LAKE PLACID — People who live and work on Main Street can now apply for a free pass to drive and park within Main Street closures during the 2023 FISU Winter World University Games this coming January.

The village of Lake Placid mailed information to residents last week from the Games’ local organizing committee — Lake Placid 2023 — about the closure and applying for parking passes, which was included in residents’ electric bills.

The village’s mailer, obtained by the Enterprise on Tuesday, included an information sheet about the passes, or the Lake Placid Parking Permits — LPPPs — along with an application and a letter about the upcoming Main Street festival signed by the “Adirondack Sports Council Team.” More information about the parking passes is available on the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism website at tinyurl.com/yz9uy68f.

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Main Street festival

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The letter outlines the shutdown for the Main Street festival, which will run for the duration of the Games from Jan. 12 to Jan 22. The festival is expected to include medal ceremonies and music in Mid’s Park, stilt walkers and ice sculptures, warming huts and other cultural and recreational displays and activities.

Main Street will close to traffic for the Games and the festival at 10 a.m. on Jan. 12 for the first time since 1980, according to the letter. Main Street will reopen to regular traffic at 9 a.m. on Jan. 23.

The letter specifically mentions the men’s gold medal ice hockey game, which will be immediately followed by the Games’ closing ceremonies, on Jan. 22. The “dual event” is expected to end by 8:30 p.m. and be followed by a concert by Mix Master Mike on Main Street from 9-11 p.m. The letter states that the music event hasn’t been approved, however — the organizing committee still has to get approval from the village for an extension to its 9 p.m. noise ordinance.

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LPPP eligibility

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Only people who live, work or own a business at an address within the closures can apply for an LPPP, according to the village’s mailer, which states that “all others applying will be rejected.” The passes are free of charge.

There are two types of Main Street closures during the Games — “hard closures,” where people with a pass can only access the road by vehicle between 2 and 10 a.m. daily, and “soft closures,” where people with a pass can drive anytime. The hard closures include the stretch of Main Street from Saranac Avenue to the southernmost driveway of the Grand Adirondack Hotel, as well as the portion of Main Street between Parkside Drive and Cummings Road. The soft closures include the portion of Main Street from the Grand Adirondack Hotel to Parkside Drive, as well as on Main Street between Cummings Road and Mirror Lake Drive.

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Applying

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People can apply for a parking pass online at tinyurl.com/yxk846er. People can also pick up a paper application at the ROOST offices in the Lake Placid Conference Center, or in the village offices on the second floor of the North Elba Town Hall.

Applications must be filled out online or returned in the mail by Friday, Dec. 16. Paper applications can be mailed to FISU 2023 Village of Lake Placid Parking Permit, 281 Bear Cub Lane, Lake Placid, NY, 12946.

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Pass privileges

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An LPPP allows the pass-holder to park in the upper NBT lot with 24/7 access from Marcy Road, according to the mailer. The parking lot will have between 100 to 120 parking spots available for pass holders, according to Lake Placid Police Chief Chuck Dobson. People without an LPP won’t be able to park in the upper NBT lot during the Games.

The pass also allows people to access northern Main Street for deliveries between 2 and 10 a.m. every day, which is also when the village Department of Public Works will plow snow if necessary. All vehicles must be removed from the closure areas by 11 a.m., according to the mailer, or they’ll be towed away at the owner’s expense.

While Lake Placid 2023 officials and local law enforcement said in November that parking for permit holders would also be available in the Golden Arrow parking lot — adding around 100 parking spaces to the total spaces available — the mailer doesn’t mention the Golden Arrow as having available parking during the Games. However, the mailer states that “additional parking will be announced as it becomes available.”

The letter states that permits are non-transferable and, if they’re abused, revocable.