This is the building at 1-3 Main St. in Saranac Lake, owned by the village of Saranac Lake, where the Adirondack Park Agency may move. It is seen here on April 11. (Enterprise photo — Andy Flynn)

SARANAC LAKE — The Saranac Lake village board on Monday joined the Harrietstown and North Elba town councils in supporting the Adirondack Park Agency’s proposed move from Ray Brook to downtown Saranac Lake.

The resolution, written by Trustee Kelly Brunette and unanimously approved, expressed the board’s “enthusiastic support” for the project, predicting it will improve the economy of the downtown area, create jobs, increase parking spaces which can be used by the public on weekends and holidays, and revitalize the 96-year-old building that “is currently underutilized and operates at a taxpayer-funded deficit.”

“The presence of up to 55 employees and numerous daily visitors at the new headquarters will add to the vibrancy and economic viability of our downtown, stimulating local businesses and creating demand for dining, shopping, and other services,” the resolution reads.

The village board adopted the resolution without public comments from any board member.

This resolution of support comes as controversy over the move continues to circulate. The APA has gotten both positive and negative feedback on its proposed plan.

The APA plans to move its headquarters from Ray Brook to 1-3 Main St., the former Paul Smiths Power and Light Company building. Because of a dam attached to the foundation of the building, which the village would continue to maintain, the agency would not own this building — it would lease it from the village. The APA would maintain the rest of the property. It is feasible to legally and metaphorically carve out the dam wall on paper and sell the property, Trustee Rich Shapiro said, but he feels the village would be spending less money on it if the APA is leasing and maintaining the property.

The agency also plans to construct a new 28,000 square foot building in the parking lot behind the Power and Light building. This building would initially be state property.

Saranac Lake village Mayor Jimmy Williams said there is a depreciation schedule that’s been proposed — after a certain number of years of depreciation, the new building would become village property — but the village hasn’t seen it or agreed to anything yet.

The state Legislature has already earmarked $29 million to pay for a new APA headquarters.

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Concerns raised

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Last week, the Harrietstown and North Elba town councils both approved similar resolutions supporting the APA’s move. But Harrietstown’s decision came with a fair amount of trepidation from one board member.

Councilwoman Tracy Schrader supported the move into the existing building at 1-3 Main St., but not the APA’s plans to also construct a new three-story building on the Lake Street and Petrova Avenue hillside. She expressed concerns that to build the new building, some parking would need to be taken away.

The letter of support the Harrietstown council ultimately signed was amended to take out mention of support for the construction of a new building.

Harrietstown town Supervisor Jordanna Mallach also said she has struggled with how the village has handled the planned move.

“I think we haven’t gotten the communication that I wish we would have had in terms of what’s happening, or the impact of it, or allowing for public input,” Mallach said.

It’s unclear where the current occupants of 1-3 Main St. — the village police department and a Franklin County Department of Social Services office — will go if the APA takes over the building.

“There isn’t a plan,” Mallach said.

The village is exploring the possibility of constructing a new emergency services building on Petrova Avenue that would house its police department, fire department and EMS squad, but the building has not been sold to the village yet.

“We don’t even own the property yet,” Williams said.

At Monday’s village board meeting, resident Mark Wilson said during public comment that this poses a complicated situation for the state that he feels could constitute a conflict of interests.

“In order for the APA to move there you have to move the police department,” Wilson said. “The only solution I’ve heard from the village board is this joint facility out at 33 Petrova.”

He said that facility will likely require APA approval for a wetlands variance since there are wetlands on the property. Wilson has been a vocal opponent of this facility plan. He said he believes shifting the police department to make room for the APA could constitute a “quid pro quo” for the state.

There’s a possibility they’d be able to work on the property without a wetlands permit, Wilson said, but he pointed out the most current plans for the site show an access road for fire trucks traveling through the wetlands area. He doesn’t see a way around this, as the only other roads lead through residential neighborhoods.

Wilson said there’s a lot of questions the public has that need answers. He called for a public forum for community discussion and response to the plan. He said, from what he’s seen, villagers show “ambivalence” to the move.

If someone offered the village a dollar for the building, Shapiro said in March that he’d want to take the deal. The building costs a lot for them to maintain, he said.

Williams said with the new plan, the board probably doesn’t want to sell the property anymore.

“Village property is finite,” he said. “The more we get rid of, the less we’ll have in the future.”

The 2.3 acre property is assessed at $577,100 and had full market value of $687,024 as of 2022, according to the Franklin County tax map.

The Adirondack Park Agency meets today and Friday. An agenda is available at https://tinyurl.com/yr8vr56f and at apa.ny.gov.