Fire Prevention week began on Sunday, October 7 and ended Saturday, October 13

In the photo above from left were volunteers Matt Boudreau, Scott Shannon and Nick McLear. (photo provided.)

On Tuesday, October 9, Tupper Lake fire fighters visited the local L.P. Quinn School, to show the students the equipment and shared some important information on what they should do if they are ever in a house when it is on fire.

Firefighters put on their gear and masks to show the younger students what the firefighter would look and sound like so that the youngsters would not be afraid of the firefighter should they ever have to go into a burning building to find them.

The Tupper Lake Fire Department and its members hosted an open house at its station on Santa Clara Ave on Sunday, October 14.

Golf course study work applauded by town leaders

by Dan McClelland

Town leaders as a whole were very impressed with the work and study that went into the new report of the committee of experienced and very interested golfers who studied the local 18 over the summer, judging by comments Thursday night. The finished report was filed a month ago but was not released until Thursday when more elected leaders could be present.

Attending Thursday's session for a board discussion on the new document (see related story this week) were Gerry Goldman and Golf Pro Evan LaBarge, two of the dozen members of the study group.

Councilman Mike Dechene explained the committee was comprised of past golf course members and people “very adamant of keeping our golf course alive.”

The intent of the work, he said, was to benefit the current board and their plan to “keep things moving forward there, with the small amount of members that we have!”

“Very, very good meetings we had. A lot of good ideas came out of them.”

Of the report itself, he admitted he felt the finished product lacked a little bit about what we can do for the board that is in place right now. “The majority of this is about what happens if the town takes over or what needs to be done by the town to keep the golf course alive.”

He said the report, though, contains “a lot of good information.”

“This recommendation is that the town should take over the insurances, the fertilization programs at the golf course. My belief is that the greens, the tees, the fairways all belong to the town and we do not want this to fall apart. If we lost a green, for example, it would be unbelievable how much it would cost to rebuild it.”

“I agree with a lot of the stuff they have here. Whether or not we can fit it into our budget, that's something we need to talk about.”

He said the town currently budgets $4,500 for fertilizer used at the golf course and the Verizon communication tower yearly stipend of $4,000 also goes to course improvements.

So of the $30,000 request outlined in the report, he calculated that $8,500 is already going there.

As a municipality we just can't give money to an organization, but we can pay for services like a fertilizing company to treat the greens there. “They are our grounds being fertilized!”

“The town cannot let this golf course close up. I believe this committee was set up in case the board of directors does throw up their hands and say they can't do it anymore, the town would have to take over. I believe the board sitting here now would do that. Although we don't want to do that. We want the golf course board to be successful!”

John Quinn thanked his colleague and the volunteers who sat on his committee. “I know the time and effort was considerable!”

“-And they were happily there...meeting after meeting,” Mr. Dechene told him.

“I see this report a little differently,” Councilman Quinn told his colleagues. “I didn't see this as any kind of blueprint for the town to take it over. Nothing could be farther from the truth, as far as I'm concerned. I want the current club and its board to continue to exist and prosper.

“We all want that!” Supervisor Patti Littlefield echoed.

“It makes recommendations not only for the town but spells out some specific things for the club to do! I see the success of the club would involve a closer working relationship and partnership between the two boards,” the councilman said.

“It's our property. It's an asset. If we did nothing and the place folded, it would be a great loss to the town. Much like Big Tupper was! -And we all know where that got us!”

Of the four major requests of the town in the committee's report, he said the one stipulating that all future equipment would be bought through the town on state contract is “a no brainer.”

“Taking advantage of state pricing and having tax exempt status, however it can be done legally, is something that can be done easily.

He called the $30,000 request to buy all fertilizer “pretty substantial.”

“But I talked to a few of the older members and the town board used to do that back in the 1980s when the costs were about half of what they are now. At that time they were kicking in about $15,000 per year. Subsequent boards decided that wasn't the right thing to do!”

“Whether we can foot the whole bill, especially in one chunk, I guess we'll have to see on what impact it has on our budget.”

“I'm not so sure- and I'd want to get more information about the insurance costs. We do carry insurance on that property for the winter time at least, probably year round.”

Mrs. Littlefield confirmed the town has insurance on its umbrella policy for that property. All individual buildings there are listed separately, she noted.

She said, however, the town does not carry insurance for what she called “a golf club operation.” The golf course board buys that and provides the town with a proof of insurance, she added.

The supervisor said the insurance coverage by the two parties should be studied, to see if there is duplication of coverage and there could be a savings found there if there is.

Mr. Quinn said he believes the town should get back in the fertilizer cost underwriting- “at least to the point of sharing the cost of keeping the grounds up. One of the recommendations I haven't been convince of yet is the club could turn over its assets- its buildings and equipment- in lieu of the $83,000 still owed to the town as interest on the bond to fixing the upper nine. I'm not convinced that's the right way to go, but I'm wondering if the club could meet the town half way” on the interest monies owed.

Asked to comment, Gerry Goldman said it would “certainly be a net gain for the club if the town were to assume” some of those costs. Assuming the entire fertilizer costs would be a gain of over $20,000 for the club in any year, he gave as one example.

“We've had a successful year this year, by the bar we set. We're certainly better off than we were last year. I think we're in better shape at the leadership level with Evan (LaBarge). And Sonny working in the garage. The fundraising has been a big boost to us.” Over $25,000 was raised by the board and its members this year in fundraising. He called it “a significant part of the club's surplus” at the end of this year.

“The volunteers also did a great job this summer and the golf course, as a result “looks better dressed.”

Mr. Goldman said the brush removal, the work to the fairways, cart paths, made a great difference. He calculated that the contributions of the volunteers this summer came out the equivalent of one full-time worker the club didn't have to pay.

He said too many volunteers gave a lot more than four hours a week that they signed up for.

“I think we have our head above water, but we're just not going to be able to survive any calamities!”

He said because the board is currently putting its budget for 2019 together, it would be helpful right now to know if any new town funding was coming.

Mr. Goldman said it's the view of most of the golf course leaders that if there was a surplus found next year, that money would go to updating course equipment.

Evan LaBarge said right now most of the equipment at the golf course is owned by the club. Some is leased.

As leases expire, the board would like to look at buying machinery outright, he said, cautioning that there are many variables.

The state contract option to the town would be very important, he noted.

He mentioned that for the first time in many years all the equipment the club owns was in operation this summer.

“It doesn't mean that it's in good shape or that it will run next year, but it just reflects the work of a good team!”

Councilman Dechene asked Mr. Goldman if he had noticed “any issues” between the two boards this year and was told there didn't seem to be any.

“I think we're going to face some challenges down the road. We're going to have to reexamine our relationship with the restaurant vendor. I know with all of our attention to the course, our board has some responsibilities to the vendor” which he said it hasn't been able to meet.

One of the board's responsibilities, for example, was the maintenance of 200-place settings. “I can tell you right now if you go to a wedding at the country club, you're going to get Chinette. That's just one of responsibilities we haven't been able to meet.”

Concerning a lot of the fixtures in the kitchen, he said it was safe to admit the club has been remiss in its obligation to replace things...simply because the club doesn't have any money.

He said the club couldn't replace a gas stove that was needed and Operator Jim Ellis had to buy his own.

Mr. Goldman speculated that if Mr. Ellis doesn't renew his lease, the club's on the hook for finding a $8,000 or $10,000 gas stove.

Kitchen equipment is expensive and many of the club-owned pieces have been cobbled together over the years, he noted.

