News & Opinion About Huletts Landing, N.Y.
There’s Proof – The Air is Cleaner
Here is a good article from the Watertown Daily Times which cites an EPA study that shows that decreased emissions from the nation’s power plants have led to cleaner air and water in the Adirondacks.
Election Date Set for Congressional Election
AMD Plant Snags
The proposed AMD computer chip plant has run into a few snags, the Post Star reports. While not unexpected, these may slow down the plant’s development.
This may seem like a strange headline but here is a press release we received from the Lake George Property Owner’s Group, where they call the proposed stream corridor regulations being considered by the Lake George Park Commission a confiscation of private property. Many of their arguments are valid and worthy of discussion.
Additionally, here are two links from the Adirondack Journal and the Times of Ti to stories about the Governor’s proposal to alter the payment of real estate taxes on state forest preserve land.
These stories may combine to make a funny headline but they should be taken very seriously. If they both come to pass in their present form, they will cause property taxes to explode.
Richard and Edie Cerosky have lived on Bluff Head Road for many years. Their sons, Scott and Bruce along with their daughter, Lyn, were always big water-skiers and for many years they had a water skiing course in front of their house. The Cerosky’s were always very kind in letting novice water skiers use their course and helping them with advice.
It seems that after 9/11, Bruce Cerosky was looking to return to a simpler way of life and he and his family relocated to Bolton Landing. Recently the Huletts Current had a chance to catch up with Bruce Cerosky and his wife, Kathy, to learn about their business endeavors in Bolton Landing.
For those familiar with Bolton Landing, the Cerosky’s own both the Sagamore Pub and the Fins & Claws Seafood Shop on Route 9N. Both of these are easy to get to by boat from Huletts in the summer. You would simply dock your boat at the public dock at Rogers Park, and walk up through the park, to Route 9N. (The public dock is just south of the bridge which leads to the Sagamore Resort and is next to the public beach in Bolton Landing.)
The Sagamore Pub is located at 4983 County Route 9N, at the entrance to the Sagamore resort, and Fins & Claws is located at 4933 County Route 9N. (County Route 9N is also known as Lake Shore Drive.) Both restaurants are within about 100 yards of each other. “We bought Fins & Claws in the summer of ’07 and we opened the Sagamore Pub on April 23, 2008,” Kathy Cerosky recalled. “We love Huletts and we would be very happy to have people come down.”
To give you a feel for both restaurants, we were given a tour by the Cerosky’s. The Sagamore Pub is decorated in classic Adirondack style and you’ll want to check out the magnificant winter picture of Lake George which hangs above the bar. Lake George history books are readily available in a fascinating book display. Fins & Claws is a great place for fresh seafood and is a nice summer getaway.
“Please tell people from Huletts that if they stop down, to tell us that they are from Huletts,” the Cerosky’s said. “Richard and Edie have had their house there for over 30 years and we consider it home also. Any person from Huletts is a friend of ours.”
So now you know where Bruce Cerosky is today and you learned it here on the Huletts Current. Stop in and say hello to the Cerosky’s and tell them you’re from Huletts. You’ll be glad you did.
Many times we get the question; “What is Huletts like in the winter?” So I thought this picture would be appropriate. It’s cold, there’s a lot of snow and it gets dark with very little cloud cover. Oh what a difference a few months makes!
It’s been quiet this week, but we’re working on some stories and some new features which you’ll find interesting.
Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be adding some original historic videos, which we’re going to be calling our video time traveler series. We’re also exploring some connections that Huletts has to NCAA Basketball and Major League Baseball.
We’re going to start a feature in the weeks ahead about what some of our friends do in the winter when they leave Huletts and we’ve also got a couple of unique interviews in the pipeline. We’re going to start another feature called; “Where are They Now” which will focus on some friends who have not been in Huletts for awhile.
We’ll continue to bring you the local news, and our popular historic items but we’re also going to be expanding our topics and posts. Full speed ahead!
Gov. David Paterson and Democratic legislative leaders have reached a deal to reduce the state’s budget for the current fiscal year. This $1.6B deal closed the deficit for the current fiscal year.
With this year’s budget finished, the Governor and state legislators will start on the 2009-2010 budget that begins with a roughly $13 billion difference between spending and projected revenue.
The proposal to cap the amount the state pays in real estate taxes on forest preserve land was not not being considered for this years budget but has been proposed by the Governor for next year’s budget.
“We will pretty much be throwing everything but the kitchen sink at this budget deficit,” Gov. Paterson said in a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
In his 2007 best selling book, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, author, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, explores an idea which is relevant to the current debate on whether NY state should pay their full share of taxes on their forest preserve land.
“The book explores one big idea: that history is dominated by rare, unpredictable and extreme events. The author calls these black swans, alluding to the fact that Europeans had seen only white swans until black swans were found in Australia. The Great Depression, the 1987 stock market collapse, and the current financial crisis are examples. Black swans don’t have to be negative. Biotech firms that stumble upon breakthrough cures are black swans.
