44 Comments
User's avatar
Julie Wash's avatar

I learned a lot today. Fantastic piece, as journalism approaches therapy, and aims for a good outcome, with few enemies, and choices for behavior. Kudos for a great session, Will.

Expand full comment
Bob's avatar

Change can be difficult, even if the outcome is an overall positive. When proposing change, I think it’s important to explore all reasonable options and compare the pros and cons for each. That way, a more complete case can be made for the proposal and those affected can be in a better position to understand the advantages.

Regarding the APA’s proposed relocation — I’m curious as to whether the APA explored options to rehabilitate the buildings in its current location, or construct new buildings. Much of the discussion surrounding the proposed move seems to be centered on whether it’s a positive outcome for Saranac Lake. For example:

"The state’s 2022 budget included $29 million “to build a state of the art, energy efficient headquarters,” McKeever said. “The downtown location would be a unique opportunity to partner with local government, support a Downtown Revitalization Initiative community, increase accessibility to the public, and restore an existing historic building.” (Adirondack Explorer)

What alternatives did the APA explore prior to deciding on the relocation and choosing its "preferred" site? The APA commissioned a feasibility study for this specific move. Did it commission one to study all the options?

Expand full comment
Upstate New Yorker's avatar

Many in Saranac Lake oppose the move because the location is a prime piece of real estate that they feel would benefit more from a private developer.

Expand full comment
Will Doolittle's avatar

The Paul Smith's Power and Light Building -- the building the APA proposes to move into -- is on the National Register of Historic Places and is owned by the village. It was previously home to county offices and the village police department and is now vacant. It still functions as part of the electricity-generating dam at that spot and would continue to do so if the APA moved in as a tenant (the village would continue to own the building). I do not believe it can be sold or privately developed.

Expand full comment
mike parwana's avatar

As an outsider looking in, I would think moving the APA HQ into SL would be desirable for employees. There are many restaurants and stores to walk to at lunch or after work. There are parks right there. From Ray Brook you can easily walk to a gas station and a lumber yard. A little further to the BBQ joint. Of course, there might be a bit more traffic to deal with in town.

Presumably there would be a new use for the current HQ building, but if there isn’t, that is a concern.

This is an important sentence, “It is past time now for all sides to put that distrust [between “locals” and APA] behind us and work together constructively.”

I worked in the housing business in the Park for years and it was rare for any ordinary scattered lot housing to confront any problem with the APA. Despite local lore many hundreds of homes are built in the Park every year.

I’ve had plenty of meetings with customers who openly schemed to avoid or subvert regulations, such as designing a room above a boathouse and calling it a “game room” with the intent to make it a sleeping area after getting a certificate of occupancy.

And in terms of large developments it doesn’t seem like the APA has doomed many. The Big Tupper plan collapsed under its own weight. At very nearly the same time the Mount Luzerne project, planned specifically to be built just outside and adjoining the Park boundary, but also sandwiched into Luzerne and not Queensbury in order to avoid the more difficult Qby Planning Board ended with a similar result as Big Tupper.

Tangentially, it will be enlightening to see the results of the planned development by West Mountain squarely in Qby but very close to the Park. Will it face as much opposition outside the Park as a similar development within the Park? I suspect so.

Expand full comment
mike parwana's avatar

I should note that after a lengthy review the Mont Luzerne development was approved but was never built. Meanwhile, Big Tupper, after years of neglect, has found new owners who seem more intent on bringing it back to life one small step at a time rather than spending all their time developing networks of financing.

Expand full comment
James Tynan's avatar

Good to hear both sides of the story. I think moving to Saranac Lake would be a plus.

Expand full comment
Chrissy Geraci's avatar

I’ve been following the APA story with a lot of interest and really appreciate your additional context, Will.

Expand full comment
Charlie Bucket's avatar

Perhaps your friend was a bad hire. A private sector person may not understand how to work with a collective unit. Maybe she should send them an email asking them each to list five things they did this week?

Expand full comment
Will Doolittle's avatar

She wasn’t a private sector hire. She was working for the state of NY as an assistant secretary of economic development

Expand full comment
Charlie Bucket's avatar

Owns a private business?

Expand full comment
Will Doolittle's avatar

It’s a family business she has worked there and elsewhere. But she was hired from the public sector

Expand full comment
Eric Mondschein's avatar

Well said Will. Thanks.

Expand full comment
Tanya Goldstein's avatar

Having worked in a school for decades and having seen superintendents and principals come and go, this dust up between the employees and the executive director was unfortunately quite familiar to me. Energy, ambition, drive—all good qualities in a leader, but managing people is an art that many leaders seem to lack. Maybe it’s the ego that goes along with the ambition and drive. The best leader makes the people they lead feel like they did it themselves, even as they are being led. Most leaders have big egos, understandably I guess, and like to throw their weight around making changes to an organization to bring about their vision that their ego tells them is the right and best way to do things. But without buy-in from the employees it is doomed to strife and failure.

