Letters
Tri-Lakers should help Community Store
POSTED: May 12, 2009
To the editor:
I recently read that the community store is $150,000 short of its goal. Amazing.
I lived here when the main street of the village had a large department store, a Newberry's and a five and 10 cent store. All were very busy. Then Ames rolled into the North Country. All three disappeared sometime after that. We all adjusted to that and grew to really love "Amazing Ames." Then Ames disappeared, and now the word that Hacketts is bankrupt leaves us again in that uncertain position of wondering, "What will happen next?" It seems to me that after being let down all these times, the residents should be seriously thinking about a department store owned by the residents of the Tri-Lakes. These owners predictably won't just "up and leave," and if the area folks support it, the store should reach the popularity that The Merc in Powell, Wyo. has reached. (See Smithsonian, October 2004, that also has the article "Autumn glory: Insider's guide to the Adirondacks.") Locals in this town of 5,500 have a proprietary pride in this humble downtown store. After all, they own it. The Merc has 429 shareholders. Powell residents learned that a similar situation existed in a another small town with a population of 2,000. They established a community-owned store after a "big box" store did not meet their predictions and simply abandoned their building and left the community "high and dry."
With the mess the world is in today, I think it makes sense to step back and try to become as self-sufficient as we once were. I do believe that if we all invested in a Community Store, our three little towns could "make a go" of our own Tri-Lakes Mercantile. I say, "Hats off" to the group who had the dream that this could happen. They have worked long and hard, and the proof is that the project is so close to its goal.
Natalie Leduc
Saranac Lake
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LiveSpacesMember Comments
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shipsaint
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05-15-09 7:17 PM
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kearbear,i am as well proud to be leaving lake placid,malone has alot more to offer
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Crugill
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05-15-09 7:02 PM
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It’s good to hear that IBC –International Border Company – is still going strong.. Back in the 90’s, we got great values for the whole family at IBC. I used to get Converse high-tops there and send them to a friend who could not always find all the colors he wanted, or at a cheaper price, in the NYC area. I still have a pair of lime-greens around here. When Nike took over Converse, he stopped asking for more – he was boycotting all things Nike, but that was years ago. Has Nike cleaned up their act over there in East Asia since then? Web searches on that subject provide varied opinions.
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KareBear04
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05-15-09 6:02 PM
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Malone has a wal-mart, Kmart, Sears small store thing, 4 dollar stores of sorts, an IBC which is wonderful when their having deals, and a few small bussiness' that i love to go into and look around. people are crazy if they think a walmart will ruin small bussiness'. there will always be curious people who want to go look into these small stores, those are the only people who shop in them to begin with. Im proud to be a resident of Malone, and im also very proud to have left lake placid, they care nothing about the people who live there, and considering were the ones who pay taxes there, its just nuts.
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shipsaint
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05-15-09 3:42 PM
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With the mess the world is in today, I think it makes sense to step back and try to become as self-sufficient as we once were. I do believe that if we all invested in a Community Store, our three little towns could "make a go" of our own Tri-Lakes Mercantile. I say, "Hats off" to the group who had the dream that this could happen. They have worked long and hard, and the proof is that the project is so close to its goal. Natalie Leduc commenting on a dream some one had. A DREAM
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shipsaint
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05-15-09 3:39 PM
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once tuppers ski resort takes off,say good bye to affordable housing there aswell.cs will do nothing for tupper either
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donnamarie
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05-15-09 3:37 PM
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And like I asked 100 pages back...what's in this for Tupper Lake??
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shipsaint
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05-15-09 3:29 PM
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malone has a big k aswell,car dealer ships,produce stands,,it doesnt matter what comes to saranac lake placid.we cant afford to live here with children,its to exspensive,more working fanilys are moving to malone be cause the cost of living is so much cheaper,and theres no way affordable housing will ever come back,no way,ive realised the damage is done and if i want my family to live a good comfy life,then we must leave,malone here we come.
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Crugill
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05-15-09 2:38 PM
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I’d like to see both the CS and a larger department store which would fit within the size caps that have been discussed in Saranac Lake/Harrietstown in the past year or so. Walmart wouldn’t be my first choice, and a smaller footprint wouldn’t be theirs. The CS is no ”scam” - money spent on the startup corp. hasn’t come from shareholders investments, and as much as I’d like to donate to offset that expense, times are indeed tough. From today’s NY Post – “Top 100 Summer destinations” – “SARANAC LAKE, NEW YORK SUMMER LIKE EINSTEIN Deep in the Adirondacks, this pretense-free town near Lake Placid is both a refuge from high prices and Downstate's high summer temps.” How many of those median-aged baby-boomers are going to be tempted to dump that house they bought for $50k back in the 70’s at a price 10-15 (or more) times that and move on up?