Unless there are improvements made there, the club may eventually have to renegotiate the lease with any current or future vendor, he suggested.

“We are mindful of the burden you all face in guarding taxpayer dollars and making decisions how to best spend them. I think we would be idiots if we came in here and held our hands our and said 'give us money no matter what'.”

“We're just hopeful we can look at the whole operation as a plus for Tupper Lake!”

He said he agreed with Mr. Dechene that he has an affinity for playing the course over the years with “guys like his dad.”

“The thought of that place not being there just doesn't make any sense to me!”

“You can't have a Preserve Associates resort up there without a golf course!”

“We must find a way to keep it going!”

“Well said,” Mrs. Littlefield told him.

Next week: long time golf course employee Daniel “Boonie” Carmichael weighs in on discussion of course's future.

Water district improvement, expansion in high gear

The North Country Contracting firm is moving steadily along with the expansion and improvements planned for town water district No. 3 at Tamarac. It's the same company that worked on the village well project at Pitchfork Pond this summer. When these photos were taken Thursday the crew was moving past tee No. 4 at the golf course and heading up the Big Tupper access road, excavating and laying pipe to the new water tank beside Sugar Loaf Mountain. In its digging the crew encountered a lot of hard pan and glacial fill, which contained some dandy-sized boulders shown in the photo below. Plans are to have the project and its new water tank substantially completed by year's end. The workers are working extended days to reach that goal, according to comments from project watchers at Jim Ellis' Burgundy Steakhouse. (McClelland photo)

Golf course analysis to be reviewed by town officials next week

by Dan McClelland

The report by the town committee charged this past summer to look for innovative ways to move the Tupper Lake golf course into a brighter future will be the fodder of board discussion when the town board meets on October 11.

Earlier this year Town Councilman Mike Dechene called together about one dozen local residents who love golf and who were very familiar with the workings of the local 18 and the sport in general. A number of the committee members like Ray Martin, Ron Belleville and John Moore were former golf course board members and several were current board members, including Jim Boucher. Golf Pro Evan LaBarge was also a key member of the study group.

Mr. Dechene chaired the committee.

At the September town board meeting Mr. Dechene had the group's report in his hand, but asked his colleagues to postpone its release until all five board members could study the finding. Missing that evening were Deputy Supervisor John Quinn and Councilwoman Tracy Luton.

“I think we should talk about this when we have a full board,” he told Supervisor Patti Littlefield and Councilwoman Mary Fontana that evening.

“I'd like to hold its release until then!”

He said the volunteers who studied the revenues, expenses and current practices at the town facility with an eye to finding good paths on which to move forward “worked a lot of hours” on their assignment and the report it generated.

Mr. Dechene said the committee gathered “lots and lots and lots of information” and came up with some very realistic expectations for the golf course's future operation. “They did a fantastic job overall!”

Mrs. Littlefield, who sits on the town board's golf course committee with Mr. Dechene, said the group members “brought a lot of expertise” to their assignment, which began in early summer.

“They brought a lot of information to their discussions. In particular they looked at how things were done when times were good!” she stated.

Mr. Dechene said he believes strongly that the town-owned golf course can be an economic driver here, if operated correctly.

The supervisor said the committee was asked to come up with ways to improve the golf course at a time in America when the sport is on the wane.

“How do you make people get interested in golf?

She said a game of golf “is a five hour tour”...a five hour commitment and people today have a difficult time finding five hours in their busy lives to devote to something.

Mrs. Littlefield said that in addition to the members of the study committee there are a number of local residents who routinely volunteer to help there.

She called the golf course “a great facility” that is not nearly used to its fullest.

The board of directors there routinely struggles “to make ends meet” what with declining members.

To generate revenues the golf course leaders annually stage a number of benefits, she said.

Mr. Dechene noted that one event the board staged this year generated $21,000 to help the course's bottom line.

The supervisor said the people who serve on the golf course board are “very positive thinking.”

“As we develop our budget we are hoping we had help- maybe by covering grounds maintenance expenses,” she offered.

“My goal is to build a strong partnership” between the town board and the golf course board.

Mr. Dechene said he thought that partnership already exists.

He applauded the study group members for the “passion” they brought to their assignment by the town this summer. “It's going to bear fruit” in the years ahead.

He asserted again that the town board does not want to operate the golf course. The elected officials want the golf course board to be successful, according to the councilman.

“I'm very happy with the report. I think we're headed in a good direction!”

He admitted there are always a lot of nay-sayers in the community who probably don't think so, but he said he believes the future can be bright for the local course.

Tupper has most electric car charging stations in Adirondack Park

by Dan McClelland

The village's three new electric car-charging stations are now in operation, Electric Department Superintendent Marc Staves relayed in a report to the village board last month.

The village was able to secure the hardware for the stations through a state grant and Mr. Staves' crew members installed them- two in the municipal park and one at the Wild Center.

The first one to go live was at the natural history museum on Friday, September 14- a day before it hosted a national electric car conference.

Mr. Staves said the new charger came in handy for one participant who drove his electric car to the Wild Center to the event, not knowing there was a unit there. He was able to charge up his ride with it.

Mayor Paul Maroun said there have been some requests for a charging station in the uptown business district and Mr. Staves is currently exploring that possibility. One possible site might be new village parking lot across from the village office, he thought.

Right now there are seven public and private charging stations in the community, it was noted.

“There's no excuse for people not to come to Tupper Lake to charge their cars,” said the electric department chief. He said Tupper Lake now has more charging units than any other community in the Adirondacks.

Mr. Staves thanked the Robert Merrill family for the loan of its electric car to test out the three new units his department installed.

He said one of the requirements of the grant program is that all units have to be load-tested on a vehicle, so the Merrills loan of their car saved money for the village, which would otherwise would have had to rent an electric car.

He said right now each station here is in what he called “a free vend mode,” so users can charge their cars for free. The benefit of having chargers in a community is that owners of those types of cars plan their travel paths around them. Mr. Staves said he feels the village should soon establish a fee structure and he said he will be discussing that with officials from the New York Power Authority at a meeting with them that month.

Trustee Clint Hollingsworth suggested placing concrete bollards in front of the units to protect them from collisions and plowing and Mr. Staves said he had been thinking about the need for them.

In other news in his department, he said that evening the tree-trimming project underway at Moody by a private contractor was about half completed. “The guys did a tremendous job and very much opened up the (transmission) line right of way for us.”

Trustees Clint Hollingsworth and Ron LaScala said they had both walked portions of the right of way along Route 30 where the crews were cutting and applauded the work. “They did a real, clean job!” was how Mr. LaScala described the workmanship by the contractor.

He said he had never realized how overgrown the line easement area had become.

The board that evening also approved the resignation of electric line helper Kaine Favro, who returned to his native South Dakota.

Asked by Trustee LaScala why the relatively new member of the electric crew left, Mr. Staves said he just wanted to return to his former employee closer to home.

He also reported that Verizon recently accepted the village's proposal to hang its lines on village utility poles. The telecommunications company will pay the village $16,000 each year for that privilege.

Register to vote at library Saturday

There's no reason Tupper Lakers aren't able to vote in the November election!

County election officials have made it easy with the announcement this week that there will be a voter registration drive this Saturday, October 6 from 10a.m. to 2p.m. at the Goff Nelson Memorial Library.

In addition to registering to vote, those who attend will also be able to pick up absentee ballot applications.

