From left, Saranac Lake Youth Center board members Diane Roberts and Peggy Wiltberger; students Arabella, Nevaeh and Cassandra; youth center director Alex Amell; Kingsbury project engineer Sydney Mendoza and youth center employee Teresa Troy pose for a photo Friday. (Enterprise photo — Grace McIntyre)

SARANAC LAKE — The Saranac Lake Youth Center received an $8,000 donation Friday from Kingsbury Companies, LLC — a Middlesex, Vermont-based construction company that handles projects throughout the Northeast. The donation came from a portion of the company’s profits from the Upper Locks project, according to a press release from the firm.

“In line with Kingsbury’s tradition of giving back to the communities where it operates, a portion of its project profits are donated to a local organization. This donation will support the center’s mission to provide a healthy, substance-free and supervised environment where young people can explore their passions, learn new skills, and connect with others,” the company said in a press release.

The youth center was grateful for the donation, which they added came as a pleasant surprise.

“This generous and unexpected gift will make a tremendous difference in expanding our programs and activities for the children of Saranac Lake this year,” said Alexandra Amell, who serves as the center’s director.

“Kingsbury’s support will allow us to introduce new experiences like music lessons, improv classes and a winter Craft Program with St. Regis Canoe Outfitters,” she said in the company’s press release.

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Saranac River locks projects

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Kingsbury Companies made the donation following its completion of the Saranac Lake Upper Locks project. The work cost $1.6 million and was funded by the state Office of General Services, according to a state Department of Environmental Conservation press release in September 2023. The DEC monitored much of the project, given its environmental sensitivity. The job focus included a variety of maintenance and repairs to the locks — originally built in the 1890s and without significant renovation since the 1970s.

The Upper Locks are located on the Saranac River between Middle and Lower Saranac lakes. They — along with the Lower Locks — allow boats to traverse nearly 5,000 acres of water between Lake Flower, to the east, and Upper Saranac Lake, to the west.

The Lower Locks are located along the Saranac River between Second Pond, upriver, and Osteeth Lake, below the locks. They were not impacted as part of this construction project, although their portage trail — or path for carrying boats around certain sections of water that present navigational hazards or difficulties — received unrelated enhancements over the summer.

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail, a nonprofit organization that stewards the 740-mile paddling route from Old Forge to Fort Kent, Maine, led an effort, along with the DEC, to improve the canoe carry around the locks. The carry was heavily eroded and constantly muddy, NFCT Communications Director Chris Morris said in July.

The Lower Locks Project was funded by NFCT race revenue from their annual Adirondack Canoe Classic, Round the Mountain and Long Lake Long Boat Regatta paddle races — the first two having routes that pass through the Lower Locks — as well as a grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program.

“The newly reconstructed trail is now level, with a gravel path that will channel water away from the footpath; gravel is a sturdy, more sustainable solution in instances like this. We think paddlers — and especially racers — will be happy with the results,” said Alex Delhagen, the NFCT’s assistant trail director, in a July press release.

The NFCT added that the “short but heavily used” portage improvements were largely made by volunteers, and thanked them for making it possible.

“We couldn’t have done it without them,” NFCT trustee Brandon DeVito said in July.

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Upper Locks Project impacts

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The Saranac Lake Upper Locks project, which began in September 2023, took 10 months to complete. Kingsbury noted that the project was completed within the original time frame and budget.

During the project, the Upper Locks were closed to boat traffic. Boaters were still able to carry around the Upper Locks, however, this was only logistically feasible for canoes and other small non-motorized boats where operators had the requisite physical strength.

Despite this inconvenience, the DEC said this maintenance and repairs were “crucial” to continued safe and reliable passage for boats between the lakes.

“The Saranac Lakes Locks are a unique and essential structure for recreating on more than 5,000 acres of water, including several large lakes,” the DEC said in a September 2023 press release announcing the project.

The company said the project included refurbishing the four miter gates, making comprehensive repairs to the concrete chamber walls and updating the locks’ push arms.

Kingsbury added that as a result of their work, the locks had “significantly (enhanced) functionality and durability.”

The Upper Locks are along a relatively remote section of the Saranac River, and are only accessible by boat — an approximate four-mile trip upriver from the Second Pond boat launch the company used to send personnel and materials from. The river is often narrow and shallow in that stretch, requiring smaller motorboats to navigate carefully.

The boat launch, located off of state Route 3 about five miles southwest of the village of Saranac Lake, was also partially closed during the time, as the company used it as a staging ground for the project. Kingsbury thanked the community for their patience and support when they donated to the Youth Center.

“Partnering with local crews on this project and spending time in (the community of) Saranac Lake gave us a real sense of the town’s strong community spirit,” said Sydney Mendoza, the Upper Locks’ 2024 project manager for Kingsbury. “We’re thrilled to give back by supporting the Youth Center’s mission of fostering growth and connection and contributing to a cause that directly impacts Saranac’s young residents.”