About Jamie Organski

Jamie Organski is an Adirondack area native who has experience as a reporter, photographer and editor. She enjoys sketching outdoor and abstract scenes, reading, kayaking and keeping up with her two rambunctious sons.

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Comments

  1. Joan Grabe says

    The town of Webb is all too typical of the Adirondacks. Local businesses need more workers, local schools need more student, residents need more medical care facilities and personnel, sewerage systems are aging and inadequate and while a partial answer is affordable and adequate housing for current and potential residents, NIMBY rises and local officials retreat to a less contentious position. Such as voting before community input on the subject because they have already been through this while attempting to deal with STRs. I am currently renting in a place that would frighten most Adirondack residents. A place that also faces adverse weather conditions for almost half the year and is filled with seasonal owners. – Indian Wells, California. Large housing developments built around tennis or golf or both, high density with either ground level or high rise construction, magnificent scenery, great resorts, great restaurants, great shopping, great culture, great weather. The Adirondacks went the other way and continues to do so even tho there are lessons to be learned from each other. More people are not bad ! Everyone would benefit, businesses, schools, religious institutions and the people themselves ! New neighbors , new businesses, more services. It is truly a win/win situation and the town of Webb should at least discuss it.

  2. MrDale says

    Narrow-minded “leadership” by the Town of Webb is the type that will lead to a hollowed-out community. Wouldn’t want those “others” living here.

  3. Pam DiSanto says

    The Van Auken hotel, thinking outside of the box, already has 12 rooms with private baths, three dining rooms, two bars, and a speak easy room in the basement. This hotel could be re-purposed into units to help establish at least half of what is needed. There needs to be a clever investor who knows exactly how to re-purpose the remainder of that hotel to make this a landmark for new housing.

    There is also the railroad track and trains that go to Utica that could provide some transportation to people that live in Utica to also come work here in Old forge, and the possibility of them living here to rent and work. Have an open house community week for people to come to Old forge from the surrounding towns to meet and greet the owners of the businesses that are in town, and at the same time are able to apply for work at their establishments during that visit. There is absolutely no incentive to have people live here so it’s about time, thinking outside of that box, that this begins to happen in order for a brighter future for all.

    Outside of the housing concerns, there needs to be a community of health care resources as well. We have one community doctor, One nurse practitioner, and possibly an LPN or a medical assistant( not sure though about any nurses). That is a large responsibility to take care of an entire Old forge community for few people that are qualified. That sounds absurd to think we are capturing good health for an aging community that lacks in healthcare resources. The Mohawk Valley Health System that runs our small community clinic should provide healthcare professionals such as travel nurses, Nurse practitioners, M.D positions to be able to help the residents who currently live in Old forge, and the surrounding towns. We need to have more health care especially when those are in need during the tourist busy seasons, as well as, when there is not. When we wait for when ” The time is right”, or “When the budget is right”, or “not enough people move here first before we propose an idea to the town’s Board men and women along with the towns residents”. With those excuses we already have lost so much opportunity to turn this beautiful town around!

    For those who rent in the Old forge camping resort, rental of hotels during their vacation stays etc, could help out with the shortage of workers. Once again, thinking outside of the box with something a little more creative, offer to those who are spending the night or such as those long-term people in the Old Forge Camping resort, who live there or who just are there during the seasons or any of the hotels in Old forge for that matter give them an option, prior to the renting, to literally help clean their own rooms for a small discounted price. Or when you stay at this hotel for so many visits and you clean your own room you will get a bigger discounted price. People are always looking for bargains those who live here and those who visit.

    Let’s give those people who want to live in Old Forge a sense of security of good work relationships, great health care resources, a way of transportation if they do not have a vehicle, such as our train system, and great advocates of our town, The board members, to ensure longevity of those who live here and those who will want to move here. Communities need to work together STRONG! It takes a VILLAGE to accomplish great work.

    As I said, we have an entire train system that goes from here to Utica. How wonderful would it be to have a well thought-out plan to engage those community members of Utica to travel by train to work here during the day and leave at night? Or to be able to visit during the day as a tourist which will help the businesses when they spend their well-earned dollars here because they’re enjoying our town.

    Let’s get some fresh young minds in here to work along side the more seasoned minds to gain a plan so Old forge will continue to thrive for years to come.

  4. Contrarian says

    Nearly everyone agrees the Adirondacks needs more housing for full time residents. Yet it seems every project to expand such housing faces NIMBY opposition for the most spurious of reasons.

    People like to blame Albany for all their problems. But small-minded fears of expanding housing because of “who might move here” shows that many of rural America’s problems are self-inflicted.

  5. Glenn L. Pearsall says

    Interesting that today’s Almanac e-mailing includes a story of a controversial plan in Old Forge to provide affordable housing to low income workers and a story wondering how to re-purpose old prisons. The locations are not the same, but with upgrades and state funding, the latter may ultimately be the answer for the former.

  6. John Wilson says

    Just progressive Joe Biden and hochul pushing his program of destroying urban areas the way they did big cities with public housing projects.good for you BOARD MEMBERS who saw through the B S! How many people have left NY, and these fools think we will buy the line of housing shortage. Wasn’t it 300k left upstate?

    • Contrarian says

      Neat trick. Blame Democrats for people leaving the state while opposing efforts to provide affordable places to live for people to be able to stay in the state. You prefer blame Democrats for all your problems and the bad weather and oppose steps to actually make things better. You object to towns doing something for themselves because it would deny them the victimhood the fascist right so desperately needs, since it has nothing positive to offer anyone. Your comment is a perfect illustration of that.

      The “line of housing shortage” in Webb was not peddled by your governor. It was identified by people who actually live in the town of Webb.

  7. Brian says

    So this project would address a housing and worker shortage identified by the locals themselves AND improve the property tax base. And the locals sabotaged this? When the town continues to struggle because businesses can’t find workers, I look forward to locals insist that this is Kathy Hochul’s fault.

    I’ve read a few articles on this and have not heard a coherent argument against the project. So what if the units go to people who don’t already live in the town? GREAT! The town’s population would expand. (Oh wait, then you wouldn’t have population decline to blame the Democrats for)

    I love small towns in general but this fits into every urban snob’s stereotype of rural small-mindedness. They would rather struggle and be victims than adapt.

  8. John Wilson says

    Obviously u missed Hochul grand program for housing in the state, and read why people say they leave, DEMOCRAT controlled teacher union, Democrat high taxes, Democrat trying micro manage business regulations, people fleeing Democrat states, open your eyes and read!

    • Contrarian says

      This project would be a way to create housing at a local level, initiated by local developers, planned by local officials and would increase the property tax base. It would help several of the problems Republicans always whine about.

      This project is private enterprise being sabotaged by Republican government. Not Kathy Hochul’s woke unicorn fairies. No wonder Democratic areas of the state like the Capital District and Hudson Valley are doing better than Republican areas of the same state.

      The real problem with the project? It might bring in legal immigrant workers from Utica… non-white immigrants.

  9. Contrarian says

    Let’s call a spade a spade. Opponents of the project are afraid that the workforce housing will be filled by Bosnian immigrants who’ve settled in Utica.

  10. Mike Thompson says

    People wake up! These houses do not become available to local residents! People from out of town purchase these houses as a secondary home. Stop renting … Figure out a way to own your future… Don’t allow dictators to control you…

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