Schumer touted the federal funding he secured for each venue — $1 million for the arts center and $466,000 for the museum. Both projects were funded through the 2026 Agricultural-Rural Development budget bill. Schumer is the highest-ranking Senate Democrat, currently serving as the upper chamber’s minority leader.

In Lake Placid, Schumer was joined by newly elected state Assemblymember Michael Cashman, town Council Member Emily Kilburn Politi, village Trustee Jackie Kelly, staff and members of the Arts Center Lake Placid and the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism leadership.

Schumer lauded the arts center as a valuable resource to the Tri-Lakes region and beyond.

“I’ve always believed in the arts,” he said. “It’s a multidimensional good deed. … The arts add an extra dimension to our lives. The arts are also, people forget, an economic engine. About 7% of New York’s economy is art-related.”

Wild Center curator Leah Valerio explains the albino porcupine “Bianca” to Senator Chuck Schumer at the museum in Tupper Lake on Tuesday. (Provided photo — The Wild Center)

Schumer also railed against what he described as various “attacks on the arts” recently, namely through funding cuts. He said he was especially proud of the “Save Our Stages” Act, a bill that was passed and provided grant funding in 2020 to keep arts and cultural centers whole during the coronavirus pandemic, when they had little in the way of incoming revenue. The Arts Center Lake Placid, then called the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, was among the recipients of that funding.

Cashman spoke at the visit and thanked Schumer for making it a point to visit all 62 counties throughout the state, and not forgetting about New York’s rural areas, including the North Country.

Schumer added that he loves coming to the area, not just for official business, but to vacation. He praised the work of the Lake Placid-based ROOST to market the Adirondacks far and wide as a tourism destination, while simultaneously helping local businesses to capitalize on the revenue from it. Schumer said he and his wife spent their 25th anniversary in Lake Placid.

“We love this area,” he said. “It’s beautiful and we want to help it.”

After the remarks, the audience was treated to an abbreviated version of the Nutcracker by three arts center student dancers — Lily Glazier, Aurora Brunner and Eloise Bubar — who then presented Schumer with a T-shirt for the play with its full cast.

Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism leaders smile at the Arts Center Lake Placid during a visit by U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer on Tuesday. From left are Lake Placid & Whiteface Region Manager Eileen Mowrey, Director of Economic Development Adam DeSantis, President/CEO Dan Kelleher, Schumer and Chief Operating Officer Mary Jane Lawrence. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

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Tupper Lake

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After the Lake Placid event, Schumer and his team headed west to Tupper Lake, where he stopped by The Wild Center, toured the museum and met with its staff members and local elected officials, including village Mayor Mary Fontana and Town Councilman and Deputy Supervisor Timmy Larkin.

The Wild Center funding is dedicated to a new outdoor exhibit, the “Wild Encounters Trail,” which includes building or upgrading 16 outdoor habitats.

Tupper Lake officials and Wild Center Staff smile during a visit to the museum by U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer on Tuesday. From left are village Mayor Mary Fontana, Town Councilman and Deputy Supervisor Timmy Larkin, Executive Director Stephanie Ratcliffe, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, Deputy Director Hilarie Logan-Duchene, Trustee Betsy Lowe, Director of Climate Initiatives Jen Kretser, Development Coordinator Sara Paula, Campaign Coordinator Isabella Sandersen, Development Director Ruth Burnell and Event Coordinator Anna Stuckey. (Provided photo — The Wild Center)

“No visit to the Adirondacks is complete without a stop at the Wild Center,” Schumer said in a statement. “I have been proud to secure federal funding for the museum several times over the years and am so pleased to help on this most recent effort to enhance and expand these beloved exhibits.”

Wild Center Executive Director Stephanie Ratcliffe said the new exhibit is an exciting step forward for the museum and its mission to spark an enduring passion for nature amongst museum visitors.

“This project will improve the quality of life for the animals in our care, create more meaningful, accessible and memorable moments of connection between visitors and our animal ambassadors,” she said in a statement. “It will help our visitors understand more about the wildlife they may encounter while exploring the Adirondacks on their own.”

Wild Center Curator Leah Valerio showed off Bianca, the museum’s albino porcupine, during Schumer’s visit.

“Our Animal Ambassador team creates powerful, emotional connections through real encounters with our resident wildlife, many of which are rehabilitated and have injuries that make them unable to survive in the wild,” she said in a statement. “The new area allows us to care for animals at the highest level while expanding the ways we engage guests and inspire conservation.”

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer speaks at the Arts Center Lake Placid on Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

Fontana said it was nice to see Schumer’s continued commitment to The Wild Center, given how important the museum is to Tupper Lake’s economy and sense of community. Though most of the visit’s conversation centered around the museum, Fontana was sure to shine a light on Tupper Lake’s ongoing water crisis.

Large swaths of the community have been suffering for more than half a decade from brown water that’s proven undrinkable and has ruined appliances. As the mayor has done in other public events, she offered the visiting leader a sample of the water — whose color could be confused with apple cider — to show them the reality that residents there have been dealing with. Fontana gave the water to Steve Mann, Schumer’s deputy state director. The longtime aide accompanied the senator for both Tri-Lakes stops on Tuesday.

“We’ll see what happens,” she said. “I don’t go far without my brown water.”

The water’s color is from a heavy concentration of iron and manganese coming from groundwater wells near Pitchfork Pond, from which the village sources much of its water supply. The wells were not built to sequester such quantities of iron and manganese. When the wells were drilled in 2018, the pilot data and initial runs were clear. However, about 18 months after the wells began providing large parts of the community’s water supply, the water began turning brown as iron and manganese infiltrated it.

The village is currently saddled with about $9 million in debt from these wells. Fontana blasted the state’s silence in response to her inquiries, calls and letters about the crisis and pleas for debt forgiveness, given the well’s failure to perform as advertised. Though Fontana acknowledged the federal government is an unlikely remedy, she hoped Schumer and his team would be able to get state officials to act.

Arts Center Lake Placid Executive Director James Lemons welcomes U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer to the arts center on Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

“At the end of the day, we all get our marching orders from one step above us,” she said.

State Assemblymember Michael Cashman smiles with three Arts Center Lake Placid students who performed an abridged performance of the Nutcracker at the arts center on Tuesday during a visit by U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, Cashman and local leaders. Students, from left, are Lily Glazier, Aurora Brunner and Eloise Bubar. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

Arts Center Lake Placid student Lily Glazier performed an abridged performance of the Nutcracker at the arts center on Tuesday during a visit by U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)