Here are some of this year's important voting deadlines:

Registration and party change deadline is Oct. 12. Address change deadline is October 17. The last day to postmark an absentee request is October 30. The last day to vote by absentee in person is November 5 but this must take place at the county board of elections office in Malone.

Any teenager 17 years of age can also participate in the election process. They may pre-register to vote and while they cannot vote until they are 18 years of age, they can work as a poll inspector- duties for which they will be paid.

Election commissioner Tracy Sparks and Tupper Lake Republican Chairman Ray Bigrow were instrumental in setting up Saturday's event.

Trio of volunteers tackles placement of huge stones for bandshell seating terraces

by Dan McClelland

In an impressive undertaking three local volunteers moved over two dozen massive granite blocks into place Saturday in front of the Lions bandshell in the Village of Tupper Lake's new performance park below Martin Street.

The stones which were cut about two degrees on each side to form semicircles of about a dozen pieces each measured approximately two feet wide, two feet deep and five feet long. Each weighed two tons.

Because the large pieces were not exactly two feet high- varying by as much as two inches at times- crushed stone that had been placed in the seating tiers earlier by Lemieux Contracting and Kentile Excavating had to sometimes be massaged by hand shovel to arrive at the desired thickness.

Black dirt will be placed behind each stone to form a 12 wide seating tier in front of the new performance place this fall and then sodded.

The work bee was directed by Trustee Clint Hollingsworth, who brought the large pieces by Tom LaMere's large fork lift machine from where they had been off-loaded near the shoreline from three tractor trailers in recent weeks. Clint fed the big pieces to his dad, Tinker, who was operating the village Volvo excavator. Tinker has a reputation as one of the best operators in the region, and to watch him move those heavy pieces into place, moving them less than a quarter of an inch at times, was testimony to his reputation.

The third man on the team was Doug Snyder, who helped the elder Hollingsworth make the final adjustments on the placements, after rigging up the harnesses for each heavy piece.

By 2p.m. Saturday, the three had all but a half dozen retaining wall pieces in place, shy a couple a pieces which are still on order.

Masonry Contractor Mike Donah of Adirondack Fireplace has offered to tweak with his chipping tools and his know-how some of the pieces so their surfaces and fronts are flush, according to Trustee Hollingsworth.

At the base of each retaining wall the village electric department has installed every six feet or so the wiring and fixtures for Ballard-style lighting which will sit on top of small piers.

These photos show just a little of the incredible amount of work tackled by the trio that day.

Wild Center, ROOST team up on VR project

Katie Stuart and Patrick Murphy testing out the virtual tour.

by Ian Roantree

Sue Fitzpatrick gazing in awe at the view from atop Goodman Mountain.

On a good week, in a busy season, Tupper Lake’s Chamber of Commerce is the default Tupper Lake tourist information center, providing local knowledge to the eager tourists who visit our town throughout the year. During the tourist-heavy months, anywhere from 30 to 50 tourists per week come through the chamber doors at 121 Park Street looking for things to do.

With all of the great places and breathtaking views that our area has to offer, simply leafing through brochures or surfing through online photo galleries doesn’t always do them justice. Which is why the Wild Center and ROOST have teamed up to offer tourists, and potential Wild Center customers an immersive experience.

The experience is a visual one, putting the viewer in a immobile look out, like being inside the tower viewers found at tourist destinations around the world. But it’s not a clunky, heavy set of binoculars that squeak as they turn, it’s an Oculus Rift virtual reality (VR) headset.

By slipping on these VR goggles, you can be swiftly taken somewhere else while remaining in the comfort of the chamber office. While the experience that ROOST and the Wild Center have created within the goggles are mild compared to what VR technology is capable of, your senses are still tricked as you’re brought into a three dimensional, panoramic simulation.

Users will find themselves in the middle of a guided tour through the museum, or on the Wild Walk, while other Wild Center guests walk amongst you. But it’s not limited to the Wild Center. The VR headset will take you to the top of Goodman Mountain, the Tupper Lake golf course, the municipal park looking out over Raquette Pond, and other scenic spots within the community and surrounding area.

Unlike the Wild Center footage, however, the other destinations are still images stitched together in a panorama, still creating the same effect of being there. No matter where you look, up, down, left, right, behind and in front, robust images fill the space. It feels like you can almost reach out and feel the environment that the goggles take you to.

It all started with the VR marketing company, Frameless Technologies, which were contacted by the Wild Center for help with this campaign. “We wanted to go to trade shows and conferences and try to get tour operators and travel agents interested in putting the Wild Center in their products,” said Patrick Murphy, the Wild Center’s community engagement coordinator. “It (VR) was an easy way to communicate what the Wild Center is to people across the country.”

“We produced some video, got a few of our own headsets and shared it at a tourism advisory council meeting and some of the folks there from the Saranac Lake chamber were interested in putting it in their visitor center,” Murphy continued.

This project is still in testing stages. The VR headset at the Tupper Lake chamber office was donated by Frameless Technologies for a pilot run to see how people engage and interact with it, and to see if it actually draws those users to different locations around town.

To create the videos and images viewed inside the Oculus Rift headset, special photography and videography techniques and equipment are required. Capturing a 360 degree image is one thing; capturing video is another endeavor.

The first time Frameless Technologies visited the Wild Center to capture 360 video content, they brought a GoPro rigged with five cameras that together filmed live. In post-production, the footage captured was stitched together seamlessly by a software. The VR company returned later with a newer camera, that looked like a ball that worked to the same effect although fetching higher quality results.

Despite the content-rich TupperLake.com, where you can see panoramic images of our surrounding area on your computer or smart phone screen, much like you’d see through the VR goggles (albeit much less immersive), some folk, usually the older ones, want to to go straight to the source of information. Now, they can get both the human interaction while experiencing the power of digital marketing with the virtual reality (VR) technologies that will hopefully entice those tourists to check out the sights the goggles display.

But with a result driven attitude, ROOST’s Tupper Lake regional marketing manager, Katie Stuart recognizes that this project is only as good as the outcomes it produces. “We want to track people coming here and putting it on, but how can we really know if people are going out to these destinations?”

The simple solution Stuart and Murphy came to was asking users to post on social media with a hashtag (that is yet to be decided) with a picture of the destinations they visited.

And as this project becomes more widely used, more still photos and videos are intended to be added to the VR goggles to attract visitors to other areas and stores in the area.

“We’d like to include local businesses like Spruce and Hemlock and Birch Boys and other trails and summits in the area,” said Sue Fitzpatrick, a chamber of commerce board member and volunteer.

Even for those who learn about Tupper Lake online instead of at the chamber like some, anyone can view the Wild Center’s VR videos at wildcenter.org/vr/ and can be viewed from your smartphone, computer or even uploaded to your own VR device.

Main floor of Big Tupper lodge to see major redo

by Dan McClelland

Editor's Note: this is the second article in our two-part series on our recent tours of the Big Tupper Ski Center and the tremendous amount of renovation and reconstruction work that has been underway there.

As part of the work preparing for the reopening of the Big Tupper Ski Center this summer by the Adirondack Club and Resort developers, there has been considerable focus on the center's large lodge.

The plan for this winter is to fix up the ground floor of the lodge to accommodate skiers with restrooms, warming areas with tables and chairs and the administrative and office area. While the pulse of the operation will be there, reconstruction will be in full swing on the second floor all winter long.

In anticipation of that the entire second floor has been gutted, revealing the large trusses and steel support beams after almost all the old partitions and ceiling materials have been removed.

For local skiers who know that space well, it now appears double in size, with everything gone.