Expand full comment
Will Doolittle's avatar

I don’t doubt your experience but I don’t think that is what is happening here. Employees also have to bear some responsibility for giving a leader a chance and meeting them at least partway.

Expand full comment
Tanya Goldstein's avatar

That’s very true! The buy in from the employees is key, actually. But difficult to achieve if the relationship starts out on the wrong foot. I don’t know the specifics about the APA situation, but my experience leads me to think somehow the employees got their back up at something she said or did, maybe just a small thing that shouldn’t have been a big deal, and it snowballed from there.

Expand full comment
Jack Delehanty's avatar

Both sides now. Great journalism. Yet personal affection may infect, affect, effect perspective and influence fair reporting. From my perspective as a former short term Agency public servant always residing over here in Tupper Puddle, those millions of dollars to rehab the former NYMO building to suit bureaucratic and/or political whim would be better spent by TriLakes local governments trying to improve things for their taxpayers.

Expand full comment
mike parwana's avatar

But wouldn’t spending millions to rehab a property in SL be exactly what you’re asking for?

Investment in a community is …well, investment in a community. If that investment brings workers into a dense village with increased opportunity for retail sales growth and the sales tax dollars that brings to local government, isn’t that good for taxpayers?

And wouldn’t having the HQ of the APA right in downtown bring more people into the business district?

Of course, I have no idea the scope of work either building needs to bring them to modern standards of efficiency, but it doesn’t seem like that is the major concern here.

Finally, the money for office rehab work is typically a different pool of funding than other sorts of community investment, like in water and sewer infrastructure, or road improvement, or even buying a new plow or loader. It seems to me that money spent on an office rehab project does double duty in creating greater value to the existing structure, providing good construction jobs while the renovations occur, improving opportunity for local business and generating sales tax growth, as I noted above.

Expand full comment
W Tucker's avatar

Mike how would you determine sales tax growth? Wouldn’t one need to be able to measure it, if they wanted to know how long before the return equal the investment and the benefit begins?

Expand full comment
Wendy Aronson's avatar

The poem seems to address what is happening right now in the United States. We are "going off air." The suppression of the press, the dismantling of the agencies whose joint expertise keeps us safe, and the takeover of both legislative and judicial branch independence is terrifying. I've just left messages for Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand, and Leader Jeffries to boycott Tuesday's State of the Union speech. Why should anyone listen to our narcissistic, prevaricating grifter ruin an evening?

Expand full comment
Bob Meyer's avatar

As a careful reader of the Explorer and of your posts Ken and someone who knows several wilderness advocates, present and former employees of the APA and is familiar with the history of the agency going back to its founding, I know that these issues a very complex with several “sides“.

Sorry for the run-on sentence, lol.

I am sure that what you have written is valid. I am also sure that there are valid points in the complaints by current and former staff. You know, as do I that there are always politics and personal dynamics in any organization, no matter how well run it may be.

I look forward to all sides being heard, and hopefully to a resolution to a more commodious atmosphere at the APA. I also hope that Governor Hogle will get her act together and increase the staff to a more realistic level just as I hope the DEC can increase the range force to a more manageable and realistic number.

Expand full comment
Will Doolittle's avatar

There is good news coming on the staffing front, I believe. I think the governor's budget for this coming year includes money for a staff increase. I haven't been there for the internal dynamics at the agency. But one thing I do know is journalism, and I've been disappointed by the way the Explorer has covered this story, for the reasons I laid out. It's often possible to defend yourself as a journalist by saying the story is true, as far as it goes, and people are interested in it, therefore it's newsworthy. I have said that myself. But I do think when you're writing multiple stories over a period of years, you have to do better than simply reprinting the anonymous complaints of employees and getting a reaction from the bosses. Anonymity should not be easily granted, especially not when others are being criticized by name, when multiple sources are being given anonymity and when the anonymity is being granted multiple times over a long period. Essentially, the Explorer has given dissatisfied APA employees a venue for airing unlimited criticism while taking zero responsibility for it. That's irresponsible journalism.

Expand full comment
Ken Tingley's avatar

I often worry that the use of anonymous sources awt the national makes it fashionable to use them at the local level. I think the one thing every journalistic outlet could do to increase their credibility is to limit the use of anonymous sources to an absolutle necessity. We always had a high standard for using anonymous sources at The Post-Star and discouraged it.

Expand full comment
Noreen's avatar

There is a truck route through GF. It just has to be enforced by the Mayor and GFPD. They are not to go down Ridge I know… Board of Public Safety should address.

Expand full comment
Will Doolittle's avatar

I thought there might be. It is not enforced

Expand full comment
W Tucker's avatar

Noreen I went to the Glens Falls web site https://www.cityofglensfalls.com/ I may have missed it but I did not find any information on a truck route.

If it is not on the City website how would a shipper unfamiliar with Glens Falls streets plan their shipment route?

