Fulton County residents got an update this week on the progress toward constructing the Great Sacandaga Lake Discovery Center, a project that’s been years in the making.
The 33-acre plot of land the proposed center would sit on was purchased by the county for $520,000 in 2021 – it’s located in Mayfield right along Route 30 with access to hiking trails.
The Great Sacandaga Lake Discovery Center, previously dubbed the Sacandaga Museum, was initially pitched to be funded with remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds granted to Fulton County during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s one of three different projects pursued by the county to draw tourists to the area, hopefully driving up occupancy tax collection. Those include a "field of dreams" baseball diamond in Gloversville and improved sewer infrastructure along Route 30 in Mayfield.
An initial $1.2 million price tag for the center grew to nearly $8.4 million amid tariffs as part of President Donald Trump’s “made in America” mandates.
The center itself will have a number of exhibits, one of which would outline the 10 hamlets along the Sacandaga River that were destroyed in the creation of Great Sacandaga Lake in the early 20th century to alleviate flooding in counties to the south.
Another area would allow local schools to learn about local fish species with hands-on learning experiences.
Officials present at a meeting Monday night said they envisioned the center creating a trifecta with the Adirondack Experience at Blue Mountain Lake and The Wild Center in Tupper Lake.
In July 2025, the county’s finance committee voted to pause progress on the project – that pause will remain in effect until grants are secured to close the remaining $2.7 million budget gap. Officials expect those grants to be awarded by the end of this year.
The Mayfield Presbyterian Church was practically at capacity for Monday's meeting – posts shared over social media platforms over the past few weeks have really spurred a lot of uncertainty in the project.
I spoke with a few attendees, including Sara Will-White, who was neutral on the center: she’s got a kid who will love going to it, but she doubts it will really generate tourism. She still had a few questions left as she was leaving.
“Really, what’s going to be the total cost when it’s all said and done? What’s the total, final, billable cost and what will the maintenance cost us? And in five years if it’s not successful, what’s the building going to turn into?”
County Administrative Officer Jon Stead answered that final question: maintenance on the building is estimated to be around $100,000 annually, and county officials expect that to be covered by the raise in tourist-driven tax revenues.
Others in attendance, like Grace Losacco, were fully behind the yet-to-materialize center.
“I think it will generate more tourism to the area which will generate more money to the area. It’s true that things get really quiet in the winter time and yes, there’s a lot of a traffic that it would bring to the area, but I think it’s all good. I think it will benefit the county and the area,” said Losacco.
