SARANAC LAKE — Dewey Mountain Recreation Center is gaining more acreage.

Dewey Mountain Friends has negotiated a deal to acquire, using funds it raised, a 13-acre parcel of land on the eastern border of the country ski, snowshoe and mountain bike center. The town of Harrietstown will take title to the property so it can be added to the recreation area, which the town owns.

It’s the second time in less than a year that Dewey’s acreage has gotten a boost. Last fall, the town acquired a roughly 33-acre parcel off of Mulflur Road from Franklin County and added it to Dewey, growing the center to just over 100 acres.

This additional 13 acres may not be the end of the recreation center’s expansion. Town officials are also eyeing the neighboring state armory property for addition to Dewey. The state closed the armory last year.

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‘Pretty significant’

Speaking at Thursday’s Harrietstown town board meeting, town attorney Jim Maher said Dewey Mountain Friends has been raising funds and negotiating to buy the 13 acres for the last few years. The group recently reached an agreement with current owner James Kiefer. It was previously owned by the Hall family of Old Forge.

“It’s bounded on three sides by the town’s land, with the most recent purchase we got from the county,” Maher said. “So this is going to be a very valuable and beneficial addition to the Dewey Mountain ski area.”

The town board unanimously approved a resolution allowing Supervisor Mike Kilroy to sign a contract of sale. Once it’s signed by Kiefer, the deal will be complete and the town can dedicate the property as parkland, Maher said.

The attorney didn’t reveal how much Dewey Mountain Friends is paying for it, but he said the amount would be public information once the agreement is signed.

“I think that’s a pretty significant gift from the Friends of Dewey, to raise that much money,” said Councilman Howard Riley.

Since the Dewey Mountain Friends is an unincorporated association, it uses the Saranac Lake Rotary Foundation as the depository of the funds its raised, Maher explained.

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Includes existing trails

Chris Morris, co-chair of Dewey Mountain Friends, said the group and town officials have talked about acquiring land adjacent to the ski center since the new Dewey base lodge was built in 2014. The 13 acres includes existing trails that have been part of the ski center’s network through an agreement with the property’s prior owner, before Kiefer.

“This helps us add terrain that is currently part of our system anyway and includes some easier grades in terms of ups and downs,” Morris said. “It makes it a more accessible trail system for beginner and intermediate skiers.

“We want to thank the 11 generous individuals and foundations who made this happen for us,” he said. “The town board, over the last 7 or 8 years, has been very ambitious in what they want to do with Dewey. I think they should be commended for that vision.”

The next step, Morris said, is to raise funds to develop new trails on the 33 acres the town acquired from Franklin County. Volunteers have marked the boundaries of the property and done some preliminary work on where cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and mountain biking trails could be built, he said.

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Smaller lots to be sold

The 33-acre parcel was supposed to be the “common area” of Bruce Shapiro’s Dewey Mountain Village subdivision, but the county took title to it and seven other properties associated with the development for unpaid taxes. They were scheduled to be auctioned last year before the town acquired them from the county.

While town officials are keeping the biggest parcel for Dewey, they’re selling off the seven smaller lots. Kilroy said there’s been a lot of interest in the parcels from neighboring residents on Mulflur Road, and other people. Councilman Ron Keough, Code Enforcement Officer Ed Randig and town Assessor Martin Tichenor have been asked to meet with prospective buyers and report back to the board.

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Parking lot expansion

Meanwhile, the town wants to expand Dewey’s parking area because it’s been so busy. People often have to park on the highway because the parking lot is full, Keough said.

“The use is just going up and up,” he said.

Keough said the existing parking area could be expanded to town property on the armory side of a gulley. The project would require installation of a culvert, he said.

“It would get the people off of the road,” said Councilman Ed Goetz.