Inlet Supervisor Frey says long festering issues can be brought to a close with state voter support
Voters across New York state will be asked to vote on six Propositions when they go to the polls on Tuesday, November 5, three of which have relevance to the Adirondack region.
Town of Inlet Supervisor John Frey said the passage of propositions 3, 4 and 5 are of particular importance.
Proposition 3 extends until January 1, 2024 the authority of counties, cities, towns and villages to exceed their constitutional debt limits for construction and reconstruction of sewage facilities.
The New York State Constitu-tion places a limit on the amount of debt incurred by municipalities in order to maintain sound fiscal practices and preserve credit market access.
Under a Constitutional provision, sanitary sewer debt has been excluded from municipal debt limits since 1962 and extended every 10 years since then.
Proposition 3 is the next iteration of that 10-year extension.
Proposition 4 resolves long-standing competing land claims on 216 parcels between property owners in Raquette Lake which includes homes, the local school district and volunteer fire company and the State.
There has been a history of litigation and other attempts to end the dispute.
“This is a huge issue that has been festering for way too long,” said Frey.
In the current proposal, for which there is widespread agreement, the State releases any claim to the disputed par-cels, clearing local land titles, in exchange for funds that the State will use to add land to the Forest Pre-serve.
The private landholders affected will pay into a fund, totaling approximately $700,000.
The amendment was unanimously approved by both houses of the State Legislature.
Proposition 5 allows for a land exchange between the Adiron-dack Forest Preserve and NYCO Minerals which operates a wollastonie mine in the town of Lewis in Essex County.
The company estimates they have three or four years of mining left on the current site.
The company wants to expand mining into 200 acres of adjacent forest preserve land, which they would eventually restore and return to the State in exchange for 1,500 acres of land that would be added to the Forest Preserve.
The mining company has said that this addition would add an additional eight years to their mining operation.
The 1,500 acres of land added to the Forest Preserve would increase recreational opportunities in the Park and access to the Jay Mountain Wilderness Area.
The swap received bi-partisan support in the New York State Legislature.
“This is a win, win, win,” said Frey.
The proposition is seen as positive for the environment and the economy by many, including the Adirondack Coun-cil, NY League of Conser-vation Voters, and the Town of Long Lake.
The proposition is opposed by some environmental groups including Protect the Adiron-dacks who see it as trading forest preserve land for economic gain, and Save Forever Wild who objects to the loss of what they see as old growth forest.
However, the Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages has come out in support of Propositions 4 and 5 in particular.
“A yes vote for propositions 4 and 5 will protect more Forest Preserve land for the enjoyment of all, and strengthen the regional economy for those of us who live in and protect the Adirondacks every day,” said AATV President Brian Towers.