After almost 10 years of planning, Otter Lake Volunteer Fire Department personnel’s dream of a new fire house will become a reality when construction of their new facility begins in the spring.

Upcoming construction of the fire house is made possible by a grant through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Fire Station Construction Grant Program (SCG).

Planned Otter Lake Fire Station rendering by Ryan Abrial Wood Works, Design & Services, LLC.

The announcement of the Otter Lake Fire Department’s grant award of $1,126, 431 was made in September 2009 by U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

Senator Schumer wrote a letter of support that was included in the department’s application.

The department enlisted the services of Central Adirondack Partnership for the 21st Century (CAP-21) and Julie Benzo, grant writer for CAP-21 at that time, to put together the application for the SCG. Continue reading →

An evaluation of the roof at the Town of Webb Professional Offices building has been completed and McDonald & Monterose Architects, the firm that conducted the study, has made recommendations as to the work required in fixing it.

Architect Pete Monterose was on hand at the Town of Webb board meeting last Tuesday, to explain what he discovered about the health center roof, which had been leaking for several months, sometimes badly, according to employees.

“The roof drains look to be in pretty good shape,” Monterose said.

But as with some other aspects of the roof, greater damages may reveal themselves once the roof is pulled apart, according to Monterose.

Some of these problems could involve bad decking and some bad drains. Continue reading →

The Town of Webb Board has decided to take a closer look at the letters it receives before reading them into the public record at its meetings, according to a resolution passed by the board at its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 11.

Previously, correspondence addressed to the board by constituents and others had in general been read aloud by the supervisor at a meeting.

This served to inform to the larger public as to constituent concerns and to allow discussion, if desired, by those attending the meeting.

But Supervisor Robert Moore said some inaccuracies in recent letters have caused him to rethink the practice.

Councilwoman Kate Russell said she shares Moore’s concern. Russell said she did not want the board to be responsible for putting forth faulty information to the public at its meetings.

And the reading of unsolicited letters can create other problems as well, according to Moore. Continue reading →

Screenwriter and director Brian Lannin is in Old Forge with his crew this week to shoot scenes for a new short film titled ‘Between the Ice.’

A student production crew from New York University (NYU) arrived on location in Old Forge to begin shooting a short 15-minute drama on Tuesday, January 10.

The crew took an early afternoon lunch break at the North Street Pavilion before they resumed filming of a snowmobile scene on North Street.

Among them was Brian Lannin, a second year NYU student, scriptwriter and director of the film, who said he was excited about the opportunity to shoot the film in Old Forge.

Lannin said when he wrote the script he envisioned the story taking place in the Adirondacks, although he and his crew had never been to the Adirondacks.

He said they scouted for a film location in the Lake Placid/ Saranac Lake area but could not find a location that fit the story line.

“Then we found Kurt and Ximena Gardner at Adirondack Productions in Old Forge, and we suddenly realized it could happen,” said Lannin. “They had the know-how, and without their help this would not have been possible. It was totally serendipitous.”

Lannin said the Gardners found film locations and helped with many other important details and arrangements. Continue reading →

Old Forge will again be without convenient public restrooms in the downtown area now that the arrangement the Town of Webb has enjoyed with Souvenir Village has reached its end.

Councilman J.B. Herron has been looking into some semi-permanent structures that are designed to act as public restrooms. These can be custom-built to a variety of restroom and wastewater needs, he said.

But the question remains: On what plot of land could such a structure be located?

If the town is going to have a solution in place by the summer season it has to move quickly. For that reason Supervisor Robert Moore has approved a committee consisting of two board members: Kate Russell and J.B. Herron.

He hopes others will join as well, since many businesses along Main Street have an interest in making sure downtown visitors have access to adequate facilities.

And as Councilman Richard Risley noted, no feasibility study is needed for this particular project.

“Our public restrooms have demonstrated themselves to be very popular,” he observed.

The towns of Webb and Inlet will again issue special trail permits during SnoFest 2011 as an incentive for visiting snowmobilers to sample the local trail system.

The measure was passed by the local town boards in response to a recommendation by Webb publicity director Mike Farmer.

The arrangement repeats that of 2010, which Councilman Ross said was quite successful.

Old Forge’s SnoFest draws winter-sport enthusiasts from a wide area, some of whom have never snowmobiled in the Town of Webb, Ross said.

It is hoped that once they sample the trails, they will be enticed back in future months and years.

Last year 34 people took advantage of SnoFest’s special permits, according to Webb Supervisor Robert Moore.

SnoFest 2011 is scheduled to take place from March 11 through 13, at the North Street Recreation Center in Old Forge.

The annual event is a showcase for four snowmobile manufacturers—Ski-Doo, Arctic Cat, Polaris and Yamaha—to premier their 2012 models. It also features freestyle stunt shows and demo rides. Admission is free.

The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts has announced the recipients of funds from the 2011 Decentralization Regrant Program (DEC), provided by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).

DEC funds are administered in Hamilton County by the Blue Mountain Arts Center, which advocates at the state level to bring money to local municipalities and non-profit organizations.

While state agencies, including NYSCA, faced deep budget cuts this year, the Arts Center successfully restructured their DEC application and review process, and increased funding for Hamilton County’s DEC programs by over 20 percent.

Among the organizations that were awarded funding are: Fulton Chain of Lakes Performing Arts Council: An Evening with the Syracuse Symphony; Raquette Lake Library: Puttin’ on the Ritz;

St. Williams on Long Point: Thursdays on the Lake Series; Town of Indian Lake: Cabin Fever Players present The Music Man; Town of Inlet: Sunsets by the Lake Concert Series; and Town of Long Lake Parks & Rec/Tourism Department: E-Lumination art installation; Babik Jazz Concert.