do your homework adirondack council

I just wrote an email to the adirondack council. Email is not dependable -- they do not even have any real email addresses on their website. Must be the administrative staff wants to be anonymous on their web site.

I read this quote in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise out of Saranac Lake and I am extremely disappointed in your organization. Brian Houseal is the Executive Director of the Adirondack Council.

"What happened today was good, Houseal told the Enterprise. He said its significant that the planning board has recommended that rezoning be tied to the APAs review of the project, ensuring that environmental impacts will be thoroughly studied. Houseal also said he's pleased to hear that the developers are negotiating over preserving more open space."

Mr Foxman is talking about selling a piece of 6000 acres to the Open Space folks. The Adirondack council is giving him a pat on the back for making this gesture. Instead of fighting the proposal, it appears the Council is coming to believe they have to give alot of land up for development to keep some preserved. Think about this as a strategy as it is a loser's method of compromising. Give alot away and save a little. The philosophy leads to a developed Adirondacks with some open space preserved for recreation purposes only.

Let me clue you in -- the entire 6,000 acres was offered to be state land years ago when it was first on the market. The DEC went to the Town and asked if it would be ok if the state acquired the entire property being sold by the Oval Wood Dish company. The state assured the town that payments in lieu of taxes would be made to the local governments so that no money would be lost. The town said they wanted no more state land in tupper lake. They wanted private development. They have enough state land.

This was reported in the Tupper Lake Free press. I can't quote the date -- I would have to go over to the Free Press Office and see if they still have this edition of the paper. Possibly the local library has it. The town records must show this in their town meeting. I have never seen this mentioned recently in the debate. Maybe it stings when people remember what could have been.

If the Adirondack Council is really "making nice" with the town and Mr. Foxman, please rethink your position. Take a look at what you are giving away here. Take a look at the precedent it is setting for other towns and other development in the works. If there are 10 more of these developments next year -- let's say 30,000 acres and they want to set aside 10,000 acreas as open space -- is this a triumph or a disaster for the Adirondacks?