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Adirondack Park Agency board reviews changes to Mt. Van Hoevenberg management plan

Adirondack Park Agency sign outside its headquarters in Ray Brook NY
Pat Bradley
/
WAMC
Adirondack Park Agency sign outside its headquarters in Ray Brook NY (file)

The Adirondack Park Agency Board has adopted a resolution that will allow upgrades at Mount Van Hoevenberg and heard a presentation on a jobs initiative for Fort Drum soldiers.

The presentation explained a program called Next Move NY, a North Country Regional Economic Development Council strategy to match transitioning Fort Drum soldiers and their families with workforce opportunities across the region.

The Development Authority of the North Country will establish the administrative framework for the initiative. Program administrator Ben Cruz, an Army veteran, told board members Next Move NY will help those leaving the military while filling the region’s workforce gap.

“The Army, in general when a soldier is transitioning, they’re really agnostic to where the soldiers and the military spouse or the veteran in general, where they go. So that creates an amazing opportunity for us because nobody’s tapping into this workforce. And looking at the data from Fort Drum roughly 4,600 individuals get out of the military or retire every year out of Fort Drum. So, in a ten-year span that’s roughly 46,000 individuals. That’s the workforce potential that we’re going after.”

The APA board also heard presentations on proposed amendments to the Unit Management Plan for the Mount Van Hoevenberg recreational and competitive sports venue.

APA Environmental Programs Specialist Mitchell Jones told the board that the proposed amendments can be divided into three main categories: Sliding Sports complex developments, World Cup Mountain Biking developments and wax cabins.

“One goal of the UMP amendment is to facilitate the modernization of the outdated sliding complex infrastructure and improve the overall experience for athletes, spectators and staff. To fulfill this goal, the UMP amendment proposes 12 construction activities within four management action categories: repair and maintenance, expansion and extension of existing facilities, rehabilitation and/or replacement of existing facilities and new facility construction.”

Olympic Regional Development Authority CEO Ashley Walden explained the changes to the venue if the plan amendments are approved.

“The 2025 proposed management actions, I won't read through all of them, but highlight a few. The replacement of the refrigeration infrastructure. The infrastructure is original from 1978 so to meet the operational efficiency and the modern standards, this is the lead of the projects. Constructing the cross-country mountain bike course is another large feature of one of the proposed management actions. All of these, I just want to highlight that there is no construction on the Forest Preserve through these proposed management actions.”

Two board members, Zoe Smith and Art Lussi, recused themselves from the vote. The remaining members unanimously approved the amendment.

The Park Agency’s 2024 annual report will be presented at the board’s next meeting, scheduled for February 13th and 14th.