News stories tagged with "apa"

(01/25/12) St. Lawrence County legislators are urging the Adirondack Park Agency to fight a recent court decision that designates the water and bed of Lows Lake as wilderness. That's according to the Watertown Daily Times. more

(01/17/12) Tomorrow in Ray Brook, Adirondack Park Agency commissioners begin their final three days of deliberations over the resort project planned for Tupper Lake. Developers hope to build hundreds of homes and condos on more than six thousand acres of land near the Big Tupper ski area. A final vote from the APA is planned for Friday.

Village Mayor Paul Maroun said he's hopeful a permit will be granted. "It's a big issue on the streets in Tupper Lake. Everybody's talking about it, both sides of the issue," Maroun noted.

Brian Mann has been following this project for seven years and he spoke with Martha Foley.

(11/18/11) Yesterday was the first full day of public deliberations for the Adirondack Park Agency as commisioners consider a permit for the Big Tupper resort project.

The massive resort - with more than 700 homes, condos and mansions -- has developed into a flashpoint in debates over the Park's future and a final vote is expected in January.

On Thursday, commissioners heard testimony over a wide range of topics. But a key focus was the lack of comprehensive scientific data showing the resort's impact on wildlife.

As Brian Mann reports, specific concerns were raised about the construction of one new neighborhood that could displace amphibian species. more

(11/10/11) Governor Andrew Cuomo made history yesterday when he chose Lani Ulrich as the first woman ever to lead the Adirondack Park Agency. The Old Forge resident takes over immediately and will guide the APA as it makes a decision on the controversial Adirondack Club and Resort project in Tupper Lake.

The governor also made history by picking a St. Lawrence County resident to sit on the commission for the first time. Sherman Craig is a woodworker and former teacher from Wanakena. As Brian Mann reports, yesterday's announcement leaves a couple of big unanswered questions. more

(10/24/11) Speculation has been building for weeks over who Gov. Andrew Cuomo will choose as the next chairperson of the Adirondack Park Agency.

Lately, that speculaion has turned into concern as the agency board is about to begin reviewing one of the largest development projects ever proposed in the Park -- with no one in the chairman's seat. But one North Country lawmaker says she believes the governor is close to making a decision. more

(10/24/11) The cell tower building boom in the Adirondacks has slowed this year. Applications to the Adirondack Park Agency are down - the agency has only issued nine permits or amendments for cell projects as of early October.

That's a big drop when compared to last year: 28 projects, and 2009, when the APA approved 27. Despite the trend, cell service providers say they're still planning to grow their wireless networks in the Park. Chris Knight reports. more

(09/16/11) Support is reportedly building behind Lani Ulrich to assume the chairmanship of the state Adirondack Park Agency. Ulrich has served as an APA commissioner since 2004.

The Glens Fall Post-Star reported yesterday that local government leaders and environmental groups in the Park have come together to push Gov. Andrew Cuomo to nominate her to the position.

But as Chris Knight reports, Ulrich may have to resolve a pair of APA violations on her property if she wants the job. more

(09/16/11) Yesterday's meeting of Adirondack Park Agency Commissioners was the first since Tropical Storm Irene unleashed havoc along some of the park's rivers. They got a briefing from agency staff on the damage to homes, businesses, roads and bridges and the agency's response.

Commissioners were also updated on Irene's impacts to the back-country, and efforts to reopen trails that were closed in the aftermath of the storm. more

(08/19/11) The Adirondack Park Agency met yesterday in Ray Brook. It was their first monthly meeting without former chairman Curt Stiles, who announced his resignation in mid-July.

As Brian Mann reports, there is still no indication from Governor Andrew Cuomo about who will lead the APA going forward or when a pick will be made.

(08/03/11) After four years as head of the Adirondack Park Agency, chairman Curt Stiles is stepping aside. His tenure was marked by big clashes with elected officials in the Park, who lobbied Governor Andrew Cuomo not to reappoint Stiles for a second term. But Stiles also pushed through major reforms of the APA's regulatory approach, and engineered the first legislative change to the Park Agency Act in a generation.

Stiles, a former Xerox executive who lives on Upper Saranac Lake, sat down to talk in-depth with Brian Mann. Here's the first part of their conversation.

Note: Tomorrow during The Eight O'clock Hour, we'll hear from Stiles about the environmental challenges still facing the Park and about some of his own controversial decisions, including his handling of the Sandy Lewis farm case in Essex County.