Apparent too is how well built the lodge was. The original A-frame portion of the lodge with its large, laminated and open trusses is in excellent shape. The large area which was later added to accommodate a larger cafeteria, dining room and bar appears to be also very well built with large steel I-beams and columns supporting 50 foot long manufactured trusses. All that now is visible with the ceiliings and sheet rock and board wall coverings gone.

“We encountered no surprises when we tore everything out. The lodge was extremely well built!” Tom Lawson told us during our second visit to the place on August 24.

Right now work crews of carpenters- most of them local- are buttoning up the exterior of the lodge building for winter, when the work will move inside.

A number of the existing windows on the parking lot side had been reframed in the anticipation of the arrival of many new windows this week and next. New window openings have also been cut into to that side.

New windows are also coming for the others sides of the lodge, to replace old or broken ones. Some window openings have been temporarily covered with sheets of plywood.

“Our goal for this winter is to get the ski center back open for the kids!” Mr. Lawson said that day.

The second floor of the large lodge- which measures about 9,000 square feet- was opened up to give the engineers and architects who are doing its redesign a good look at what they are working with, he explained.

The overall plan for that space, however, is to keep it entirely open.

For the years of its operation a large part of the second floor was hidden from public view by the partitions, behind which were storage and operational area for the cafeteria and bar.

That day Jill Trudeau agreed with us that the second floor seems double in size now. Jill is the ACR's administrative assistant.

“It's very light and airy and the new design will maintain that. The whole idea is to keep it open,” she explained.

The only partitions remaining for now are those which cordoned off the old bar area. They'll be coming out soon.

Jill said that at least 20 dump truck loads of old building materials have been removed from the second floor area so far.

“Right now we've taken it down to its skeleton to begin the renewal,” added Tom. “When its done you'll be able to see across the entire second floor of the building, for the most part!”

At both ends of the existing lodge 30 foot lonog two story entrance additions are planned.

Mr. Lawson said at each end of the existing lodge will be large stone twin fireplaces- each with two openings. One opening will face into the existing lodge and one into the new addition, in each case.

Stone masons will be on site this winter, with all the carpenters, to tackle the construction of those massive fireplaces.

The second floor, like the ground floor, will also see all new restrooms.

The ceilings on the second floor will all be nine or ten feet high, to add to the openness.

The floor between the two floors is all reinforced concrete. It's very sturdy and in great shape. To bring everything exactly level, however, a shallow layer of special concrete coating may be applied over the winter, Mr. Lawson expects.

As to the specifics of where the cafeteria, bar and dining rooms will be on the second floor, that's still to be decided, based on what the engineers and architects recommend, he said. “At this point the design is evolving day by day!”

In the original plans for the Adirondack Club and Resort, the lodge was going to be replaced with a building in the style of a great camp.

Those plans have changed, at least for now. “We like the lodge and we think we can transform it into a place which skiers will really enjoy. It sits where it belongs so why replace it?”

Adding to the openness of the second floor, new entrance areas off the slopes will all be walled in glass for the maximum amount of natural light streaming into the interior, he explained.

The staircase that connects the two floors will see new iron wrought railings, rather that solid half-walls, as part of the winter construction work.

The lodge will be getting a new metal roof, some of it this fall and some next construction season. Each metal piece used will be the entire length of the roof side, so there will be no overlapping.

A patio area with fire pits is also planned in front of the lodge next summer.

“When we're done I think people will be amazed,” he said with a smile.

One of the local firms which will be working inside the lodge this winter will be CWM Construction (Charlie Madore and Jason Roberge), which is currently finishing an complete overhaul of the chairlift No. 2 off-boarding station.

Tom and Jill both figure there's going to be a lot of work for local and area tradesmen inside the lodge this winter.

“From the start we've been trying to hire locally,” noted the administrative assistant.

In related Big Tupper news Tom Lawson recently met with ski patrol director Tom Sciacca and some of his volunteers. According to Mr. Sciacca everything is set to go for their vital safety and rescue services this coming season.

New trusses for the old ski patrol building, which currently has a flat roof, are expected to arrive soon and that building will have its new roof this fall.

On the day of our last visit four large and unsightly utility poles near the ski patrol building were removed, after Tip Top Electric technicians cut off the electricity to them.