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LinjiS
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05-15-09 1:54 PM
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I should check out Malone's WM too. What else do they have there?
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iamamom
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05-15-09 1:27 PM
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This is truly a great debate. Lots of good points made on both sides. Has anyone really looked at the posts here and tallied up the pros vs the cons (WalMart or Community Store or even both?) I see that everyone wants the same thing. Convenient shopping with a good value and price. I don't care if you live in Manhattan or Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake, or Placid everyone wants the same thing, affordable and convenient shopping. I think we can all agree to that. I personally think a big box store would accomplish that and I would shop there no matter where it was located in the tri-lakes. I don't necessarily think that Tupper Lake or Placid residents would drive to Saranac Lake to shop at the Community Store on their way to Plattsburgh. But with all the talk about Malone, I am thinking I am going to check out the shopping there soon. I just never think to go there.
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LinjiS
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05-15-09 12:48 PM
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...Hundreds of prison officials fly into the area a year to conduct program reviews and hold meetings. They all drive to prison sites from airports in cars. The prisons bus thousands of family members up from NYC and other areas for visits annually. Cars, planes, buses all pollute. Prisons have firing ranges, garages to service vehicle fleets, sewer and water treatment plants, factories, grease from food service operations, medical waste, etc. All pollution producing. I bet the 72 perhaps-soon-to-be unemployed civilians at Gabriels wish they had a local WM job rather than NO job. Regardless of one's level of pay, everyone here wants convenience, good prices, and variety. Aldi's, GU, PC, etc. also don't make and sell local goods. Money goes to a headquarters. Kinneys and Rite Aid don't sell asprin or greeting cards manufactured locally. 99.9% of CS products WON'T be made in SL. Money HAS to leave.
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LinjiS
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05-15-09 12:40 PM
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Since CS investors are from NYC, Syracuse, etc., how is it they aren't "rich outsiders"? They're more part of the community and care more about it than people from Bloomingdale? What do you think Gabriels and Lake Clear will look like with the prison and school shut? WM closes one store and opens another 3 miles away because the people want and demand Super WMs with grocery stores, not because they have nothing better to do. What do you think Depot St. will look like with a strip mall and department store? Traffic increased? Lit at night? WM's going to cause runoff into rivers? PRISONS cause runoff into rivers. US EPA has issued hundreds of citations to the Federal prison system and UNICOR for environmental violations. Send a FOIA request to EPA and get the facts. NYS prisons operate similarly. Factory work keeps prisoners busy. Inmates produce wood and metal furniture, military equipment, metal road signs, etc. WM won't manufacture anything. Hundreds of prison official
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LinjiS
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05-15-09 12:28 PM
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I volunteer a lot and have been to those meetings. I've been totally discouraged by the results. My children had to leave here to get 4 year degrees and jobs. I see my grandchildren infrequently. One of my childen dropped a part for the baby's travel crib in the driveway when packing before coming to see me. Got here after driving 11 hrs., late at night, exhausted; asked where they could buy a crib. Answer: P'burg.
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shipsaint
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05-15-09 11:58 AM
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oooh and the people on the boards of these meetings are usually merchants protecting their dollars, look at lake placids village board for example
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shipsaint
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05-15-09 11:56 AM
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tpr ive done more volunteering in this village the you could count.dont ask me what i have done for my community,ive risked my life for my community,coached pee wee baseball for maney years,ive done alot for my community and its people and all i ve ever wanted to do is raise a family here, i understand about livng with in my means.thats why im leaving my community so i can give my family more for the buck,theres no jobs here,no local structure,you cant even get a nice trailor in cascade acres for under 700.00 a month, the damage is done in our community,the cs isnt going to do squat.buy a 5 bedroom house on an acre of land here in lake placid and saranac lake,tell me what you would spend and ill tell you what i paid in malone,im gonna live comfy in my means of living
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tpr128
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05-15-09 11:41 AM
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Yes, local citizens, affordbale workforce housing and low prices for everyday goods are essential - and if you noticed, are also part of the Community Development Plan. I vote and I'm sure you do too. The election was pretty clear last time. Please don't try to tell me that the election was somehow rigged against WM supporters. BTW, A majority of those who want a WM in Saranac Lake Village do not actually live in Saranac Lake Village. They live in B'dale, V'ville, and other outskirts. The citizens of Saranac Lake have made their voices heard. If they don't like the outcome, there is always the next election.
