New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was in Lake Placid this afternoon to announce state funding for three initiatives in the North Country.
The bio-medical research Trudeau Institute has been in the Adirondacks for over a century. But officials had considered moving the research facilities out of state. That has been prevented with the announcement Wednesday by Governor Cuomo that New York will provide funding to link the Trudeau Institute with Clarkson University.
Citing its charm and economic potential, Governor Cuomo, while not handing out any money, promised the village of Saranac Lake help from the state for economic development projects.
The governor’s most anticipated announcement will repair the Whiteface Mountain Veteran’s Memorial Highway. Opened in 1935, more than 28,000 vehicles travel the 8-mile long road to the peak of the 4,867-foot mountain. But harsh weather, high winds and ice have deteriorated the seasonal road and this year. A priority project for the Regional Economic Development Council, regional officials had lobbied the governor for transportation funds.
Wilmington County Supervisor Randy Preston is relieved that after years the Whiteface Memorial Highway will soon be repaired.
The logistics of the highway’s repairs have yet to be determined. About 70,000 people travel the Whiteface Memorial Highway annually.
