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The hike starts at 10AM at the fairgrounds in Westport. All proceeds benefit the Viall’s Crossing Conservation and Trail Project. You’ll see the farm we saved, enjoy the trails we created, and return for a day of fun. Details at: ChamplainAreaTrails.com or call 518.962.2287
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HOMES EVERY WEEK! Valley News
September 7, 2019
suncommunitynews.com
• EDITION •
Short-term rentals, longterm problems Lake Placid struggles to come to grips with a new form of lodging By Tim Rowland STAFF WRITER
LAKE PLACID | Long-time Lake Placid residents turned out at a public hearing last week in defense of traditional neighborhoods and a small-town way of life that they said are being swallowed up and destroyed by short-term rental properties with their noisy parties an overflow of cars. At the same time, an equal number of people defended the rental properties, saying that it’s the way people want to travel these days, and to restrict them would be tantamount to driving away the lucrative tourist trade. The boards of Lake Placid and North Elba have recognized the problem, and drawn up regulations that, depending on who was speaking, was either too tight or not tight enough.
About 200 residents turned out at a public hearing last week to voice complaints or defenses of short-term rental properties.
Photo by Tim Rowland
See SHORT-TERM RENTALS » pg. 3
Elizabethtown wins $250K grant for recreation infrastructure Proceeds will help add hub, signage for bike/ hike/ski/shoeshoe trail systems By Kim Dedam STAFF WRITER
Trail maps show evolving multi-use trails behind Cobble Hill Golf Course in Elizabethtown. Photo by Kim Dedam
ELIZABETHTOWN |A $250,000 federal grant will help map and connect varied recreation trail systems in Elizabethtown. Local planners intend to site and build six kiosks and related signs for various pockets of bike, hike, ski and snowshoe trails areas already in place here. They won grant monies from the Northern Border Regional Commission, a federal economic development project that supports recreation infrastructure.
Though not formally named, an Elizabethtown “greenway” would connect trails at Blueberry Hill to trails above and behind the Cobble Hill Golf Course to Otis Mountain and spurs that circumnavigate town to a central hub. Trails have been works-in-progress through volunteer and town crew efforts for many years, accommodating new snowshoe and crosscountry access points in winter and mountain bike and hike or walking paths in summer. Year-round access is an important part of the project. It would also support the emerging mountain bike program at Boquet Valley Central School. Elizabethtown Councilman Jeff Allott and local business owner Aaron Woolf secured the grant with letters of support from New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. The goal isn’t a destination brand, per se. “This is about affecting a subtle change,” Allott told the Sun in a recent interview. See RECREATION TRAILS » pg. 3
Town of Essex deals with phone outages LEWIS TOWN COUNCIL Verizon assures CONSIDERS REQUEST issue will be FOR ‘MOUNT INEZ’ resolved in early September
By Laura Achouatte STAFF WRITER
ESSEX | The Town of Essex has been experiencing phone service issues in recent weeks that have resulted in several residents without phone service for an extended
duration of time. This situation caused concern in Lewis Family Farms’ Sandy Lewis, who sent an email to Betty Little’s office; he’s hoping for some more immediate action and wants to bring attention to the “crisis.” “We had a bit of sunshine late yesterday. Half the farm had service. This morning it was black. No service tonight. A top Verizon tech manager spoke. Good man... He said he was told by Albany that the new replacement machine will arrive September 6th... in Plattsburgh. Land line service to hundreds
A Verizon employee works at the site of the main hub of Essex’s landline phone device. The device was left open to vent heat and has malfunctioned due to being left open to the elements and mice infestations. Photo provided
What'snotto
like
of elderly without cell phones will return, perhaps, two days later. That’s what it takes to wire up the new technology. Verizon, NYC and Albany must hate the North Country. Help...” Many residents are without any connection to the outside world and rely on landline service in the area. Of the approximately 670 persons that live in Essex, a large portion are elderly and cut off from calling 911 services if a medical event were to arise. On the phone, Lewis stated, “I have a neighbor in her 90s and she can’t call out to anyone. It’s awful!” Verizon is the service provider in the area. Essex Councilman Ken Hughes commented that he had the opportunity to stop and talk to a 30-year Verizon veteran from the Tri-Lakes area, tasked to come down to Whallonsburg and get the telephone issues resolved. “It was a disastrous mess in this node off of Whallons Bay Road,” said Hughes. “Mice infestation, broken exhaust fans (these devices generate tremendous amounts of heat), cards with burnt out sections, huge amount of dust, dirt and debris as well as malfunctioning redundancy systems that have all caused the failure of landline telephone service. Apparently the top was left open to exhaust the heat, which allowed for rodent infestation and potential moisture.
John Milholland renamed the peak; change wasn’t codified on federal list See MOUNT INEZ » pg. 2
The stony peak on the boundary of Elizabethtown and Lewis, Mount Inez. Photo by Kim Dedam
See VERIZON » pg. 3
TH C O MMUNITY N E W S Published by Denton Publ'1ca&_ R I N T I N G t1onsp Inc
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