The Adirondack Park Agency and the Village of Saranac Lake have apparently agreed to enter into a 43-year lease agreement for former village office building at 1-3 Main Street for $1 per year. The Agency then plans to spend at least $40 million on a renovation/construction project at that site on property they will not own. Just four years ago, the project allocation was $30 million. What will the final cost be?

Statements from agency staff refer to the current headquarters as being a “1950s-era log cabin.”

That is only part of the existing building. When the “log cabin” was moved over from where the present State Police building is located, additions were added to include additional office space and the large meeting room in the front. Was an estimate ever done to remove the “log cabin” portion of the building and replace it with new office space? I do not know what that square footage is, but I believe replacing that section would not cost 40 million dollars. I would think that certainly should be considered. While demolition and replacement is taking place, perhaps some unoccupied portion of the next-door DEC building could be used or some other building in the area could be rented temporarily. I understand that, during covid, many of staff worked from home, so that could be an alternative.

I guess my biggest question would be, why would you abandon a building you own on a state campus, to move into a crowded environment in the village, where access for the public would be inconvenient and problematic at best, when you have an easily accessible location, all on one floor next door to a sister state agency (DEC) and the State Police. There are already concerns about the loss of parking for the general public. When I recently visited the property, there were 16 cars in the parking lot. Many of them were covered with snow and did not appear to have been moved for several days. Are those cars owned by the apartment house and senior housing building tenants across the street? Where will those people park after the APA moves into the building?

It has been stated that, by locating the headquarters in the village of Saranac Lake, “employees will shop and eat here” and the “economic impact of APA employees visiting local businesses, would amount to $376,000 per year.” Are you serious? Are the employees going to leave the building and wander around town on their short lunch break, to buy lunch somewhere, when they are used to eating “in house” and get back to work? Most of the employees live in and around the local area and do you really think they are going to change their shopping habits and suddenly start buying everything in downtown Saranac Lake instead of buying online or going to stores they are already familiar with? Come on, let’s get real.

Finally, what are the plans for the current APA headquarters building after it is abandoned when the agency moves to 1-3 Main Street in Saranac Lake? Will it be demolished or renovated for use by another state agency, and what will that cost be?

Sandy Hayes is a resident of Saranac Lake