To the editor:

As a former promoter of tourism for the Adirondack region, Essex county, and Lake Placid, I read with great interest the article about the current Destination Management discussion for Lake Placid. Two initial observations came to mind. First, most everything was about larger, bigger, more, and even more. Second, the old adage that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

In the early 1990s, the then-Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau engaged the services of the Orlando Consulting Group to help develop a Quality Destination Development Plan for the region. Almost all of the issues currently confronting today’s Lake Placid committee members, with the exception of the unanticipated tremendous growth in private rental properties, were addressed in the plan.

One of the key takeaways for communities was the concept that “if it’s a nice place to live, it will be a nice place to visit.” Unfortunately, like so many other well thought out and well intended “how to” plans for the region, the majority of the recommendations went by the wayside. Could this iteration suffer the same fate? Quite possibly: see first observation.

Ron Ofner

Crown Point