The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) will meet on Thursday, October 8 and Friday, October 9 at APA Headquarters in Ray Brook, NY. The agency will consider two more towers along the Northway, one near the Lincoln Pond Rest Area in Elizabethtown and the other near Exit 30 in North Hudson. The October meeting will be webcast live on the agency’s homepage; meeting materials are available online. Here is the meeting agenda as provided by the APA:
The Full Agency will convene on Thursday morning at 9:00 with Executive Director Terry Martino’s report highlighting monthly activity.

At 9:30 a.m., the Regulatory Programs Committee will determine approvability for two simulated tree telecommunications towers proposed by T-Mobile, LLC. Both sites would improve cellular coverage along the Northway.

T-Mobile is proposing a 105-foot simulated tree telecommunications tower off Simonds Road adjacent to the Adirondack Northway near the Lincoln Pond Rest Area in Elizabethtown, Essex County. The second project involves the construction of a 90-foot simulated tree along NYS Route 9 near Northway Exit 30 in the Town of North Hudson, Essex County.

At 1:00, the Economic Affairs Committee will hear a presentation from Mr. Richard Wilt, of Wilt Industries, which is located in the Town of Lake Pleasant, Hamilton County. Mr. Wilt will profile the firm, its products and current operational focus. Initially established in the Albany area, Wilt Industries relocated to Lake Pleasant where the principals maintained a seasonal residence.

At 1:45, Richard Wilt, who is also the Town of Arietta Supervisor, will be the guest speaker for the Community Spotlight presentation. Supervisor Wilt will overview his community and highlight important community issues facing this Hamilton County town.

At 2:30, the Park Ecology Committee will convene for status reports from Hilary Smith of the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program and Steve Sanford of DEC’s Office of Invasive Species Coordination. In addition, Rob Davies of DEC’s Division of Lands and Forests will review existing forest invasive pests in New York, the different responses associated with each and the legal considerations and parameters associated with this issue in the Forest Preserve.

On Friday morning at 9:00, the Local Government Service Committee will meet for a presentation from Roger Trancik, Urban Design Consultant, and Bill Johnston, former Essex County Planning Director. They will summarize Phase 3 efforts of the Hamlets of the Adirondacks Project. The Phase 3 project was undertaken to address planning and community development interests in hamlet revitalization. The project follows two previous studies:

Hamlets I which was intended to provide education material about hamlets. The study addressed potential misperceptions that the Adirondack Park is entirely a wilderness without any communities or resident population.

Hamlets II which was intended to provide local governments, planning boards, community organizations, and concerned individuals with ideas and strategies on hamlet revitalization.

The Phase 3 project focuses on adaptive reuse of existing buildings and maximizing land use within hamlets as key components to address Adirondack community development needs. This study is a DEC-funded Adirondack Community Smart Growth Project sponsored by the Adirondack Community Housing Trust.

At 10:00, the Full Agency will convene to take action as necessary and conclude the meeting with committee reports, public and member comment.

The next Agency meeting is November 12-13, 2009, at the Adirondack Park Agency Headquarters.

December Agency Meeting: December 10-11, 2009 at the Adirondack Park Agency Headquarters.