TUPPER LAKE - Village Mayor Mickey Desmarais won't apologize for an ultimatum he issued to Adirondack Club and Resort developers, but he is looking to sit down at the bargaining table with them and discuss it.
In early July, Desmarais and the village board sent a letter through lawyer Sal Ferlazzo to lawyers representing the developers, asking that developers produce a plan to make the renovation of the Big Tupper Ski Area happen quicker than is currently planned and sign agreements saying such.
The demands produced blowback from vocal supporters of the project who suggest that such harsh rhetoric may scare developers away.
But Desmarais is standing his ground. He started out Monday night's village board meeting by playing the popular Ben E. King song "Stand by Me" on his guitar and singing along.
When Tupper Lake Free Press Publisher Dan McClelland asked Desmarais if he thought an apology might help discussions along, Desmarais said he wasn't planning on apologizing after everything that's been said. But he will shake the hands of the developers and sit down and discuss issues with them if they're willing to meet with him.
Desmarais said this is the 11th hour, and if the local municipalities want to make sure they're getting what they need from the resort, now is the time to do it.
"We won't get another chance to do this," Desmarais said.
He said all they need is to get a few written agreements.
"This can be settled pretty easily," Desmarais said.
He explained that the village's concern grew after the planning board submitted paperwork in the adjudicatory hearing that would mean developers would have to put 7.1 percent of anything they made off of real estate sales into an escrow account to go to renovations to the ski area, but then withdrew that paperwork several days later.
He said the village board wasn't sure what that meant, but he was relieved to hear that developer Tom Lawson is still saying the escrow account is going to happen.
The village was also concerned that there is no set agreement in place for an impact fee that would go to the village. Desmarais said the village has discussed the idea with developers, but there's been no final agreement.
"Someone's got to sign on the dotted line, and the time is running out," Desmarais said.
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Supporters
Several people spoke at the meeting, saying they support what Desmarais and the rest of the board are doing.
Peter Day, who owned the Big Tupper Ski Area for several years, said that while there is a lot of bad blood in the community right now, everyone should at least be able to agree on the fact that an open, renovated ski slope is needed.
"The ski area is a huge asset to the community," Day said. "Everybody knows that."
That's nothing more than what the community has been promised, Day said.
"That's the carrot at the end of the stick," he said.
He said the number-one priority should be making sure the ski area is rebuilt and in operation. It can and would feed off of real estate sales, but those sales will also rely on having a decent ski area to market, Day said.
Since the snowmaking equipment is all gone, Day said developers need to put some money into fixing the trails, installing a new lift and replacing the ski lodge. Much of that is in the plans but projected to happen over the first three to five years of construction.
"The Adirondack Club and Resort needs to step up to the plate," Day said. "They need to spend money on the ski area."
Monique Seafuse also spoke, saying she's glad an elected official is asking relevant questions and making sure there will be no surprises if the development gets off the ground.
Desmarais said Day offered to attend meetings with the developers and work as a sort of mediator in the talks. Day said he has a lot of ideas for generating revenue to help along the renovation of the ski area.
Several people in attendance, including Day and Cliff Levers, who is running for a village trustee seat up for election in the fall, discussed ideas about events and marketing that could make the ski slope a year-round destination. They mentioned everything from creating mountain-biking trails to getting a full-time event coordinator there, which Levers said developers plan on doing.
Day said local people should work together to make sure the village and town get what they need, not fight among each other.
"The animosity needs to disappear," Day said. "We've all got the same goal."
Rachel Desmarais agreed, saying everyone here grew up together and should stick together.
"I think everybody should be fighting for the same thing," she said.
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Misinformation?
Mickey Desmarais also took issue with some of the opinion pieces regarding his statements that have appeared in recent weeks in local newspapers.
In particular, he said Mark Moeller was mistaken in a guest commentary he wrote to both the Enterprise and the Tupper Lake Free Press. Moeller wrote that he was told by lead developer Michael Foxman that Desmarais hasn't answered any of Foxman's calls since his re-election in 2009.
But Desmarais produced his cell phone records, which showed him spending more than an hour on the phone with Foxman on two separate days in the same week in May.
Desmarais said he needs Moeller to explain why he would say something like that.
"This is damaging," Desmarais said.