ACR to open Big Tupper this winter! Repair work has been in high gear all summer

by Dan McClelland
Repair work has been in high gear at the Big Tupper Ski Center all this summer as various contractors and their crews rejuvenate the lifts and buildings there in anticipation of the opening of the well-loved facility this coming winter.
Adirondack Club and Resort Developer Tom Lawson announced earlier this year he would reopen the ski center this year and he's been working diligently to that end since then.
After a string of about seven winters of operation- some of which saw little or no natural snow and  big losses- Tupper Lake's ARISE  (Adirondack Residents Intent on Saving their Economy) leaders called it quits last fall and didn't operate the mountain facility last winter.  The developers of the ACR, however, have stepped up to renew winter operations there- much to the excitement of many skiers here and across the North Country.
On two visits to the ski center    this summer  there was plenty of evidence of repair work underway.
The chairlift No. 2 base station, which was all but destroyed by strong winds blowing down from the top of the mountain several years ago, has been completely rebuilt by Don Bennett and his carpenters.  New siding, a new roof and new windows- four feet by eight feet in size- are now in place, as is a fresh coat of Oxford brown stain.  The base structure is completely rejuvenated.
The large new windows bring natural light into the area around the lift engine, where there was none before.
All the buildings in the base area have been stained the same shade of that deep brown for a very uniform appearance.
Repair work  is also underway on the lift operator control station, next to the engine building and to the entire Mitey Mite lift.
“The Mitey Mite has been totally rebuilt.  The top and bottom have been removed for replacement, the motor has been totally rebuilt,” Tom Lawson said on a second tour Friday.
All components of that lift- including the base building- should be back in place next week.  Parts of that trail have also been regraded.
Both chairlift No. 2 and the Mitey-Mite lift will be open this winter.  Chairlift No. 1 and No. 3 are due to be operating in the 2019-20 winter.
During our first visit about six weeks ago we met Derrick Shaw and Sandra Bushell, partners in a lift restoration company called Tower Dogs.
The partners actually work like dogs, as the expression goes.
The partners started at first light and work until dark.
Tower Dogs is known among any ski area operators all across the country for their diligence and hard work.  The partners have worked out west in recent years at Winter Park Ski Resort in Colorado and after they finish up here in July they were headed to Ski Liberty resort in Pennsylvania. Big Tupper was their opening gig of the season.
Everything they were sanding, scraping and painting there is now an attractive evergreen color.
Derrick and Sandra are  expected to return to Tupper Lake in mid-September to begin repainting  the old t-bar lift towers that will eventually support a new zip line down the mountain some year very soon.
During their time here they stayed at Timber Lodge at Moody and they had praise for its operator, Don Dew Jr.
They had completely painted half of the 14 towers and the chairs on lift No. 2 during our first visit and were due to finish in that days that followed.
All the chairs now sit freshly sanded, primed and painted and ready for rehanging in upcoming days.
The chairs were removed for close inspection by state inspectors and all passed.
The hangers which attach the chairs to the lift cable have all been removed too and shipped to a Vermont company for x-raying for flaws.  They are expected to be back by next week.
Lift specialists from a company called All Lifts which has worked at Big Tupper in the past completed mechanical work on the lifts.
The company was charged with making repairs to the  wheels and other equipment on the lift towers to put everything in top shape for the coming winter.
Mr. Lawson said the chairlift No. 3 engine has been extensively serviced this summer.
He had hoped that lift might be ready for this winter with an overhaul of its two buildings this fall “but the winter is just approaching too fast. It'll have to wait a year!”
Since our early-summer visit the restoration of the chairlift No. 1 base building was also tackled. It too has been rebuilt with new windows and  attractively painted.
All summer long the entire place has been bustling with the work of various contracting crews.  Some days there are as many as 40 workers on site.  Most of them are local people.
On our first visit Mr. Lawson said they hoped to put a temporary snow-making system in place for the lower trails, but on Friday he mentioned they are simply running out of time for this season.
Some of the old snow-making pipes were pressure-tested this summer but they are full of holes.
 The retaining wall next to the lodge has been removed and the earth will be graded in the weeks ahead so skiers can ski right down to their cars in the  parking lot.  Inspectors also felt the deteriorating wall was a hazard, he said.
Landscaping work is planned below and around the chairlift No. 2 building between it and where the resort's planned  hotel will be situated in the large open area at the end of the parking lot.
The ACR plan also calls for the construction of a new spa just below the western edge of the parking lot in the years ahead.
Adjacent to the spa will be the new skating rink planned- similar to the one in place at Sun Valley, Idaho.  The unique place will be designed by ACR investor Scott Allen, skating Olympian.
 Repair work has also commenced on chairlift No. 3, which services the top of the mountain.
Mowing of the trails has been done several times this summer by Jeff Trudeau, who is working with his grandson Josh's company which has been building the 11.5 mile great camp road beyond the Lake Simond.
Part of Josh's crew has been assigned to the mountain while another continues to work on the road into the great camps which is almost completed.  “Right now we're working on driveways (into the great camps).  Many of the lots have already been spoken for but people want to see where their houses will be going!” Mr. Lawson said Friday.
 Jeff  and others with Trudeau Construction  have used large commercial mowers to do the necessary mowing work at Big Tupper.
During our tour Friday Jill Trudeau, Jeff's daughter and Josh's mother and the Adirondack Club and Resort's administrative assistant, predicted there could be at least two more mowings of the mountain trails this fall to put them in good shape to receive the snow nature provides.  One mowing, which may involve some manual cutting,  will focus on the larger vegetation near the sides of the trails where the big machines can't reach and a late fall mow will be another attack at the trails themselves.
Jill knows the mountain well, having skied there since she was three years of age.  When she talks about it and about what's to come her fondness for the place is very apparent.
The resort plans call for a zip line, where the cable will run from the top of chairlift No. 2 area on the old t-bar poles down to the new lake planned adjacent to the lodge.  The restoration of those poles in the months and years ahead and the retrofitting for the popular zip line apparatus is expected to produce a whole brand new type of visitor to the mountain who will come in summers ahead to enjoy the new attraction there.
Future plans also call for a new indoor and outdoor bar building- with seating for about 250- on the slab that was once home to the ski shop and later a day care center. “There places are big out west!”
Entrance towers additions are also planned at both ends of the existing lodge, each with lots of windows to shed light there.
Extensive landscaping is also planned around the lodge.
The resort project is also expected to lease a snowcat for trail grooming operations this winter.
“We're working very hard these days to get everything ready for a good season of skiing this winter!” Mr. Lawson said on our first visit.
When the  Free Press crew returned for a second visit Friday it was amazing  the progress that has been made over the summer.
In recent weeks the entire 600+ acre property has been surveyed by an Albany-based firm using a large commercial drone.
The size of the remotely-controlled aircraft- nearly two feet across- made quite an impression on workers there in recent weeks.
Part of the reason for the topographic map the firm will have ready in upcoming weeks is the layout of a new mountain road to the 30 or so upper elevation residences that will be built below the top of chairlift No. 2 and the dimensions of the lots themselves.
The survey work was also needed to pinpoint the exact locations of new catchment basins in the lodge area to handle all the surface water that typically runs off the mountain.
Hundreds of tons of crushed gravel has been added over the summer to the existing mountain road to the chairlift No. 2 top area to repair it. More is stockpiled in the parking lot for more road work.
On Friday's ride to the top we found Charlie Madore and his crew busy rebuilding the lift station and cabin at the top of chairlift No. 2.
The cabin is being completely rebuilt with a new roof, insulation, new board and batten exterior siding to keep the lift operators at the top dry and warm this winter.  CM Construction crew has also completely rebuilt with pressure-treated framing materials  the platform where skiers get off the lift each ride up the mountain.
Charlie's partner is  Jason Roberge.
On our trip back down the road, as we passed the old ranger cabin, Tom mentioned their plans to eventually rehabilitate it, with rest rooms and a bigger deck where skiers could stop for a break.  Once plans are finalized, the ACR will apply for the permits to repair and improve the old cabin.
Pointing over to chairlift No. 1 he admitted it will require “the most work” to put back in operation.
When it is rebuilt it will feature again its mid-way station, where novices and intermediates can get off to enjoy the lower parts of the trails in front of the lodge.
“We've started the repairs to the towers of chairlift No. 1 but there's a lot of work to be done,” said the ACR developer.  Some of that work involves extensive repairs to the large bull wheel at top.
Chairlift No. 1 won't be open until the 2019-20 ski season, when chairlift No. 3 will also be open and operating.
Set for a new roof this fall is the ski patrol building, adjacent to the base lodge.  Among the repairs will be a new trussed roof.  Those materials were expected to arrive from Tupper Lake Supply this week.
Mr. Lawson met recently with Ski Patrol Director Tom Sciacca and some of his volunteer patrollers and they are ready to provide safety on the ski trails this winter.
The main floor of the Big Tupper lodge has been completed gutted in past weeks, in anticipation of a restoration over the winter.  The operation of the mountain this winter will be directed from the basement level while renovation proceed above.  More on the lodge next week.
Everything is full speed ahead right now at the hometown ski center as the ACR developers plan for a great season of skiing this winter!

Village orders electric car-charging units

by Dan McClelland
The village has ordered three “level two” electric vehicle charging stations to make Tupper Lake a destination for motorists who own electric cars.
Last month the village board ran with an idea by Electric Superintendent Marc Staves to order this charging units as part of a statewide grant program.
One of the new units will go to replace an outdated device in place at the Wild Center and Mr. Staves was expected to meet with those officials in the days following the board's August 15 monthly meeting.
The village will place one unit in the new parking lot in front of Flanders Park and one in the western end of the municipal park, near the Rotary pavilion.
The village crew several years ago installed a charging unit adjacent to the pavilion and Mr. Staves said he recently checked its usage by the owners of electric-powered cars and, in his words, “a whole lot of people” have taken advantage of it.
The signs advertising the charging stations will be part of a statewide system and will be all color coded, Mayor Paul Maroun noted.
The state is also developing a map where all these new charging stations are situated, so owners of electric cars can plan their itineraries around accessing them, bringing new people to town.
Mark Jessie and Suzanne Holiday, the new owners of the Faust Motel, earlier this year installed charging units at their place with an eye to attracting visitors there.
In another electric department matter that Mr. Staves briefed the board members on that evening, he said he met recently with the village's engineering consultants, the MRB group, and did a walk through of the department's garage on McLaughlin Ave. with an eye to its replacement.
He said the firm's representatives assessed the current condition of the old metal garage and have prepared a contract for the village to consider for them to oversee any replacement project.
The old garage, which is shared with the department of public works, has been plagued with roof ice problems over the years.
Mr. Staves said he expects the consultants will present a “needs layout schematic floor plan” to the village in upcoming weeks for the board's consideration.