The human mind, evolved to cope with everyday tasks, deals poorly with rare but consequential events. People assume that the future will be like the recent past but in fact, the most consequential events may not have recent precedents.”
For example: NY state attempting to change how it has paid taxes on its public forest preserve land since the 1880’s. If they stop paying their full share, property taxes will go through the roof. No one really understands the consequences of this because it has never been tried before. However, all readers of the Huletts Current; if this happens, you’ve seen the black swan here already. This will be devastating to the private property owners of the Adirondacks. Please contact your downstate, state representatives. Don’t let the Governor get away with this proposal.
*Book Synopsis – Forbes Magazine February 2, 2009
Town Supervisor, Robert Banks, was recently named to a number of committees at the county level. He was picked to serve on the Adirondack Community College, Health, Human Services, Public Safety, and Public Works committees.
Many important decisions are made at the committee level and we commend Supervisor Banks for these important assignments.
The Democrats chose Scott Murphy of Glens Falls to be their nominee for the 20th Congressional seat.
Updated 6:00 p.m. February 1st.
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9 Counties and 11 Towns Sue Adirondack Park Agency
Nine counties and eleven towns have filed suit against the Adirondack Park Agency to try to reverse new rules that have been implemented, including shoreline building prohibitions on structures that pre-date the APA. Shorefront property owners take note. Hear about it here.
Lewis Family Farm v. APA
“At 1,200 acres, Lewis Family Farm has conserved hundreds of acres of organic soils and removed thousands of tons of accumulated waste, including 15 decrepit, moldy, broken farmhouses. The documents on this site tell how the APA, a regional land use board within the blue line, violated New York State law, and engaged in an abusive, aggressive and frequently dishonest strategy to intimidate the Lewis Family Farm.”
Read about the whole case here. The Lewis family just won their case, but the APA has appealed.
Nothing about either of these on the APA site.
Click on the Image to Enlarge
30 Days Are Up – Governor Still Doesn’t Want To Pay
The Post Star has a good article about the Governor’s proposal to cap NY state tax payments to local governments with state forest preserve land. This is a must read for all taxpayers and voters. If you’re a NY state resident, please contact your downstate representatives and tell them NY state has to pay their property taxes. We do.
Dem’s Down to 6
This story from the Post Star is about the finalists who are being considered by the Democrats to be their nominee for Congress in the 20th Congressional District. The special election to fill former Rep Kirsten Gillibrand’s seat will be held 30 days after the Governor calls a special election.
Reynolds Game Farm Won’t Be Closed
The pheasants are going to make it after all. Cruella De Ville is crying.
Letters, Faxes, Emails needed by February 28, 2009
The Lake George Park Commission is accepting comments on their proposed stream corridor regulations until February 28, 2009
We have read the regulations and historically more regulations have always meant more costs. We believe these proposed rules will impact two areas that are important to the Huletts Golf Course. The proposed rules require that any work in a stream bed requires a permit; this would impact the yearly cleaning of the reservoir which only supplies water to the golf course. Secondly, any footbridge crossing a stream would need a permit. Any environmental organization could object when a permit was applied for. This would mean that any environmental group, such as the Lake George Waterkeeper, which objected to the dredging of the mouth of Foster Brook, could impact the use of the Golf Course.
I have excerpted my comments that I submitted to the LGPC (with a copy to the HLPOCA) that deal with these two issues:
“The Huletts Golf Course is a uniquely special property. It is the only golf course within walking distance of Lake George. The water source for the Huletts Golf Course is the reservoir/dam on Fairy Creek. The Huletts Landing Property Owners Civic Association is entirely responsible for paying for the upkeep of this water source. Your proposed regulations should exempt all dams/reservoirs that require yearly maintenance. The federal government under a program launched by former Vice President, Al Gore, learned that periodic flushing of the dams on the Colorado River helped marine life downstream. Any work and/or yearly maintenance on existing reservoirs/dams should be exempted.
Likewise, the Huletts Golf Course has many crossings of Fairy Brook for people playing golf. The Huletts Landing Property Owners Civic Association maintains the course at great expense and with much volunteer labor. It would be unreasonable for existing or new pedestrian crossings to be subject to these regulations. Golf Courses in the Lake George basin should be exempted from these rules because they may at time change the location of their natural water obstacle crossings.”
Please submit your comments by February 28, 2009 telling the LGPC that these two activities that benefit the Huletts Golf Course should be exempted from their proposed stream regulations, and state the reason why; pedestrian stream crossings for people playing golf and annual maintenance on the dam that feeds the golf course should not be activities that require a permit. Tell them extreme environmental organizations that object to all human activity should not be given undo weight in this process. Send comments to:
Mr. Michael White, Executive Director of the Lake George Park Commission, PO Box 749, Lake George, NY 12845; By Fax: 518.668.5001; By email: info@lgpc.state.ny.us