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Elizabeth North celebrates 105th birthday - Archers' \Mountain Chal- lenge\ is this weekend Seepage13 Th« Adirondack Musi Tupper Lake Free x ress and Tupper Lake Herald Volume No. 110 Number 34 USPS 644-140 TUpper Lake, New York Wednesday, Aagnsl 24, 2005 Home delivery price: $.75 per copy Tupper Lake Herald established 1895 Tupper Lake Free Press established 1931 Price: Gov. Pataki announces state grant of $22,000 to develop trail system sm By Dan McClelland For the second time in less than a month New York Governor George Pataki came to town Friday with state money to help local projects. Gov. Pataki, who was here on August 1 to announce another$5 million in state funds to support the completion of the Natural History Museum, on Friday chose Tupper Lake to announce 5264,000 in state grants for north country communities. The grants, according to the Governor, are aimed at improving \the quality of life, spurring economic development and bolstering environmental protection efforts\ in this region. The Governor awarded S22.000 to the village government to help it develop what is being called \a multi- use recreational trail\ master plan in partnership with the town. Last year the chamber of commerce and the village \revitalization\ committee advanced one of the goals of the community revitalization plan: a community-wide trail system to connect various sections of Tupper Lake and the various public facilities. An endorsement of the idea in a Free Press editorial caught the eye of Senator Betty Little, who arranged for $1,800 in state funds to permit the village to hire an engineering firm. Barton and Loguidice, to help it write a grant to develop a master plan for the trail network. The stale grant of $22,000 announced by the Governor will make that work possible now. The new trail would be used for walking and biking in the warmer seasons, and for snowmobiling in the winter months. The master plan work will involve surveys of the community to situate various trail corridors and obtaining easements from land owners throughout the community. Village Clerk Mary Casagrain explained this week. \1\ ve been in Tupper Lake so often, I told Sandy (Mayor Sandra Strader) I should be paying taxes here,\ Governor Pataki said, addressing about 50 reporters and community officials in the court room quarters of the town hall Friday at noon. \State government isn't supposed to be a distant entity...it's supposed to listen to local officials.\ said the Governor, who noted he was the only New York governor in the past 175 years to also serve as his hometown's mayor. \We'll all succeed if we move forward together,\ he said of the important relationship of the state and local governments. School budget figures unchanged but Tupper tax bills will be higher At a special meeting Monday evening school officials set the tax levy for the district, in preparation of the property tax bills coming in the next week. A presentation by Superintendent of Schools Dan Bower showed that in the overall figures nothing has changed between August and April, when the budget was first introduced to voters here. Total school district spending remains al $ 13.79 million for the 2005-06 school year. State aid remains at S8 million. Aftera fund balance of $410,000. a tax levy of S5.37 million was produced this year, and thai figure was approved by (he board Monday night. Town of Tupper Lake properly owners will see their tax rale grow slightly from the earlier figure, however as a result of new state equalization rates. Mr. Bower explained. In the entire district, which comprises the towns of Tupper Lake. Piercefield and Co I ton. the district's full value tax rate will drop from the S1431 per $1,000 which was estimated in April lo $12.73- a decrease of SI.58 per S1,000 assessed valuation. Piercefteld's school tax rale will drop from the predicted S15.32 per $ 1.000 to S12.73 as a result of a reassessment in that town this past year, Mr. Bower noted. That change means the proposed tax rate increase of 5.92% will actually be a decrease of 11.96%. By contrast. Tupper Lake school taxpayers will see the estimated S14.31 per S1,000 rate grow to S 14.50 per S1,000- up by another 19 cents per thousand. The tax rate increase for 2005-06 won't be 5.92%. as projected in April, but will in fact be an increase in me rale of 7.31 %- an increase of 1.39% over ihe earlier figure. A property owner in Tupper Lake with a properly assessed at SI00,000 and who qualifies for the STAR exemption will see their new lax bill increase by $69- from $946 to Sl.015. The owner of a primary residence assessed at $75,000 will see the tax bill increase by $44- firom $608 last September to S653 in the bill that arrives next week. In the Town of Colton, school taxpayers will see a slightly lower tax rate lhan was predicted in April. The rate will decrease from an estimated $238.58 per $1,000 to $237.54. Mr. Bower also reported on some \good news\ Monday night. He was notified by Senator Betty Little's office that day that the district can expect to receive a grant for $33,600 that Senator Little secured to permit the district to replace some of its outdated computers. School officials had cut the expenditure in their budget deliberations this spring and bemoaned that move. \That was one of the hardest cuts we made.\ Vice President Mike Dcchene noted Monday night. \Senator Little has come through for us again...she's so good for our communitv and our district!\ \New York is home to thousands of unique communities.\ he said. \Through our Quality Communities initiative we have forged a partnership between state and local governments that has ensured that the important qualities that make upour small towns and villages are not overlooked by a 'one size fits all' approach to community planning.\ \Lake Placid is booming.\ he told the group Friday. \One of the things officials there want to do is to manage that growth. I'm announcing a grant of $35,000 to help Lake Placid officials implement comprehensive planning goals which involve revising land use codes.\ \Saranac Lake is growing and on its way back. Village and town officials want to have a master plan to manage and direct that growth in a proper way. I'm announcing $40,000 to develop a comprehensive economic develop strategy for the Greater Saranac Lake area.\ The Governor continued. \In Tupper Lake there are a lot of exciting things happening\.. .the new railroad station, the Natural History Museum will bring 100,000 plus more people here each year, the reopening of Big Tupper and the new development there, new walkways along Raquette Pond and the Raquette River. \Tupper Lake plans to create a trail system that will link downtown businesses to some of these great regional assets- Big Tupper. the museum, and others.\ \I'm announcing S22.000 today for Tupper Lake to get this plan underway,\ the Governor said, adding his thanks to \Cubby. Sandy and the boards\ for their help. He encouraged local officials \to get Ihe planning done fasi\ since he only has 16 months left as governor. \Get back to us so we can turn this plan into reality!\ Governor Pataki said he hoped to return lo Tupper Lake some day very soon when he could travel via the new trail from the railroad station to the new museum, and then along local shorelines lo the ski center. \On behalf of the community 1 would like to thank Governor Pataki for the 'Quality Communities' grant,\ Mayor Sandra Strader said following the Governor's continued on page 2 Smiles for the Governor The close of Friday's press conference announcing $264,000 in state planning grants for the north country region provided some \photo ops\ for local officials to have their photos taken with Governor George Pataki. At top from left were Chamber Director Nancy Howard, Natural History Museum President Donald \Obie\ Clifford, Gov. Pataki, Chamber Executive Director Jon Kopp and Pat Gallagher, deputy mayor of Lake Placid. Below the Governor poses with Town Supervisor Gregg \Cubby\ LaFrance, a blinking Mayor Sandy Strader and Assem- blyman Chris Oraoff. Mont than mean Thistle Class sailboats are expected to compete in tha Seventh Annual Lumberjack Regatta to be hetd this weekend in Tuppar Lake.D There will be ttwee racee Saturday starting at 12 noon and two races Sunday starting at 10 a.m. The beat viewing will be from the Pump House south of the Moody boat ramp on Ftta 30. This event ia sponsored by theTupparUriwChamberol Commerce, (photo submitted by Jim Can) Sale-goers, arte and crafts fans and garage sale buffs were all smiling for the most part on Saturday and Sunday during the Mt. Arab Masonic Lodge chapter's annual GiganUc Flea Market in the Tupper Lake Munici- pal Park. Another successful event for the local Masons, the annual August event draw thousands lo town. See editorial this week. Photo by Newton Greiner