Still Time to take in the Art Show

The Tupper Arts Center, on 106 Park street, with its bright, large open rooms has created a venue to house a lavish exhibit of works from local artists who have found their inspirations right here in the Adirondacks. Indiscriminate of the visual arts, the newly renovated, recently opened gallery features artworks from a variety of materials on a variety of media, from oil and acrylic paints, pastels and giclee prints to photographic prints and artisan pottery.
Through the entrance and into the main gallery, even a captive audience could easily find themselves getting lost within the many works that decorate the walls and the displays in that wide and open room. With so much to see, one might find themselves asking, “have I seen this piece yet?” The sheer magnitude of the gallery’s collection in this sleepy Adirondack town is intoxicating.
A strong majority of the artworks were completed by artists from Tupper Lake and its surrounding area. But even those who reign from much further away, like artist Sean M. Hall from Waldwick, New Jersey who painted Skiing at Whiteface, are able to capture and express the colors, landscapes and marvels of the Adirondacks through their works. While the Adirondacks isn’t a theme at the Tupper Arts gallery, organically it’s become the unofficial nature of the space.
The local artists from Tupper Lake that are featured in the art show are: Anne Heinz with her assortment of jewelry. Colleen Kenniston had five paintings, with local scenes like Legendary Bog Bridge. Her other works were titled Emerald Night, Old Cabin Comfort, Native American Pricess-Peace in the Sky, Woman of Adventure and Forbidden Love.
Randy Ketchum featured his assortments of creations made from birchbark He displayed Moonrise Over the Peaks, Peace, two untitled birch mirrors and his recycled assemblage, Modern Plant Stand.
Dan King displayed his impressive metal artworks. King had made two fire pokers, a menorah, a toilet paper holder and a flower sculpture.
Photographer Jim Lanthier displayed his reprints of Kathleen Bigrow’s photographs which he presented in a larger form than they originally were. Lanthier displayed nine different photographs.
Jan Lockhart displayed seven of her paintings, Small Barn on Stetson Road, Big Barn on Stetson Road, I Walk Tree, Paul Smith, Walk in Woods, Bridge over Inlet and Spring Stream.
Marsha Litchtman displayed six of her bronze pottery pieces. Lichtman had created to display a platter, a chip and dip set, a bird feeder, a quiche pan, a planter and a cheese server.
Gail Marirea of Tupper Lake, who also resides in Bermuda displayed four of her artistic quilts. One of the quilts was an original design, while two were recreations of photographs and one, a recreation of a Windslow Homer water colour depicting a scene in Bermuda.
Tedd Merrihew displayed several of the photographs that he captured and displayed on canvas, metal and on canoe paddles.
Janet Pacciano displayed her terracotta ad stone sculptors. Her pieces were Oh, the Voices in my Head, Is it Lunchtime Yet?, Christine, Profile, Sweet Little Girl and Heart of Stone.
Olga Pickett displayed three pieces, two artistic photgraphy pieces, Empire and Butt as well as an oil and mixed media piece, Vase With Tulips.
Photographer Joe Sellin displayed several of the images he has captured including Watermelons for Sale, Peruvian Amazon, Tupper Lake at Dusk, Arthur Ave. Butcher, Slot Canyon and Geothermal.
Mary Shaheen displayed her oil and watercolors, Captain Jack, The Old Owl, If I Had a Boat, Marsh Land, Three Generations and Secret Garden.
Donna Sloan displayed two of her unique quilted wall hangings, Foxie Loxie and Adirondack Wildlife.
Michael Trivieri displayed two of his impressive woodcarving pieces, Mink and Loons.
Michele Gannon displayed her oil paintings, Spring, Curious Bear, Autumn Bear, Brook Trout and one charcoal and pencil piece, Owl Orbs.
Newton Greiner displayed his three watercolors, Tupper Lake Isles, Pre-Winter Browns, and Northern Lights.
Marilu Andre displayed her acrylic paintings, Winter’s Leaf, Autumns Leaf, Hawk’s Domain, Leaf Dance, Lord of Sapsucker Pond and Why Do You Ask
Pam Belleville displayed her fused glass creations including jewelry and figurines.
Michelle Blair of P2s displayed her vibrant oil paintings that featured landscapes and still life abundant with wildflowers. Her works are Beside Still Waters, Garden Entrance, Texas Bluebonnets, Peaceful Meadows, Blue Bird Buddy and The Fall Journey.
Susan Brandi featured four of her pieces. Her ceramic work Lily Pads, and her acrylic pieces Winter, River, Flow.
Tupper Lake photgrapher, Joseph Cavallaro displayed four of his captured images, Sunrise, Moody Morning, Ducks on the Pond and Peaceful View.
Another Tupper photographer, “Tall” Paul Chartier featured his works, some of which that are uniquely framed in old window frames creating an experience of looking out into beautiful Adirondack scenes. His pieces are Rain Drop Rose, Moody Pond Mist, Eagle Crag Crossing, Moody Pond Window, Tupper Lake and Mt. Morris, Heron Reflection and Coney Mt. Window.
Ed Donnelly displayed his works, Puff, Are We There Yet?, Duck Butts, This Otter Be Fun, Beautiful Rainbow and Jessie’s Day, a watercolor dedicated and featuring his own daughter. That same Jessie Donnelly also displayed her own artworks, Life’s a Birch Art, which are painted stone night lights.
This art show will go on for the rest of the week through to Saturday.

