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Times of Ti

March 28, 2020

suncommunitynews.com

• EDITION •

TOURIST INDUSTRY HOLDS ITS BREATH

Effects of pandemic on tourism could go either way By Tim Rowland STAFF WRITER

PORT HENRY | With Victoria Day just two months away, the travel industry that is the backbone of the North Country economy is bracing for the worst, but holding out hope that the coronavirus outbreak will subside by the summer travel season. Travel people “are by nature optimistic,” said Kristy Kennedy vice president of marketing for the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau. “They’ve been calling up not out of devastation, just with questions and the sense that we’re all in this together.” Still, the situation has been sobering. Restaurants have been ordered to close, public gatherings have been limited, theaters and stages have been shuttered and the border with Canada is no longer open to tourists. In Essex, a vital link to Vermont was lost when the Charlotte ferry was mothballed “Right now, the general mood in our area, and maybe the country, is gloomy,” said Lohr McKinstry, president of the Moriah Chamber of Commerce. “We learn of more closures every day. They may be necessary, but just as we’re easing into spring and cabin fever is setting in, we have to continue to stay inside.” According to a state-sponsored study, tourism in the Adirondacks generated $1.5 billion in 2018. One out of every seven jobs in the Adirondack Park is directly tied to the travel industry. Without the tax revenue from tourism, residents would have to pay an additional $1,700 a year in

The Essex-Charlotte ferry was shut down because of the coronavirus, a blow to local residents and the tourism industry.

Photo by Tim Rowland

taxes to maintain the same level of services, according to the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism. In Schroon Lake, the travel shutdown feels like piling on, said Sue Palisano, president of the local Chamber of Commerce. Last year the community suffered through a devastating church fire and a Halloween flood. And 2020 isn’t starting out any better. “Schroon Lake was hit a couple of times last year, but the community tends to rally and look out for one another,” Palisano said. “Naturally we’re worried, but folks are hunkering down and doing what they need to do.” A slight comfort for the tourism industry, Palisano said, is the timing of the pandemic. Adirondack restaurants typically close for a spell in March and April as owners plan, remodel and take a deep breath before the summer onslaught.

Except this year the onslaught may not come. Or it might come with a vengeance. Key to everything is how long the virus persists. “At what point do we come out of the curve?” said Garry Douglass, president of the North Country Chamber of Commerce. “We don’t know, because we’ve never been through anything like this before. Certainly we will market the area when it’s appropriate, because we expect there to be a pent up demand to get out of the house.” McKinstry agreed that “if the spread of the coronavirus eases up in the next few weeks, the summer travel season will be somewhat normal. If the virus doesn’t peak until May, as some scientists have suggested, the season will be impacted more heavily.” As of now, there are too many unknowns for predictions. But in

past national emergencies, such as 9/11, the Adirondacks saw an increase in visitors who had become wary of planes. ROOST CEO Jim McKenna said there may be a similar reluctance to fly again this summer. When that happens, people in the major Northeastern population centers look for something within driving distance, he said. “We were debating this the other night,” said Keene Supervisor Joe Pete Wilson. “And our thinking was that if it’s bad-bad it will hurt, but if it’s just kind-of bad there could be more people here.” In the short term though, the impact looks to be severe. Barring an unexpected shift in the virus’ patterns, Canadian hikers will be absent in May, when their Victoria Day holiday traditionally kicks off the travel season.

