State budget funds Saranac Lakes capacity study, boosts APA building fund

Despite federal uncertainty, state budget bolsters Adirondack initiatives

By Zachary Matson 

The state’s $254 billion budget approved overnight Thursday earmarks $1 million for the carrying capacity study environmental groups have long called for and boosts the Adirondack Park Agency’s headquarters construction fund by another $10 million. 

Adirondack advocates cheered the new carrying capacity funding for the Saranac Chain of Lakes and other Adirondack investments included in the state’s $425 million Environmental Protection Fund.

The latest in 15 years, this year’s budget feels more tenuous than most. As federal funding cuts loom, Gov. Kathy Hochul and lawmakers have spoken openly about the possibility of revisiting the budget in the coming years. 

The carrying capacity funds could help conclude a longstanding fight between environmental advocates and the Department of Environmental Conservation and APA — or at least open a new chapter in it.

Groups like Protect the Adirondacks and the Adirondack Council have pointed to language in the Adirondack State Land Master Plan and the Saranac Lakes Wild Forest unit management plan calling on state agencies to study the kinds and volume of use the lakes can sustain before harming the environment or user experience.

“It’s important to have this data: APA just approved two large marina projects and we think there will be more,” said Claudia Braymer, executive director of Protect. ‘APA should have this information to assess the natural resource impacts of these private projects before approving projects like them that impact waterbodies.”

Protect challenged a pair of marina projects in part on the grounds that APA shouldn’t have permitted marina expansion without first studying the carrying capacity of nearby state waters. While the courts have rebuked state agencies for failing to carry through on the promised studies, they have largely sided with the state’s argument that study of state land is not connected to private project reviews and that the planning language does not mandate a study.

Protect was mulling whether to appeal a recent Albany County Supreme Court decision essentially finding that the language in the State Land Master Plan said agencies “should” conduct the studies not that they must. Braymer said the new funding offers hope that an appeal won’t be necessary if the state agencies start to advance the studies.

When asked for more details about next steps on the studies, a DEC spokesperson on Friday said the agency was still reviewing the budget.

$10 million more for APA headquarters

Meanwhile, APA received another $10 million to add to $29 million previously appropriated for construction of a new headquarters. Executive Director Barbara Rice has voiced preference for a move to the historic Paul Smith’s Power and Light building at 1-3 Main St. in Saranac Lake. 

The proposed move has caused dissension among numerous current and former agency staff members. Opponents to the idea raise concerns about conflicts with leasing from the Village of Saranac Lake, a potential agency permit applicant, vacating a parcel zoned solely for state administrative use and more. But Rice and proponents have countered that the move would enable an opportunity to renovate a historic building, boost a local community and increase accessibility to the public.

APA in 2023 released renderings and outlined a plan to renovate the existing structure and build a new 19,000-square-foot addition behind it with a new parking lot. A feasibility study has been underway for nearly two years. The agency has denied Adirondack Explorer Freedom of Information requests seeking release of the study. 

An APA spokesman in a statement Friday suggested more details on the headquarters could be forthcoming soon. 

“We thank Governor Hochul and the legislature for funding the agency’s headquarters project,” the statement said. “We look forward to announcing the next steps in the process in the coming weeks.”

More Adirondack projects funded

The Adirondack Council in its budget summary cheered a record $425 million allocated to the state’s Environmental Protection Fund and $500 million in continued investments in costly water infrastructure. 

The budget backs a handful of specific Adirondack projects, including:

• $2 million to the Ausable Freshwater Center and academic partners for a study of climate change and Adirondack lake ecosystems;
• $1.25 million for the Timbuctoo Institute and $425,000 for the State University of New York to operate this year’s program;
• $10 million for visitor safety and wilderness protection in the Adirondacks and Catskills;
• $250,000 for each of the visitor centers at Paul Smith’s VIC, SUNY ESF Newcomb and for visitor centers operated by the Adirondack Mountain Club;
• $42 million for open space protection;
• $50 millon for state land stewardship;
• $18.5 million for invasive species prevention.

“In a time of deep financial uncertainty, this budget reinforces the importance of a healthy environment and the need to protect critical natural areas such as the Adirondack Park,” said Raul Aguirre, executive director of the council. 

Photo at top: The proposed headquarters for the Adirondack Park Agency gained another $10 million in the state budget approved Thursday, May 8.

A clarification: A previous version of this story included funding for the Adirondack Loj. Rather, the funding supports Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) visitor centers, specifically the High Peaks Information Center (HPIC) and the Cascade Welcome Center.