Scenes from 2018 Flea Market

Adirondack Sky Center to hold open house previewing new museum Friday

Adirondack Sky Center to hold open house
previewing new museum Friday
On Friday, August 10, from 3-5pm, the Adirondack Sky Center (formerly known as the Adirondack Public Observatory) will host an open house at its property at 178 Big Wolf Road, to share its plans for the AstroScience Center museum and planetarium.
The outlines of the new c will be staked out on the grounds so that visitors can picture themselves in the Planetarium, Exhibit Hall, and other spaces planned for the museum.
Organizers will provide free popcorn and lemonade, and great music to celebrate this project’s unique ability to show the “Dark Skies” available in the Adirondack region.
Situated on four acres of raised land in the northerly area of Tupper Lake, the Adirondack Sky Center benefits from some of the only dark skies and the most pristine atmosphere east of the Mississippi River. Interest from across the U.S northeast and the local community has spurred the organization to aim to establish a permanent Adirondack center for astronomy and space science, the AstroScience Center, at the site.
Complementing The Wild Center natural history museum, the ASC’s AstroScience Center will greatly expand science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning in the region, while also strengthening Tupper Lake’s appeal as a meaningful travel destination.
The ASC completed Phases 1 and 2 and is working on Phase 3 now. Phase 1 focused on development of a Roll-off Rooftop Observatory (RORO), completed in 2012, where stargazing takes place year-round. In 2016 Phase 2 was completed, wherein Envision Architects worked with the then-Adirondack Public Observatory to develop options for site and building plan concepts. A preferred concept design has been selected and developed with a cost estimate. Phase 3 includes finalizing designs and Phase 4 is building the AstroScience Center, and a Research Telescope building, is Phase 5. Now in a Capital Campaign to help fund Phases 3, 4, and 5, the Sky Center volunteers invite residents and visitors across the Adirondack region to experience the thrill of possibility this ambitious project offers, at the open house and on its web site and Facebook page.
When complete, the center will have many day-time events and offerings, including a Planetarium, a modern style with room-edge projectors and all-seating viewing; a lecture hall (which will be available for renting out), appropriate for lectures, concerts, etc.; an interactive classroom, where visitors can do self-guided hands-on activities and classes can have guided discussions, robot building, arts classes, and more; with 14,000 square feet of public space, plus 3,000 square feet of space in the basement.
“Gazing at the night sky in the Adirondacks is an awe-inspiring experience,” said Senator Betty Little. “While so many people visit our region for the beautiful mountains, lakes and rivers and incredible recreational opportunities, the stellar spectacle above is something that many urban and suburban visitors don’t see at home either. The Adirondack Sky Center’s plans for the AstroScience Center Museum and Planetarium is very exciting news. This will be a tremendous tourism and educational attraction and I am pleased to lend my support to help secure funding for this project which is sure to inspire.”
James McKenna, CEO of the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST), said "The Adirondack Sky Center in Tupper Lake is the right idea at the right time! It will interpret 'The Wilderness Above' for travelers as the Wild Center across town interprets the wilderness below  and it will tap into our under-appreciated 'Dark Skies.' Large new audiences, such as the many who visit our National Parks just to see night-time views without light pollution, will be lining up once the AstroScience Center opens its doors."
Board President Carol Levy said “The AstroScience Center museum, the second building being constructed to comprise the Adirondack Sky Center, will be a facility providing astronomy-related experiences both day and night for visitors of all ages.”
“It will exponentially expand our educational offerings, including the ability to host many school groups, scout field trips, and more, year-round and will be a center for Astrophotography including training, imaging with telescopes, and processing,” noted Board Vice-President and Tupper Lake Central School District Superintendent Seth McGowan.
Gib Brown, a trustee and retired meteorologist at Newschannel 5, WPTZ, said “This community, Tupper Lake, knows how to get things done. I'm confident that the AstroScience Center will become reality in the years to come."
Residents and visitors are invited to come and get a peek into the future at the observatory on Friday from 3-5pm. Make it an evening with the lecture (following) by Jeffrey Miller of St. Lawrence University, at Tupper Lake High School, at 7p.m., and stop by for free stargazing at the Observatory, beginning 30 minutes or so after sundown (around 9pm), with a guided discussion and telescope viewing of our unique Adirondack night sky.
Check adirondackpublicobservatory.org or its Facebook page, or call 518.359.3538 between 10-5 weekdays, for details.

In preparation for Friday's open house, plastic-covered color drawings of the wonder to come to Tupper Lake at the new AstroScience Center have been placed this week on the graded site of the proposed facility off Big Wolf Road.

Capital campaign launched for $15 million astroscience center

Capital campaign launched for $15 million astroscience center by Dan McClelland
Tupper Lake will be home to a second world-class museum and research center as early as five years from now, according to the newest campaign of the Adirondack Public Observatory.
This month the APO, with headquarters on High Street and its  roll-off roof observatory at its hilltop campus above Little Wolf Lake, is launching a five-year $15 million capital campaign to build its new state of the art astroscience center.
The fundraising campaign begins this month with $1.2 million the APO volunteers have raised for the  center to date.
The modern center is phase 2 of the APO project, and follows on the coattails, in a most grandiose fashion, of the building of the roll off roof observatory in  2011.  Phase 3 is a new $2 million research telescope in a building behind the new center- to be built later.
The astroscience center will be built at about the center of the APO campus, on the side of the existing hill.  Skip Lemieux Contracting and crew have this past week opened a second and lower road into the property off Big Wolf Road, and have marked out with flags the footprint of the new building for events there beginning today.
The new center will be open many afternoons throughout the year and offer many day-time programs and offerings.  It will also be open  several evenings each week for night-time viewing.  
Included in the center will be a modern planetarium- a giant movie theater of sorts with room-edge projectors, a screen across a domed ceiling and innovative seating for as many as 65 curious visitors to relax and enjoy the intricacies of the heavens.
APO President Carol Levy said recently there are many “sky shows” available for screening in planetariums across the country that will be offered for viewing in our planetarium.
People will be able to view the sky and all that it features in the various coming shows inside the planetarium and then go outside in the evening and observe it live, she noted during an interview last week.
The scientific building, which will provide 14,000 square foot of public space and 3,000 square feet of space for storage, mechanical rooms and offices in the basement, will also feature a large lecture hall, available for rent by local and area organizations.  The lecture hall will be home to various lectures, concerts and other events associated with the science of astronomy.
Included too will be an interactive classroom, where visitors of all ages can do what APO leaders are calling “self-guided hands-on activities” or take part in guided discussions.  Activities like robot-building and similar scientific experiments will be regular fare found there.
One of the exhibits the APO leaders are planning is a “build your own alien” machine, where people can push buttons to create their own planet and the type of inhabitant that could live there.  There will be selections for the size of a planet, its type of atmosphere, its temperature, its composition- and from that will come the type of plant or animal or alien that could live there.
“It will be about creating a new world, creating aliens who would occupy it, and how they would move and live,” said Ms. Levy.
“We hope to have an interactive component in every exhibit,” remarked APO Vice President Seth McGowan.
 There will also be space in the new building for conference rooms, which organizations and businesses can book for special sessions and large meetings.
It will be home to various changing exhibits designed to peak curiosities and excite people about the science. Astrophotography, including training, taking photo images with telescopes and processing will be regularly featured at the new exploration place in Tupper Lake.
To be called “The Adirondack Sky Center, it will be what has been described by the scientists at the National Academy of Sciences last year as “a hub for teaching and learning- inspiring a love of exploration beyond our world...”
“Building on the love of nature and wilderness nurtured by the Adirondacks, the Adirondack Sky Center will inspire and encourage the love and knowledge of the wonders of the universe through science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).”
The exhibits, lectures, hands-on activities and conferences inside the new center will provide materials and information to aid visitors in the understanding the breathtaking objects and processes being discovered by the science of astronomy, according to the institute.
“Outside, under the dark skies of the Adirondacks, lessons will come alive as visitors are guided to see, with their own eyes unaided, with binoculars and telescopes, and through visual simulations in the planetarium- across  the vast distances of space to objects that challenge our understanding and even our imagination.  The combination of low humidity, high altitude, and lack of light pollution provide ideal conditions for night sky viewing,” the scientists wrote.
The building will face south and in front of it will be parking in lots down the hill.
All exterior lighting, much of it landscape lighting,  will be dark sky compliant so not to interfere with sky viewing at the roll off roof observatory or the coming research telescope.
David Levy, a scientist who has given APO presentations a number of times in recent years, said of the coming project recently: “Formerly the Adirondack Public Observatory, the Adirondack Sky Center is revealing the treasure of the dark Adirondack skies. Over the last 15 years the sky center has evolved into a regionally recognized center for the observation and study of the cosmos, and has been growing its mission to provide quality educational experiences for people of all ages through the science, technology and history of astronomy.
“No science inspires as does astronomy. And the Adirondack night sky, the wilderness above, is simply spectacular!  It is the dark skies of the New York State's Adirondack Park that something unique is being crated: the Adirondack Sky Center and Observatory!”
The executive directors of the APO include Ms. Levy as president, Seth McGowan, vice president, Sandie Strader, secretary, Mark Moeller, treasurer and Alexander Crispo, member at large.
The board of trustees include: David Aguilar, Carole Barrett, Gib Brown, A. Wallace Everest, Jr., Kirk Gagnier, Jerry Hacker, Jim LaValley, Tom Lawson, Jeffrey Miller, Dr. Aileen O'Donoghue, the Rev. Rick Wilburn and Tom Wojtkowski.
Advisory board members are Art Cacciola, Tim Connelly, Jr., Barbara Grose, Linda Levy, Peter Litchfield, Susan Lawson, Bruce McClure, Nick Moeller and Kate Martin.

