The Adirondack Common Ground Alliance will hold its fourth annual summer conference at the Sabattis Pavilion in Long Lake on Wednesday (July 14) in an effort to hammer out a strategy for building long-lasting, private-sector employment in the 103 towns and villages that comprise the Adirondack Park.

The Common Ground Alliance is a forum for public-private collaboration. State and local governments, nonprofit organizations, business owners, stakeholders, and residents of the Park participate as equals. The Alliance works to promote the common good of the communities, residents, and resources of the Adirondack Park, not to further specific organizational, institutional, or individual agendas.
Over the past two years, the Alliance has developed a 14-point “Blueprint” of economic and environmental challenges for its members to tackle together [doc]. Issues include property taxes, high speed communications, energy, infrastructure development, land-use issues, marketing opportunities, affordable housing, rural health care, main street revitalization, control of invasive species and curbing acid rain.

Participants will hear updates on positive changes within the Adirondacks including the creation of the Adirondack Non-Profit Network (ANN), Tupper Lake ARISE, as well as trail and arts and culture projects in Clifton Fine and Old Forge respectively.

Common Ground Alliance core team members include Ray Curran, Adirondack Sustainable Communities, Inc.; Bill Farber, Chairman, Hamilton County Board of Supervisors; Brian Houseal, Executive Director, The Adirondack Council; Kate Fish, Executive Director, Adirondack North Country Association; J.R. Risley, Adirondack Economic Development Corporation; Greg Hill, Adirondack North Country Association; Zoe Smith, Wildlife Conservation Society; Brian Towers, President, Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages; Lani Ulrich, Adirondack Park Agency, Founding Director of CAP-21; Gregg Wallace, Wallace Contracting; Ross Whaley, Senior Advisor, Adirondack Landowners Association.