Expand full comment
Bob's avatar
Mar 2Edited

https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/operating/oom/transportation-systems/repository/Truck%20Book%202020.pdf

(In addition, truck-specific GPS routing apps and computer programs)

Expand full comment
W Tucker's avatar

Bod how do truck-specific GPS routing apps and computer program get the Truck Routes? Who is reasonable for the planning of truck routes within the city of Glenns Falls

Expand full comment
Bob's avatar

Why are most of your replies here nothing more than questions seemingly designed to put commenters on the defensive? Do you know that’s a common trolling tactic?

Expand full comment
mike parwana's avatar

Like the Elon Musk of commenters, totally ignorant but certain of expertise.

Expand full comment
mike parwana's avatar

Breaker breaker there Pig Pen.This here’s the Rubber Duck, I need you to scan the internet on the rules of the road for the Glens Falls One Way

No Pig Pen, I don’t know what an Internet is. Can you give me yer 20?

Oh no go, Pig Pen. Hanging Louie from Glen to South st is a 10-77.

What’s that Pig Pen?

A map? Design standards for roads?

No Pig Pen, they just lay that stuff out random, whatever feels good. At least that’s how they done it before Big Joe and the Phantom 309 ‘most took out that bus of kids back in ‘69.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCeVP9WuA6I

Expand full comment
W Tucker's avatar

Bob, most of my questions relate to a posted comment.

The following is what I found searching the link you supplied

Mohican Street to I 87 (Exit 17) in the City of Glens Falls, Big Boom Road to the Town of Queensbury-City of Glens Falls line in the Town of Queensbury, Hudson Avenue to the City of Glens Falls-Town of Queensbury line in the City of Glens Falls, Broad Street to Murray Street in the City of Glens Falls, US 9 to Murray Street in the City of Glens Falls, Hudson Avenue to the Pruyn Island Street Industrial Park in the City of Glens Falls

Monican St to Murray St to Broad Street to I-87 (exit 17) connecting I-87 to US 9. The other connection is to Pruyn Island.

The following is also with the same link

Special Dimension Vehicles (SDVs) may also operate on all highways within one road mile of Qualifying Highways (National Network) using the most reasonable and practicable route available, except for specific safety reasons on individual routes. The National Network consist of all In

What I did not find was a definition of “Special Dimension Vehicles” There appears to be many roads within the city of Glens Falls that would fit the exception unless specific safety reasons could be cited. So, who would be reasonable to make that determination

Expand full comment
Tom Philo's avatar

Good Piece! I learned a little!

Expand full comment
Upstate New Yorker's avatar

It is no surprise that Mr. Doolittle views "progress" at the APA as them greenlighting every development proposal without any serious inquiry. It is, however, surprising that he would side with bosses and alleged bullies when, by his own admission, he knows very little. I've been around long enough to know that "transforming workplace culture" is a jargony catchphrase used by both great leaders and toxic ones. Ditto "tough love" and "change is difficult" (almost always uttered in a patronizing way). Mr. Doolittle has been around long enough that he should know these things too.

Expand full comment
Will Doolittle's avatar

Sure. Jargon can be used by anyone, for good or ill. The APA has not been rubber-stamping development proposals. This project, for an artillery range in Lewis, was one of those denied last year:https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/adirondack-park-agency-denies-appeal-for-lewis-artillery-range

I didn't say I know very little about what is going on at the agency. I said almost nothing is known about the IG's investigation, which is typical for state investigations.

Expand full comment
Jim Connolly's avatar

I could not disagree more. APA never explored any real alternatives beyond their own myopic opinions. APA is a regional agency that was perfectly situated next to the DEC headquarters in Ray Brook. Barbara Rice, as head of the APA should understand that dynamic, first & foremost. The fact of the matter is that there was a proposal to rebuild in Ray Brook until Barbara Rice got it into her head that she was going to do something "transformative" for the Village. The only thing that could possibly be called "transformative" is the money that could be made by consultants and contractors through design & construction. Most staff only take a 1/2 hour lunch. Many staff, since the COVID outbreak, have opted to work from home. Whate4ver benefit some may see in moving 5 miles from Ray Brook to Saranac Lake is basically non-existent. In addition, APA would be required to pay local taxes in accordance with State law. For these reasons, former staff including four former Board members and three former executive staff among others sent a letter of concern to Governor in July, 2023 expressing dismay at the proposal.

James Connolly, former Deputy Director, APA

Expand full comment
Will Doolittle's avatar

The APA would have to pay local taxes on the building even though the agency wouldn’t own it?

Expand full comment
Lorraine Duvall's avatar

I take issue with the view that "The park agency headquarters belongs in the capital of the Adirondacks." What other options were studied? Stated by Jim Connelly below, "APA never explored any real alternatives beyond their own myopic opinions." The public needs to know the agency's process for the proposed relocation to Saranac Lake. That would be good reporting.

Expand full comment