Tupper Arts Center get new facade

This new colorful banner comprised of art works from high school art teacher Shannon Kavanagh's students now vividly point the way to the new headquarters of Tupper Arts on Park Street.  The new place which will home to a host of artistic and cultural events in the weeks, months and years to come will be officially shown off to the public at an opening gala planned on Tuesday, August 7.  For details of the gala and how to purchase tickets, check out the advertisement  in this week's issue. 

Village officials: “Don't be afraid to water your lawns!”

“Don't be afraid to water your lawns!” is the message from village leaders to village residents and water district customers this week.
“I'd like people to water their lawns!” Trustee Ron LaScala, who oversees the water and sewer department, announced at Wednesday's monthly village board meeting.
“We want to put our new wells to the test...so go ahead and water!” he asserted.
Water and Sewer Superintendent Mark Robillard, in his report to the board, said he'd like “to push the new wells to the limit” to get an exact idea of their performance and recovery times.
He warned homeowners, however, to use some discretion and not let their hoses run continuously. “I don't want folks to be foolish” with their water use.
Mr. Robillard said these hot, dry summer days are optimal to test the new system, which came on line in recent weeks.
In past summers, when all village water was drawn from Tupper Lake and Little Simond, residents were asked to water their lawns only  on alternative days, as those sources required expensive chemicals to treat their water.
“Normally at this time of year we'd be doing a lot of backwashing at those two plants- and running into a lot of overtime” wages because we had employees working weekends and evenings.
With the plentiful supply of water coming out of those new wells beyond Pitchfork Pond, and the fact that the new water source requires a relatively little amount of treatment, his department will see a lot less over-time, it was noted.
Mr. Robillard said since the new village well water system came on line in the past two weeks, customers have been enjoying “cold, clear water” from their taps.
Any cloudiness that was noticed in the days following the start-up should now be gone, and if it persists, he said his office would like to know about it.
“How's the water pressure in the Junction neighborhoods?” Mayor Paul Maroun asked the room that evening.
“I noticed a little drop, but it's still great,” said Cedar Street resident Pete Edwards, code enforcement officer.
“Mine's fine!” noted planning board member Jan Yaworski, who has done extensive renovations to her Oak Street house where she hopes to eventually devote one bedroom to a bed and breakfast operation.
To enjoy the full benefit of the new clean and minimally treated well water flowing into town down the new mains on Kildare Road, Mr. Robillard suggested residents clean the screens on their faucets.
Mr. LaScala said right now all the village's water is coming from the new wells, and not from Little Simond or Tupper Lake, the latter of which will soon be mothballed by the village.
The wells are both holding about 54 feet in height of water and are replenishing almost immediately, the trustee told his colleagues and the public that evening.
“The wells are both holding very level,” in terms of their water content, Mr. Robillard agreed.
As of publishing time, the water experiment has ended.

Evening games delights crowd again

One of the highlights of the Tupper Lake Woodsmen's Days is the Saturday evening games, and this year was no exception.
As always the crowd, dominated with local residents, loved the excitement.
This year offered five male tug of war teams and the groaning and grunting of big men was pronounced throughout the contest.
The winners this year after some major struggles was the Lizotte Logging team.  A pick-up team of kayakers training at the Lake Placid training center plus Brent Bowman's sons Connor and Michael put together the second best effort of the evening. Their team was called Team Gutpa.
A team called Mossy Oak pulled third best.  Young Life had a team in it this year too.
In the women's tug of war Rope Burn, a group of local ladies continued their winning ways for about the fourth year in a row with another first place finish.
An offshoot team from that same winning gang, called Burn Rope, managed the second prize.  Some gals in town for a bridal party put together a third place win with a team called Merger.  The gals even treated the crowd to a patriotic song after the pulling.
Team Danny, another Young Life contribution, was the fourth set of ladies to pull.
By contrast to earlier years when as many as five or six teams tried to scale the grease pole, Saturday's climb only attracted two.
Back for their eleventh try up the pole to ring the bell was Tupper's best, Team Dozer, which is always dominated by members of the Skiff family.
For the first time in ten years, the agile climbers didn't ring the bell, although top man Ryan Skiff came within an inch or so of doing it.
Missing this year on the team was anchor man Ricky Skiff and in his place was Josh Dupuis.  Also missing from the line-up was Travis Skiff.  Back this year were Ryan Moeller and Chase Kavanagh and a new member was Joel Counter.
Although no bell was rung, Team Dozer was still the winner.
The other climbing team was The Bear in Camp from Young Life.
This year featured a team of women climbers, and some of the cast of Rope Burn.  The lady climbers were Michaela Warren, Alyssa Rupert, Crystal (Reandeau) Billian, Yvonne Sutton and Paige Foley.
Good job, girls!

Woodsmen’s Days heavy equipment contests draw many teams

by Rich Rosentreter
Contestants were able to show off their ability to operate functions of heavy equipment as part of the Woodsmen’s Days competitions over the weekend.
Among the heavy equipment competitions were a loading contest, skidding competition, truck driving contest and four-man competition.
There were 15 competitors in the loading contest in which basically each competitor uses a hydraulic loader to transfer eight wooden blocks, one by one, from red squares on a grid to red squares on another grid then return them to the red squares on the original grid for a checker board contest.
This competition was won by Jon Duhaime with a time of 3:22.20. The runner-up was Scott Lizotte with a time of 3:26.08 and taking third place was Buck North with a time of 3:27.09.
The skidding competition featured 20 contestants with 11 being from out of town. Contestants had to dismount the machine, hook chokers on logs, return to machine, fasten seatbelt and proceed around obstacle course as directed by judges. There were also four women who gave it a try as well.
Taking first place was Scott Lizotte with a time of 1:08.33. Coming in second was Mike Moon Jr. with a time of 1:23.32 and taking third place was Will Middlemiss with a time of 1:24.83.
In the trucking competition there were six contestants who demonstrated their truck-driving skills on an obstacle course and also had to back the rig to a loading platform.
Buck North captured first place with a time of 0:45.39. In second place was Scott Lizotte (1:00.72) and taking the third spot was James “Beefy” Donah (1:07.08).
In the four-man competition there were six teams total, with one team being a female squad. This event was introduced to Woodsmen’s Days in 1986 and gives the spectator a first-hand look at what is a typical day for a crew, according to the Woodsmen’s website. Each team member performs one phase of the simulated logging operation as the cutter fells three trees, then the skidder chokes the logs and brings them to the landing. The loader operator and the cutter work together to buck the logs and then load them on the truck. The trucker then hauls the logs to the finish line and the team with the lowest total time is declared “Top Crew of the Woods” the site explains.
In first place was the team of Jon Duhaime, Mike Rust, Scott Lizotte and Frank Tice with a time of 6:31.82 and one penalty. In second place was the team of Mike Trivieri, Bob Schram, Neilson Snye and Buck North with a time of 7:23.15 and one penalty.
The women’s team included Ciera North as the skidder, Stephanie Breton as the loader and Tenielle Moeller manning the truck. Hank Denis served as cutter (we didn't want a woman really running a chainsaw in case of an accident, organizers said).
According to one event worker, the girls had fun and the crowd really enjoyed watching women try what some of these men do every day.