LaBarge said it was a strong year with robust offerings for the community. She credited much of that to strong partnerships with the Wild Center, Goff-Nelson Memorial Library, Tupper Lake Central School District, and other partner groups.

“I definitely think that having regular support from the Wild Center and their AmeriCorps program has been absolutely essential in letting us provide more and increasing our program numbers,” she said.

LaBarge said it’s not easy working with a small staff on a tight budget. She and Christielee Geiger are the only full-time year-round employees, along with two part-time year-round staff. There is a summertime staff surge, but LaBarge said bases are still stretched thin when the department is at its busiest.

“The reality is, in a community like Tupper Lake, we’ve got limited resources, but we’ve got some big needs,” she said. “In the recreation department, we all have to wear many hats. We’ve become part community development organization, part chamber of commerce since the (Tupper Lake) Chamber of Commerce folded. And now we are part promoter of all the recreational opportunities that have made this department what it is.”

Tupper Lake Town Recreation Department Director Laura LaBarge presents at the town board meeting Tuesday evening. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

LaBarge told the board the recreation department is quite different from a traditional office job, with sometimes around-the-clock work — between communication, coaching, programming and occasional crisis management — stretching into the evenings and weekend, when kids are around and most parents are out of work.

“We’re constantly in contact with the community,” she said. “Some of that proof can be found in the program success: every safe and engaging day at day camp, every game, every practice and every event that we host. The proof is in the operating permits, in the safety plans we maintain for the public beach, campground and the day camp program and in the consistently-passed health care inspections. … Our safety plans and our safety standards are right up to par.”

LaBarge said that whether it’s BrewSki, Tinman, Field Day, OkTupperfest, drive-in movies, the holiday stroll and more, there’s a lot of work that goes into the logistics of managing these events and doing so in a financially accountable and sustainable way.

Normally, budget cuts spell trouble for a department. LaBarge said that wasn’t the case this year. Although there is approximately 7.2% less money in the 2026 tentative town budget’s general fund going toward the recreation department compared to its fiscal year 2025 allotment, LaBarge said less funds were needed — partially from different accounting that lets the department retain its unspent budget money for next year rather than returning it to the general fund, and more financially-sustainable practices from the events.

“We’ve been able to contribute toward our pot this year,” she said. “This isn’t the result of cutting programs, taking on less work or not working so hard. This is a direct result of smarter accounting and program management of allowing the rec-generated dollars to stay within the department rather than being absorbed into the general fund at the end of the year.

Audience members clap after Tupper Lake Town Recreation Director Laura LaBarge presented an annual update to the town board Tuesday evening at the Tupper Lake Town Hall. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

“This new structure ensures that grant and sponsorship funds stay within the specific programs that they’re meant for,” she said. “It also gives us the ability to target which areas need more work, identify any potential shortfalls or anything that might need a bit of extra love. And it overall reduces the reliance on general fund contributions — taxpayer dollars — to run this department.”

LaBarge said the department relies heavily on the registration fees it collects for each program, donations, grants, sponsorships and fundraisers, all in an effort to minimize the taxpayer burden for the recreation department’s offerings.

“We want it to be self-sustaining,” she said. “We want it to serve itself. We don’t want this department to be an additional weight or something else that people have to pay for. So we really are working toward that.”

While there are costs, LaBarge noted the economic benefits that come with a robust recreation department. Benefits, she said, that stretch well beyond the department. For example, she said the big events bring visitors to Tupper Lake who stay in the motels there and eat at local restaurants. Perhaps even more fulfilling than bringing people to Tupper Lake, LaBarge said the recreation department — with offerings beginning for children as young as six months old — helps keep families in town long-term.

“Recently, I’ve had people say, ‘We came back to Tupper Lake after college, after I got married, because of the recreation program options that are available in this community.'”

Several audience members affirmed that sentiment during the questions and comment period that followed LaBarge’s presentation to the board. Goff-Nelson Memorial Library Director Courtney Carey said it’s a symbiotic relationship — just as the rec department is helped by the library, the library is helped by it.

“The library partnering with the rec department has been one of the greatest things that we’ve done,” she said. “A lot of our programming wouldn’t happen without their help or them getting it started.”

Adam Boudreau, the president of Kentile Excevating and a current town board candidate, told LaBarge and Geiger they were doing the work of 12 of 15 people.

“I don’t think you hear it enough, but thank you,” he said. “I’m proud that my tax dollars support the recreation department.”

Town Supervisor Rickey Dattola briefly spoke after LaBarge’s presentation, saying he and its council members were proud of the department and its work.

“I think I can speak for the whole board,” he said. “This board has worked real hard to get it going, so we’re proud and we’re very proud of our employees.”