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tpr128
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05-15-09 11:37 AM
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Could someone please tell me where I said I wanted this area to be a rich tourist playground with "no one else" allowed to live here? I'm not even remotely wealthy, am not a slave to a mortgage payment because I live within my modest means, drive a 10 year old car so I don't have a car payment, and live in a VERY modest house on 1/3 acre. The Community Store and Community Development Plan are trying to answer the exact needs you are talking about! If you think slapping up a too-big box store will solve all your woes, you are very sadly mistaken. It WON'T. The economic situation is much more complicated than that, especially here in the North Country. Ship and others, what are YOU doing to be part of the solution? Have you contributed in any way to these efforts? Have I seen you at any of these very convenient public meetings?
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cooter
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05-15-09 11:09 AM
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TPR; IM NOT TRYING TO INSULT YOU BUT YOUR DREAM OF WHAT THIS AREA SHOULD BE WILL NEVER HAPPEN. THERE ISNT THAT MANY JOBS HERE WITH DECENT SALARIES. PEOPLE JUST MAKE DO WITH WHAT THEY HAVE AND ONLY EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO SHOP WITHOUT GOING BROKE. NOT EVERY COMMUNITY IS THE SAME AND IT WOULD AMAZE YOU HOW MANY OF US WHO LIVE IN THIS AREA SHOP IN PLATTSBURGH. IT WOULD BE NICE TO STAY HERE AND SHOP BUT ITS NOT POSSIBLE.
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shipsaint
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05-15-09 11:06 AM
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linjes the damage is done,you wont see affordable housing and the people with money will keep the prisons and any big box store from locating here,its all about the rich and tourists,timeshares and condos.
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shipsaint
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05-15-09 11:04 AM
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tpr,our kids arnt comming back now,theres nothing here for them.nothing.I understand where your comming from tpr,sounds like you want a resort area,full of tourists and no jobs for the locals,but that all fine and good.i have to pack my family up and go,just to be able to afford a house where my kids can have their own rooms,a yard to play in at a decent price,you cant find this in lake placid or surrounding places with out GOOD CHUNK OF CHANGE IN THE BANK,i want to be married to my wife and family,not a huge motgage payment.
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tpr128
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05-15-09 10:45 AM
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...over other places. Is it the quality of life? Family? Outdoor activities? I want convenience and low prices too, but I think there is a way to do it without resorting to a "rich outsider" corporation who, as I said, couldn't possibly care less about you or me or Saranac Lake. There is such a thing as balance. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. What do you suppose would happen if a WM was built on the Camp Gabriels site? What would Gabriels look like? What would happen to that stretch of highway? Extra lanes? Traffic lights? Noise? More runoff into the lakes and rivers? Not to mention the poor quality of the jobs, most of which would be part time. Do you honestly think our kids will come back here after graduating so they can have that wonderful career opportunity of being a cashier at WalMart?! I think they aspire to something more. How about bringing in more clean, high-tech industry that could actually provide professional employment? And a SMALL department store!
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LinjiS
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05-15-09 10:36 AM
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Locals and people who have moved here should have the right to affordable housing and shopping, and our community leaders should work to make it happen or be voted out! I don't care if they're Republicans or Democrats or Independents, the citizenry should come first. There's no reason why we can't have a healthy, beautiful area and decent shopping and housing too.
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tpr128
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05-15-09 10:35 AM
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WM WAS asked if they would be willing to build one of their more appropriately scaled "neighborhood stores" here, which they have built in a few other places. They said NO. Their way or the highway. 120,00 sq. ft. or NOTHING. WM is in the business of opening large stores. It is how they make money. They have one basic construction template - the one that makes it cheapest to build. When they have to modify that, it costs them more money. They would rather not build at all than conform to our community's scale. They regularly open and close stores every day, closing one only to open a new one within just a few miles. It is a fact that, once they have begun to build and before they are finished, they go to the local municipality and grieve their taxes. The municipality has no choice but to grant the reduction, lest they be left with a half-built box store on their hands. So, what is it that makes you "want" to live here? You must have a reason for choosing this over
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shipsaint
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05-15-09 10:26 AM
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tpr i was born and raised here,from what ive seen is the locals having to pack their familys up and move just to be able to afford a nice house or else putting yourself in dept til your 80 years old,i love this area,its in my blood.but the area has out grown most the natives.its the stomping grounds for the rich people now, not a home town, a resort town
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LinjiS
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05-15-09 10:08 AM
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I'm from here, left for work, and am back. I live here because I want to; same as everyone else. That doesn't mean I don't want variety, convenience and low prices. There are plenty of places here where a store could have been built. Walmart wanted to go into Placid, which has a lower population than SL. Walmart DIDN'T refuse to talk to our community leaders. Please cite facts; don't rehash old lies. If you check Walmart's website, you'll see examples of beautiful stores they built to compliment communities' characterists and desires. One would easily fit where Gabriels Camp is and wouldn't interfere with your ability to see stars at night.
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