Karen Courtland Kelly, member of the World Figure Sport board of directors, addresses the North Elba Town Council during a public hearing for the town’s new agreement with the state Olympic Regional Development Authority on Thursday at the North Elba Town Hall. (Enterprise photo — Grace McIntyre)

LAKE PLACID — The town of North Elba heard a second round of public comments on a new agreement between the town and the state Olympic Regional Development Authority on Thursday. At the same time, they announced changes in wording that were made in response to public comments at a previous public hearing on Feb. 19.

The agreement allows ORDA to continue operating the three venues owned by the town — the Olympic Center, the Olympic Jumping Complex and the Olympic speed skating oval (which is co-owned by the Lake Placid Central School District). It has a 20-year term, with the option to renew for another 20 years.

Although the amount that the town has paid ORDA has varied over the years, since 2016, the typical annual payment has been $500,000 per year. This amount makes up about 0.5% of ORDA’s annual revenue. In this year’s budget, the authority was projected to receive $13.94 million from the state.

Town Supervisor Derek Doty said the town has negotiated an “affordable rate of compensation” in the new agreement. They will continue paying $500,000 per year, with the payment increasing 2% every five years, starting in 2031. Doty said that, in the town’s view, this is a reasonable price for what ORDA brings to the town.

The town board plans to discuss the agreement at their regular meeting on Tuesday, and will vote on the agreement if all the council members feel ready, Doty said. Public comments can still be emailed to clerk@northelba.org.

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Second hearing feedback

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Four residents spoke at the second hearing. The first was Karen Courtland Kelly, representing the World Figure Sport board of directors. The draft agreement contains a section that lists six organizations that were included in the original agreement, with an assurance that ORDA will adhere to the original terms of access. Courtland Kelly expressed a concern that only listing six brands in the agreement would result in an “imbalance of brand representation,” with hockey having two organizations listed and figure skating only having one.

“This creates a monopoly in that sector which greatly limits freedom of trade, freedom of association and freedom of commerce,” she said.

Courtland Kelly suggested that World Figure Sport be included as a second figure skating organization in the agreement.

Two community members stood up to question why the town is continuing to pay ORDA. Bob DiMarco said he has talked with many locals who share this concern.

“Nobody really knows why we pay ORDA at all,” he said, adding that the $500,000 that the town pays ORDA is a small amount for the authority. “$500,000 is a big difference for North Elba. We could do a lot with that.”

DiMarco also asked for more perks for residents. This sentiment was echoed by Greg Dennin.

“Please don’t minimize this,” Dennin said. “This is significant. It goes to the heart of the community. Please give it a lot of thought.”

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Changes to agreement draft

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Town council member Rick Preston said the town met with their legal council, who then met with ORDA’s lawyers, to make one change in the agreement in response to the last public hearing. Multiple people requested that the agreement include more explicit references to the new Community Engagement Commission, which will be formed with both town and ORDA representatives who will both interact with the community and report to the town and ORDA.

The new language proposed for this section includes a proposal to: “jointly establish a panel to assist them in keeping the community informed about the Olympic Authority’s plans for events and activities, and for conveying community input for the Olympic Authority’s consideration regarding such plans. The town and Olympic Authority agree that the joint panel shall be comprised of individuals appointed by the town and the Olympic Authority and that such individuals shall possess some working knowledge of the Olympic facilities and of the sports and activities that take place there. The town and Olympic Authority agree to establish a schedule for meetings of the joint panel, its operations and methods for community interaction and reporting to the town board and Olympic Authority.”

The previous wording in the agreement draft promised to implement a “process” and “opportunity to provide input” but made no specific mension of a panel or commission. More information about the CEC can be viewed at tinyurl.com/5hcj43s9. The draft agreement can be viewed at tinyurl.com/bdzev9x2.