The idea of having a publicly accessible, recreational fire tower in the park on the corner of Broadway and Bloomingdale Avenue has been part of the vision for the space since it got a couple hundred thousand dollars as part of the village’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant from the state in 2018.

The village has landed a new grant to cover almost one-fifth of the estimated project cost. But the acceptance of that grant was delayed Monday. Trustees said they didn’t want to lock down the financial commitment it would put on the village before hashing out the plan more fully.

Some members of the public and the board said they were taken off guard when this grant proposal to fund the tower came before the village, because they did not realize the village was planning to go forward with it.

Mayor Jimmy Williams feels there’s been lots of talk about the tower. After there was public distaste for the final product of Ward Plumadore Park, the advisory boards revisited the idea of putting a fire tower in the park. The advisory boards each voted to support the project, as did the Community Enhancement Fund Committee. Last fall, the village applied to the APA in what was called a “preliminary fact-finding measure,” to see if the project was feasible within the agency’s regulations.

The eastern view from the proposed fire tower in Ward Plumadore Park in Saranac Lake, showing Bloomingdale Avenue and the mountains on the horizon. (Provided photo — Kirk Sullivan)

Because the ideal height for the tower would put the roof peak above 40 feet, the village needed a permit from the Adirondack Park Agency. Any structure more than 40 feet tall is subject to APA approval, even in hamlets, the least restrictive land classification in the park. The permit was issued on Jan. 23, with APA staff finding that the tower would be consistent with land use plans and overall intensity guidelines in hamlets and would not have an undue adverse impact on natural, scenic, aesthetic, ecological, wildlife, historic, recreational or open space resources.

Trustees said they want to hear from Arts and Culture advisory board Chair Kirk Sullivan and David Vana of Bloomingdale, a fire tower restoration expert who the village would buy the historic fire tower from.

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The grant

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The southern view from the proposed fire tower in Ward Plumadore Park in Saranac Lake, showing the backside of Broadway and the mountains on the horizon. (Provided photo — Kirk Sullivan)

The Franklin County Experiential Tourism grant comes from the county Office of Economic Development and Tourism, which is funded by occupancy tax — the 5% tax levied on every hotel or vacation rental booking in the county. The $10,000 grant has a required $10,000 match from the village. This village money has already been allocated through the Community Enhancement Fund, which distributes $10,000 to a project each year.

The Community Enhancement Fund Committee is made of two members from each of the village’s three advisory boards. This committee supports the fire tower project.

They say the tower would be viually striking, provided a bird’s-eye view of the village which could be enjoyed in all seasons, and be a tourist draw.

Community Development Director Katrina Glynn said the grant and village match would cover the cost of buying the fire tower kit. The total cost of the project is currently estimated at $54,500, plus additional expenses for artistic and educational signage in the fire tower cabin.

Glynn believes she can get grants to cover the rest of the costs. With Franklin County’s buy-in, she believes it will be easier to get support from Essex County.

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Safety

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Village resident Mark Wilson said the tower could be a liability, describing it as a three-story “jungle gym” positioned between two bars.

“A fire tower is an invitation to climb,” he said.

Village Downtown Advisory Board Chair Jerry Michael, who is also a member of the Community Enhancement Fund Committee, said the tower would come with several mechanisms to prevent climbing or falls. Glynn said these include additional safety rails and screens on the stairs and on the top cabin, including rails to meet village code and custom ones at child-height; non-skid stairs with kicker plates and metal treads on the floors.

Trustee Kelly Brunette said she doesn’t want something to happen and see the tower gated off so people can’t climb it.

If there’s an incident and it gets roped off, Wilson said it would be a “monument to futility.”

He also felt the project would likely be maintenance-heavy — with lots of cleaning needed to clear out birds poop and “spider condominiums.”

Glynn said research into the pad on the top level of the park shows it should be able to hold the weight of a fire tower, but there is a bit more research needed.

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Waiting

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Wilson felt the board hasn’t discussed the pros and cons of this project yet. The last the public had heard of the project, it was being investigated but was not a definite go-ahead project. He felt this grant acceptance came suddenly and was “not open government.” He felt the village should ask the public what it wants first, and then get the money.

Williams feels its good for the village to go for as many grants as it can.

Wilson questioned why the village was using resources to get a grant if they are not sure they want it.

Glynn said Franklin County grants are very accessible and easy to fill out. This one took her around 30 minutes, she said.

“They’re not hard to do, so it was very easy money to find,” she said.

Some trustees shared Wilson’s concerns.

“I have a large problem with how this has come about,” Trustee Aurora White said, “and the fact that obviously a lot of effort has been put into how we’re going to fund this when as a board we haven’t even had a discussion if this is the direction that the village wants to take.”

This spawned a bit of a chicken-and-egg debate over who should be originating village improvement plans.

She said the village board should set the direction and then employees execute the plan — not the other way around. She felt this grant commits them to a financial path that they haven’t discussed.

Williams said advisory boards traditionally come up with a suggestion and the village board follows through with it.

White said she’s not against a fire tower — the rendering looks better than the initial one and the cost is half of what was initially estimated — but she felt they should slow down.

Brunette thinks the fire tower is a “brilliant idea,” but does not want to “barrel roll” forward with the project without thinking it over.

“Just making sure that we explore all of (the options) before we place a structure in a park where we’ve already learned a major lesson,” Brunette said.

It’s a “statement piece” and should be done right, she said.

Michael said this vote would not be a final decision to go forward with the fire tower. The village could buy the tower and then figure out where to put it.

Brunette said there has previously been discussion about putting a fire tower in other locations. She felt they could put it in a different park at a lower elevation and get better views.

Michael said the advisory boards have wanted to enhance Ward Plumadore Park for a while. A metal mountain mural planned last year will be installed at the park soon, he said.

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The tower

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The meeting agenda includes an invoice for the purchase of an Aermotor MC-39 fire tower. This tower has a floor height of 33 feet. The peak of the cabin is 43 feet. Glynn said this tower was in use somewhere in New York, but not the Adirondacks specifically.

There were three tower sizes possible and the committee chose the middle one. The tower would have views to the east and south.

The signage at the top would give historic context and list the peaks which could be seen from the top. Four of the Saranac Lake 6ers could be seen from that height — Baker, Haystack, McKenzie and Scarface — as well as two of the 46 High Peaks — Big Slide and Street.

Since four of the 6ers could be seen from the tower cabin, village officials said there’s been talk of potentially moving the 6er bell from the Berkeley Green pavilion to the fire tower. The bell is rung by hikers who have completed all six mountains. One of the mountains, St. Regis, has a fire tower of its own on the summit.

An Enterprise straw poll on the tower in January showed 52.23% of the nearly-2,000 respondents supported the tower; 44.82% said they did not and 2.95% were undecided. This poll was not scientific, and its results represent only the opinions of internet users who chose to participate.

If the grant is accepted, village officials said the tower would likely be installed next year.

The village board will discuss the fire tower grant again at its meeting on June 23 at 5 p.m. in the second floor village board room of the Harrietstown Town Hall.