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Times of Ti
April 4, 2020
suncommunitynews.com
• EDITION •
Essex discourages travel by visitors County lacks resources to handle influx By Tim Rowland STAFF WRITER
ELIZABETHTOWN | Citing an “alarming influx of travelers from outside the county who are staying at second homes and short-term rentals,” Essex County has asked visitors to stay away, and the owners of short-term rentals to shut down until the coronavirus pandemic has subsided. Warren and Washington counties to the south followed suit shortly thereafter, but the requests have been criticized by Gov. Andrew Cuomo for effectively pitting one part of the state against another. “I don’t like it socially or culturally,” Cuomo said in an interview on WAMC public radio. “I don’t like what it says of us as one state.” It’s also an awkward position for the Adirondacks, telling people to stay away from an area that for generations officials have been promoting as a welcoming tourist destination. But Shaun Gillilland, chairman of the Essex County Board of Supervisors, noted in a statement that these are not normal times, and that the exceedingly rural
county, whose health network struggles to keep up with the influx of vacationers in the best of times, is incapable of handling an influx during a pandemic. New arrivals “should not have an expectation that resources will be available to you here that are not available to you in your hometown,” Gillilland wrote. “Essex County has a limited number of healthcare resources and hospital beds and there is no testing.” As of the weekend, Essex County had five confirmed cases of COVID19, although health officials acknowledge that due to the paucity of testing there are likely more cases that have flown under the radar. As the county noted, many summer residents have already returned, coming earlier than usual to avoid being trapped in their winter quarters should any lockdown restrictions on travel be enacted. But along with them has come a surge of people from the cities looking for remote locales where they believe they can hide out from the virus. Essex County officials worry that this could strain the local supply chain. “As a rural county, most small businesses are closed, services are severely strained and grocery stores, while still open to the public, are experiencing a shortage of food and basic supplies,” Gillilland wrote. The county has limited ability to
TENTS ARE UP BUT SUPPLIES ARE DOWN By Laurel Carroll STAFF WRITER
NORTHERN NEW YORK | To help accommodate the increasing need for coronavirus screenings and testing, Hudson Headwaters Health Network (HHHN) has set up two large tents—one at the West Mountain 2 Health Center in Queensbury, and the other in Champlain—with other HHHN sites utilizing smaller tents. In the last week and a half, HHHN providers have ordered or performed roughly 500 COVID-19 tests, some returning with positive results. Unfortunately, due to the statewide shortage of testing supplies, tests have now been restricted to symptomatic network health care providers. Working closely with HHHN, the University of Vermont, Elizabethtow n Communit y Hospital’s
enforce its directive, although there are typically fewer vacationers in April, which in the Adirondacks goes by the inelegant sobriquet of “mud season.” But groups may, theoretically at least, be open to regulation. Nonessential social gatherings have been prohibited under a state executive order through April 22, and the county considers multi-family short-term rentals subject to this order.
One of the Hudson Headwaters Health Network tents used for coronavirus screening. Photo provided
Ticonderoga and Elizabethtown campuses will help out by performing COVID-19 tests for Hudson Headwaters patients who are ill enough to require hospitalization. ■
Smaller rentals are being asked to shut down as well, although compliance is voluntary. “As we work together to minimize the spread of this virus across our most vulnerable populations, we respectfully ask that property owners comply with this request to limit new exposures and protect the health and welfare of all by removing short-term rental listings from services such as Airbnb and Vrbo,
and not renting their short-term rentals,” Gillilland wrote. Regarding the outdoors, the Department of Environmental Conservation is urging hikers to wait for better conditions, or find nearby hikes instead of traveling to popular trailheads. “While it can be disappointing, the best thing to do might be to stay home,” the DEC encouraged readers in its weekly trails report. ■
ESSEX FAIR PLANNING AUGUST RETURN Sponsors help bring fair back from the brink
the feel of starting over. When drawing up the new summer budget, the board used to cut and paste from the previous year. “This year we took the old budget and threw it out
work on a farm. “The fair is unique, because we have what people are looking for in terms of agriculture,” Christian said. “Most of them have
By Tim Rowland STAFF WRITER
WESTPORT | There’s been an Essex County Fair for 171 years. It almost didn’t live to see its 172nd. But, as things stand now, the fair will go on as usual this year, after financial problems and board resignations this winter put its future in doubt. “It was hard going for a while, but we’re back on track,” said fair director Scott Christian, before the coronavirus added another layer of uncertainty to the event. The fair, whose theme will be Christmas in August, will be held Aug. 19-23, and will include a freshened lineup of shows and events, while cutting out big expenses that sometimes did more harm than good. The fair is still in critical need of volunteers, however, and even helpers who can only spare an hour or two staffi ng a ticket booth would be appreciated, Christian said. Like just about every other country fair in the state, Essex County’s had been operating in the red for years. But new sponsorships and an aggressive schedule of fundraisers, including bowling and golf tournaments and barbecues have raised enough cash to go forward — but not before a number of board members left, at least in part, because they were discouraged about finances. “Every year they would work so hard, and at the end of the year it was depressing, wondering what we were going to do with all these bills,” Christian said. This year has
The Essex County Fair in Westport is planning to open as usual in August.
Photo by Tim Rowland
the window,” he said. After reaching a low point, Christian said the fair has bounced back with new, energetic blood on the board and a slate of events that he believes will be popular this year. For traditional crowds, there are events that have transpired at fairs immemorial, including demolition derby and tractor pull. But with a number of summer visitors from the cities, it is also a chance to see how things
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never had the opportunity to go down to Uncle Joe’s farm. They’ve never seen a calf being born — anyone who comes here from the city can’t believe it.” Vacationers “are not there for the demolition derby or the truck pulls,” Christian said, but do share a growing interest in agriculture and knowing where their food comes from. But serving two distinct audiences can have its drawbacks. Last year the fair paid
$14,000 for a caged tiger exhibit, which drew the ire of Adirondack conservationists. This year there will be no tigers. Instead, a featured attraction will be the Great Lakes Timber Show which, according to its website, “features chainsaw carving, axe throwing, wood chopping, one and two-man crosscut sawing, modified chainsawing, log rolling and loads of clean family humor.” The demolition derby will be run by the professional group Spinning Wheels Productions this year, which means it will attract more participants. There will be PAC wrestling, a rodeo, a rubber duck chucking contest and all the standard truck and tractor pulls, 4-H exhibits and farm animals. Still, fairs acknowledge that old-time agriculture is vanishing. There are only three remaining dairies in Essex County that sell to a co-op, when “there used to be seven on my road alone,” Christian said. In their place, younger farmers are popping up, selling meat, cheese, yogurt, fruits and vegetables to a progressive demographic interested in wholesome, locally sourced food. The fair wants to welcome this group of farmers into the fold, but it’s been difficult. “Fairs started out as competitions, but they’re not really into ‘my squash is bigger than your squash,’” Christian said. “But we need to get that group and their energy.” Along with that, the fair board would like to convince travel and tourism agencies that they are an attraction to vacationers — which could potentially open up another revenue stream. “I don’t think they realize we attract people from outside Essex County, but we do,” Christian said. The fair draws about 10,000 people a year, more than half of whom are from out of the area, he said. ■
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