of the ticketing operations; and
  • Two staff cabins, a recycling station, a firewood storage building, a water treatment/storage building, and other facilities necessary for the operation of the campground.

Both the campground and brewery hope to be open next spring/summer.  We are hoping that this will result in the creation of 30-40 new part-time and full-time jobs.

I am very happy to see these plans come to fruition and am hopeful that it will lead to new business growth and new employment opportunities.

The Town also underwent a State Audit this year.  The audit results are also on our web page.  We did extremely well and there were no recommendations as a result of the audit and no Corrective Action Plan was required.

 

Lastly, and as I said in last year’s letter, what has been started will take a few years, longer than I have left on this term and I will not seek reelection.  Because of that, I believe that it would be best for someone to come into these projects now and provide the continuity through the next few years to see these projects through to completion.  And so again, after months of thought and anguish, I have decided to retire at the end of this year.  I have worked as hard as I ever have for the past 7 years as your Supervisor to try to make things better for the town and you, the people who live here.  I’ve given my all and did the best I knew how to do the things that I thought were in the best interest of our town, not only for the now, but also for the future.  I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished and I thank all who have served on the board and have helped steer the course.  Special, heartfelt thanks to Jean McKee and Cassandra D’Agostino.  Without your support, this job would have been so much more difficult.

 

So thank you all for allowing me the privilege of serving you as your Supervisor.  It’s truly been an honor, sometimes painful, but well worth the ride.  After twenty years as an Assessor, Councilman and Supervisor, it’s time for Claire and I to move on.  We look forward to the freedom that hopefully retirement will bring and to seeing what the future holds.

 

Best to all,

 

Ron

 

2018 NEWS RECAP

Friends,

It’s been awhile since my last message, so I thought that I’d try to bring you up to date.

In March the Adirondack Park Agency’s classification of the Boreas Ponds Tract was approved.

In April we had the groundbreaking of the Frontier Town Campground, Equestrian and Day Use Area and a new brewing facility for Paradox Brewery.

In July the DEC’s Unit Management Plan was also approved.  Implementation of the plan has begun and when complete it will provide recreational access to the Boreas Ponds including:

  • Constructing additional parking areas near LaBier Flow and Boreas Ponds
    • A six-car permit only parking area 1/10 of a mile from Boreas Dam will have an informational kiosks and a bike rack
    • Four of the parking spots will be available through Reserve America and two will be available for people with Motorized Access Program for People with Disabilitiespermits
  • Constructing hand launches at the Boreas Pond dam and on the shores of LaBier Flow
    • The launch at Boreas Ponds dam will be ADA compliant and accessible to people with disabilities
    • The launch on the southern shore of LaBier Flow will include a drop off area for unloading and loading boats and equipment but not for parking

Frontier Town Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

In October Phase one of the campground was completed, which includes:

  • An equestrian camping area modeled after DEC’s Otter Creek facility with space for 33 equestrian camping sites with electrical hookups and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant features;
  • Parking for all-season trail access located off Frontier Town Road near NYS Rt. 9, providing year-round parking for 26 vehicles, including spots for 18 vehicles with trailers, six for vehicles only, and two for accessible vehicles;
  • Seasonal day-use area along the shoreline of the Schroon River with 34 parking spaces, a pavilion, two playgrounds, a comfort station, and electric vehicle charging stations;
  • Entranced ticket booth utilizing solar energy to support part of the ticketing operations; and
  • Two staff cabins, a recycling station, a firewood storage building, a water treatment/storage building, and other facilities necessary for the operation of the campground.

Both the campground and brewery hope to be open next spring/summer.  We are hoping that this will result in the creation of 30-40 new part-time and full-time jobs.

I am very happy to see these plans come to fruition and am hopeful that it will lead to new business growth and new employment opportunities.

Best wishes to all,

Ron

Welcome to our new website!

January, 2018

Hello everyone and Happy New Year.

This is the first Supervisor’s Message on our new website and I hope that it will keep you informed as to the issues and events here in North Hudson. So, as we begin this year of 2018, I thought that I’d start by taking a moment to do a recap of happenings in 2017 and give a little look forward as to what we hope to see happen in 2018.

We didn’t have a great start to 2017 as our outdoor wood boiler failed. We were able to work with the Northern Forest Center and NYSERDA to qualify for a number of incentives and are now in the process of having a pellet boiler installed. When complete, we hope to have an Open House for all to see it in operation.

In January, Governor Cuomo announced the Master Plan to establish a Gateway to the Adirondacks at Exit 29 of the Northway. At the time he said, “The Gateway to the Adirondacks will be a world-class tourism hub at a strategic location to attract new visitors to the Adirondack Park and drive economic growth in the North Country.”

The Paradox Brewery will relocate to the site and create many new jobs. This cornerstone hopes to begin construction in the spring.

The Boreas Ponds Tract classification is still being considered by the Adirondack Park Agency. We hope that a recommendation will be announced soon. Once the classification has been determined, the Department of Environmental Conservation will develop a Unit Management Plan for the area; what recreational activities will be permitted and where.

In the November election three propositions were on the ballot for consideration. The third one had to do with a Health and Safety Land Bank Account that would create a 250-acre land bank that would be used for approved local municipal projects on state forest preserve in the Adirondack and Catskill State Park. Such projects could include broadband infrastructure, utility lines, highway and bridge improvements and municipal water supplies. It is important to us in the park that this amendment was approved, as it previously required an amendment to the constitution, a minimum of 2-3 years, to be able to begin these projects that would cross the forest preserve.

On Thursday, January 11th, the Adirondack Park Agency unanimously approved the campground to be known as the Frontier Town Campground, Equestrian and Day Use Area. This will be located on Town land that is adjacent to and to the south of the old Frontier Town village. The Town will convey to the State a Conservation easement for this purpose. Construction is expected to begin in February with a completion date scheduled for the fall. Frontier Town Road will be closed during the construction period.

This past May a Request For Proposals was issued seeking proposals to establish a world-class tourism destination at the former Frontier Town site and serve as a “gateway” to the Adirondack Park. Those proposals are now in review and we hope to hear of the plans soon.

In the coming year we will see the construction of the Frontier Town Campground, Equestrian and Day Use Area. We hope to see construction of the Paradox Brewery and the beginning of the development of the former Frontier Town lands. We will see a classification and Unit Management Plan for the Boreas Ponds Tract, which will allow for the construction of the community connector trails between the 5 Towns of North Hudson, Minerva, Newcomb, Indian Lake and Long Lake. Imagine being able to snowmobile from North Hudson through those 5 Towns and beyond.

As we begin this New Year, I am very excited to see these plans come to fruition and I hope that you are to.

Until the next time, best wishes to all.

Ron