The McCauley improvement committee has been working toward updating the chalet and making the mountain a better spot for a range of year-round events and activities. But nothing of quality will take place at the mountain without a quality operational team, said Councilwoman Russell, a committee member.

And McCauley is demonstrating that it has one.

“Recently a memorial service was held at McCauley Mountain and Steve Uzdavinis and his crew were amazing,” Russell said.

That event followed another, which was held earlier in the day, according to Russell.

The crew made sure the facility was ready for the service and the hundreds of people that attended.

“It’s pretty amazing what McCauley can do for our community and be for our community,” Russell said, referring the wide range of happenings that are equally at home on the mountain.

“[People] come there to laugh, they come there to cry. I think there were close to 800 people, not necessarily at one time, that came to that mountain on that day. So it is a very important part of our community. We really are blessed to have McCauley, not only for visitors but for the children in our community,” she said.

And the crew is vital.

“They did great,” Russell said.

Town of Webb resident Michelle Soltes told the Town Board Tuesday that she’s had too many run-ins with aggressive dogs in the past several months—one of which resulted in bites requiring medical treatment—and she would like the town to act in curtailing what she describes as a potentially dangerous problem.

The bites resulted from incidents with a neighbor’s pitbull that was not adequately controlled, she said.

A local court proceeding ensued with Justice Graham dictating restraint measures to the dog’s owner, according to Soltes.

“The dog has to be muzzled if he’s out, he has to be in a pen, he has to get a fence, he has to be on a leash with someone over 21, he has to have an insurance policy,” Soltes said.

Soltes said a more recent incident involving a neighbor dog has her consulting a lawyer.

But beyond those concerns, Soltes said she has experienced unpleasant and sometimes scary encounters on Old Forge streets. Continue reading →

Webb balances taxpayer, commerce concerns in pavilion pricing

The Town of Webb Board reached a resolution on Tuesday to update the usage fees for groups wanting to rent the North Street pavilion.

Earlier this year the board examined the existing fees and decided they should be increased to better cover town expenses relating to the facility.

The board decided to implement a new “for-profit” rate of $600 a day, up from $250.

Several in the business community balked, saying the profit margins of many events are not sufficient currently to cover the additional cost.

The Central Adirondack Association (CAA), which represents area businesses and seeks to entice economic activity, urged the board to take a more incremental approach.

This would allow existing events to adjust operations to keep profitability.

And it would prevent smaller-margin events from being priced out completely.

The Town of Webb Board agreed to revisit the issue. Continue reading →