New board to advise village on healthy infrastructure

By CHRIS KNIGHT, Enterprise Senior Staff Writer

SARANAC LAKE - It's not exactly a recreation commission, but it's as close as the village has come to creating a recreation commission in recent years.

The Healthy Infrastructure Advisory Board met for the first time last week. The eight-member, all-volunteer panel has been appointed by the village Board of Trustees, at the request of Trustee Susan Waters, to advise the village on issues related to recreation, village parks, transportation and accessibility.

"The goal is that they would be extra hands and eyes, to evaluate issues and make recommendations to the board," Waters said.

Officials in the village and the town of Harrietstown have tossed around the idea of creating a recreation commission for years, but it's never moved forward. Supporters have said a commission could provide a central administration, fiscal oversight, more training and set safety standards for the many recreational facilities and programs in the community.

When she first took office more than three years ago, Waters said she noticed the village was spending a lot of money on recreation without any kind of a master plan.

"I saw a need for a more coordinated effort for recreation and I hoped the village could run its recreational endeavors more efficiently," she said.

Originally, the plan was to establish a recreation commission, Waters said, but after the village and town started working on a new comprehensive master plan, other priorities were identified that tied into recreation.

"We also need to look at the the way our built environment - our streets, sidewalks, playgrounds and parks - interface, which is really critical to health and well-being in our community," Waters said. "We need to broaden our perspective and focus not simply on recreation but on a holistic, wellness approach."

The Healthy Infrastructure Advisory Board, based on a similar committee that was formed in the city of Buffalo, will be meeting once a month. One of the first items on the group's agenda is to make a recommendation on the issue of smoking in village parks, beaches and recreation areas, which was brought up last month by Trustee Jeff Branch.

The committee will also help develop a bicycle and pedestrian master plan for Saranac Lake, Waters said. The village received a $40,000 state grant for that project in 2008.

Developing athletic fields at the now-closed village landfill, improving Mount Pisgah Ski Center and building a community recreation center are other projects the group could take on.

"Those are big projects that are difficult to do without the synergy of citizens and government working together," Waters said.

Advisory board member Tim Holmes, who was involved in the design of a yet-to-be-built bike path between Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, joined the group because he's interested in bicycling and transportation-related issues.

"It makes sense to have a forum where you can discuss things, get different ideas and thoughts, and then go to the village board with something more developed," he said. "Anything we can do to make the community more attractive, livable and enjoyable."

Another advisory board member, Margot Gold of the North Country Healthy Heart Network, said the effort fits nicely with her organization's goals.

"We're excited to be a part of this because a lot of the work we're trying to do in our programs is make long-term changes through policy that support healthy living," she said.

After attending the group's first meeting last week, Gold said she was encouraged by the diversity of interests on the committee.

Other advisory board members include Marilyn Clement of the Saranac Lake Adult Center; Steve DeHond, who's on the transportation committee of the Adirondack Climate and Energy Action Plan (ADKCAP); Lauren Lefebvre of the Tri-Lakes Center for Independent Living; Robin Smith, a Saranac Lake resident interested in bicycling, running and other recreation; former village manager John Sweeney; and Josh Wilson of Adirondack Adaptive Adventures.

Village staff will assist the group as needed.

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Contact Chris Knight at 891-2600 ext. 24 or cknight@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.