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The Joint Community Housing Committee for the Town of North Elba and Village of Lake Placid is announcing the next step of the Community Housing Needs Assessment. A public open house will be held at the Conference Center, Main Street, Lake Placid, on Tuesday, November 19 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
The meeting will seek public input on housing issues, needs, priorities, as well as strategies and ideas for how the Town and Village may address them. The public is encouraged to attend drop-in hours for the informal open house between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm. A presentation by the project team will occur at 6:00 pm.

Skiing and snowboarding open up up at Whiteface Mountain, in Wilmington; and Gore Mountain, in North Creek as of Friday, Nov. 15. Belleayre Mountain Ski Resort, in Highmount; is expected to open for the season November 29. ORDA began snowmaking at all three ski mountains and crews have been working around the clock preparing for opening day. The season will also start for Nordic skiers on Saturday on the Mt. Van Hoevenberg trail system as construction continues on the complex’s new base lodge.

Lake Placid is teaming up with Clarkson University to pursue LEED certification in effort to evaluate its sustainability efforts. Using the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED for Cities and Communities rating system, the region achieved LEED Gold certification and joins a distinguished group of LEED-certified cities and communities around the world. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a globally recognized rating system designed to help buildings, cities and communities achieve high performance in key areas of human and environmental health.

DEC and DOT have announced the release of a draft Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor Unit Management Plan (UMP) Amendment/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) that includes unique outdoor recreational opportunities for people of various abilities and a unique means of travel to support tourism in the Adirondacks. DEC and DOT solicited public input on a draft scoping document earlier this year to help develop the draft UMP amendment and SEIS, which will help determine the future use of the Remsen to Lake Placid Travel Corridor. According to DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos, “The proposal to convert a segment of the Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor to a recreation trail will create a travel corridor connecting the communities of Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, and Tupper Lake by foot, bicycle, skis, and snowmobile. This travel corridor will ensure visitors to the Adirondacks have easy access to amenities in these communities, as well as the trails, campsites, and waterways connected to the travel corridor.”

Of interest locally, state lawmakers will take testimony to examine the environmental footprint of colleges and universities in New York State, and the academic and research programs colleges and universities offer that focus on the environment. The committees will look at the goals colleges and universities have set to reduce their environmental footprint and the methods such colleges and universities are using or will use to achieve these goals. They will also evaluate how colleges and universities have utilized, or could potentially utilize, capital funding provided in the state budget to retrofit current buildings to improve efficiency or build new buildings that meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards.

DEC is recognizing four four groups for the State Environmental Excellence Awards for entities committed to greening their operations and finding innovative ways to contribute to a healthier environment. The Wild Center’s Youth Climate Program is among the winners. The state says The Wild Center’s Youth Climate Program convenes, engages, and empowers young people on a local, regional, and global scale to take action on climate change. Youth Climate Summits allow students to learn from businesses, organizations, schools/colleges, civic groups, farmers, engineers, designers, public officials, and agencies. Summits result in dynamic and comprehensive Climate Action Plans developed by students to improve sustainability and resiliency in their school or community.

Adirondack Health invites the public to a celebration of its new Ambulatory Surgery Unit at Adirondack Medical Center. The event runs from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21. Attendees should meet in the main lobby at Adirondack Medical Center, 2233 State Route 86 in Saranac Lake. The ASU is where patients get surgery that doesn’t require an overnight stay. The new ASU is in renovated space where the hospital’s operating rooms used to be. Construction on the space is nearing completion and the space will soon be open to patients. Those who attend the event will get a chance to tour the new ASU space before most of the equipment is loaded in, as well as visit the new MRI suite and take a virtual tour of the hospital’s new operating rooms.

The public comment period is still open for potential Riverwalk plans. If you missed last Thursday’s Open House hosted at the Saranac Lake Free Library, the Village still wants to hear your feedback on the draft design proposals for the extension of the Saranac Lake Riverwalk from the Dorsey Street Parking Lot. Check out the Projects page on our new website for draft plans and information on how submit a comment. saranaclakeny.gov/index.php.

State Police are attempting to locate 18-year-old John R. Sexton of Chateaugay, who was reportedly last seen on November 10, 2019, at approximately 1 p.m. leaving his residence on foot. Sexton is 5 feet 9 inches tall, and approximately 170 pounds with blond hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing camouflage coveralls. Sexton is a senior at Chateaugay Central School and he also failed to show up for classes today. Anyone with information is asked to contact the New York State Police at (518) 873-2750.

Assemblyman Billy Jones looks wants to see a state veterans cemetery. In a release he said, in part,
“Our veterans have served the nation with honor and dignity. Yet, unlike many other states, New York doesn’t have a state veterans cemetery for its heroes. I have been fighting to have this legislation be included in the executive budget proposal and now that effort is being embraced by the governor. I look forward to working with him to honor these heroes and give them the fitting final resting place they deserve.”