A majority of the village of Saranac Lake board of trustees has made clear that 33 Petrova Ave. is the preferred location for a new emergency services facility. Whether we all agree that enough has been done to look at other options, at this point I encourage everyone to work together to make 33 Petrova Ave. the best it can be for three reasons: 1. Our emergency services providers need improved facilities now; 2. Community support for the project is critical to village efforts to obtain grant funding that will lessen the burden of the project on taxpayers; and 3. Hopefully we can all come together around a layout and design that minimizes impacts on the nearby school and residential neighborhood at the least necessary cost to village taxpayers.

Having said that, the contract the majority of the village board adopted on June 24 was deeply flawed and goes too far. It should be rescinded and a new contract that advances the initial design of the project should be entered into instead. That new contract should just be enough to lead to a design and layout the full village board can embrace. This includes conducting the full SEQRA (State Environmental Quality Review Act) review of impacts from the project and ways to mitigate those impacts. All of this needs to be done before the village board enters into a second separate contract committing the village to the actual development of the project.

This prudent approach provides legal compliance with SEQRA while moving design of the project forward. It ensures that the village maintains control of the process and the outcome. And perhaps most importantly, it provides an opportunity for the village board and the public to come together in a more transparent and hopefully even fun process of planning for the future of our emergency services facilities.

Frankly, having had Wendell/Five Bugles (“WFB”) defend the June 24 contract and the lack of SEQRA review of the project to date is the fox guarding the proverbial chicken coop. While the initial village authorization is $340,000, WFB stands to make $1.8 million if the projected $27 million facility is built. And because WFB’s profit is tied to how much the facility costs, it has little incentive to make recommendations to reduce the costs of the facility. They are the experts and as we have seen that the village board is relying heavily on their expertise, but looking out for the interests of taxpayers goes against WFB’s profit margin. Stepping back from the June 24 contract in favor of a narrower contract to only get the design and SEQRA done now for the project would be the fiscally prudent step for the village board. Once we have a preferred design and layout, the village board should then do a separate contract after a competitive RFP process. To position itself for that second contract, WFB would have a greater incentive to work with the village board to reduce the ultimate costs of the facility.

Regarding the project’s impacts and opportunities for mitigation, here are three big issues I see that should be addressed through the first design and SEQRA contract proposed by Trustee White:

Access: The prospect of additional daily traffic, including responding emergency vehicles, traveling on Petrova and/or Lake Street is a potential impact that needs to be looked at closely. For me, primary direct access to state Route 3 is the only reasonable option for the new facility. This means going through wetlands, and the Adirondack Park Agency can and should issue a permit for this access to mitigate potential traffic and safety impacts from the project. Historically, APA has granted wetland permits for projects that serve a public purpose and there are few, if any, higher public purposes than those served by our emergency services providers.

Neighborhood impacts: 33 Petrova is located on the edge of a residential neighborhood. Through a sensitive layout and design, the facility can fit in to the neighborhood. This could partly be achieved by orienting the building so that its garage bays, lighting and alarms face away from the neighborhood, combined with a tasteful architectural design and ample vegetative screening on the Petrova Avenue side of the building. These and other measures could help the new facility blend into the neighborhood.

Project costs: My interest in this project is as a taxpayer. We must have emergency services facilities that meet our providers’ needs but that do not add to our already heavy property tax burden. Also, for potential grants, we need to be able to demonstrate that we are being fiscally prudent as nobody is likely to write the village a blank check and that includes the touted awarded grant from our federal representative and the current administration. As part of the first contract with WFB, the village board should create an incentive for reducing the costs of the project. It may not result in the $1.8 million pay day the June 24 contract could result in, but it would make WFB more apt to work hard to reduce costs so that it might get the second contract for development of the project. Let’s not forget that the $340,000 and the potential $1.8 million ultimate payout to WFB, as well as any of the ultimate project costs not covered by grants, must come from village taxpayers.

Next Monday at its meeting, the village board has a huge opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to working together and obtaining unanimous support for the project from the board and broader community support. Please rescind the too-broad contract entered into with WFB on June 24 and instead commit to a narrower contract that will result in a design and layout for the project. I hope that the mayor and trustees are all communicating with each other this week to sort this out and appreciate that this is a chance to lead positively and constructively as a unified village board. As a member of the public, I look to you to get this project done, done well, and done cost-effectively, so that even those of us who may have preferred a different location can at least respect the outcome and the process and feel that, as constituents, we have been heard. That’s good government.

Thank you for listening.

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Paul Van Cott is an attorney, former Saranac Lake Village Board member, former chair of the village Local Development Corporation and former attorney for the Adirondack Park Agency. He lives in Saranac Lake.