By the time the border was closed to noncommercial, nonessential traffic, the flow of Canadians into Clinton County had already slowed to a trickle, according to Douglas. “They had already stopped coming, Douglas said. “It was a matter of self-decision.” An Adirondack Regional Tourism Council conducted a survey in 2018 of residents in Quebec and Onterio determined that 80% of the respondents had visited the Adirondacks and planned to return. Hiking was the most popular reason for coming. To that point, William Janeway, director of the Adirondack Council said the region is likely to bounce back once the virus has washed through, even if there are lingering economic problems. “There is often an increase in use during weak economic times,” he said. “This is assumed to be because a vacation or hike in the Adirondacks is less expensive than many other options, people more often vacation close to home in times of economic uncertainty, and the Adirondacks are the largest wildland park destination in the contiguous United States — 70 million people live within a day’s drive.” That will continue to put pressure on the wilderness, he said, and may ultimately be reason to focus less on promotion in 2020 and more on using the interruption in travel to refocus on the health of both residents and the park itself. Lisa Polay, manager of the Crown Point Historic Site said the virus has already affected programming, but she too hopes that open spaces and the outdoors will ultimately drive visitation. “Potentially this could become a more attractive destination,” she said. Until the dust settles, ROOST, like others is looking to the future with the promotion “The Adirondacks; We’ll be here.” ■

Lunch ladies to the rescue

Ti cafeteria workers go extra mile to feed kids at home By Tim Rowland STAFF WRITER

TICONDEROGA | The lunch ladies at the Ticonderoga Central School had never thought of themselves as first responders until last week. Last Sunday, regional school administrators met and decided to shutter public schools throughout much of Clinton and Essex counties, effective immediately through at least April 19. The news did not hit the general public until a little after 2 p.m. and when it did, Bobby-Jean Fish’s cell phone lit up. Fish, the Ticonderoga Central School’s cafeteria manager, was hearing from her staff, all of whom were concerned not for themselves, but for their kids. “The ladies of the cafeteria were concerned for all their children, wondering how they would be fed,” Fish said. “As I read or listened to their messages, I knew they didn’t just love one — they loved them all and knew that the food service needed to continue.” Because of its elevated numbers of low income families, students rely both on subsidized school meals and the Ticonderoga Area BackPack Program, which provides children with meals for the weekend.

Both programs had obstacles to overcome. Ticonderoga School Board Member John Bartlett said that since the order came down on a Sunday, the students’ backpacks were still at home for the weekend and could not be refilled. By the time her phone began to buzz, Fish and Central School Business Administrator Laurie Cossey had already swung into action. Cossey began work on the application forms for the lunches, and they began to call around to fi nd a staging area where the meals could be assembled. Along with facilities director John Garcia, they began taking the necessary precautions of sanitizing the work space and making sure food deliveries were dropped off outside to reduce the number of people entering the building. On Tuesday, March 17, the school’s automated phone messaging system began dialing parents allowing them to ask for food delivery. No one knew how many families, if any, would opt in. But the staff wanted to be ready. “My ladies went to work,” Fish said. They started with 100 breakfasts and 100 lunches. But by the time she got back to her home in Hague, Fish learned that the response was almost triple what they’d planned for. The cooks went back to work. Wednesday was the first delivery day, as drivers made their rounds, delivering well over 500 meals. “We made 284 lunches and 284 breakfasts.” Fish said.”Our drivers and monitors were ready for this challenge, even though it had never been done before.”

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was blown out of the water with that number,” Fish said. “I wish I could have seen the look on their faces when they opened that bag to see they are not going to miss the Friday pizza day — because these lunch ladies made it happen.” Fish said the school has “a team that is dedicated to these kids from the teachers, to the bus drivers, food service and custodial people working endless hours to ensure this virus is stopped. The administrative team and teachers are taking calls daily to listen to parents’ concerns and ensure that the students get their work. I am proud of our school and how this was handled. Sentinel pride all the way.” ■

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The fleet included nine buses and a van that headed to Putnam. Each bus driver and delivery person suited up with the gloves and masks and started the run, performing a“knock and drop” for those who needed food. Public health guidelines were closely followed, with no personal contact and no one getting within six feet of another. “We are following rules of no personal contact and 6 ft distance. In record time we fed 284 kids,” Fish said. “The ladies came back with full hearts on Thursday, and we told them we were up to 350 kids. Meanwhile, Bartlett said, the backpack program was ramping up, using plastic bags and sending them along on the school buses for the weekend. By Friday, pizza day, the number of requested meals hit 500 breakfasts and 500 lunches. “I

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Cafeteria workers pack breakfasts and lunches to send to the homes of students. Photo by Tim Rowland

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