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I Another firm enters race for LaChute rights By JEFF WRIGHT Staff Writer Southern Essex Bureau TICONDEROGA - It may be water over the dam or in this case, water under the village, but a firm called Ticonderoga Hydroelectric Co. has made a belated entry into the race for XaCKule River power generating rights. Information about Ticonderoga Hydroelectric is scarce, but village officials received a letter recently from engineers jvetained by the firnv^ describing the company's in- terest in the LaChute. This letter, from James Hansen and Associates, notified the village of Ticonderoga Hydroelectric*s interest in apply- l for a license to develop a wer project that would divert water from the upper dam on the LaChute through a tunnel under the village to a power plant in Bicentennial Park. This new twist in the battle for the LaChute's hydro rights cor- responded with a statement last week by a spokeswoman for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that International Paper Co. had already won a per- mit to develop the river's power- producing potential. FERC is a Washington, D.C.-based agency that has y ^ development permits. James Hansen, a partner in a Vermont engineering firm once retained by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to design a e ixydro proposal* sai< h Press-Republican Southern EIVM fe'*ou SS5 4070 160 Borneo I m Si 260' Tuesday/ August 14,1984 13 pp Monday that issues accompany- ing the decision to award a license exemption to IP were the main reason why Ticonderoga Hydroelectric Co. was formed. 'The whole exemption process is cloudy,\ Hansen said of the court-ordered granting of a per- mit to IP. Hansen identified Norman Silberdick of New Hampshire as one of the founders of Ticonderoga Hydroelectric. Repeated attempts to reach Silberdick on Monday at the telphone number provided by Hansen were unsuccessful. No hydro applications have been filed with FERC by Ticonderoga Hydroelectric and Hansen predicted that several months would pass before the company would be ready to make its bid. \It may be possi- ble, or may not be,\ Hansen responded when asked about the chances of a new license seeker succeeding where two other ap- plicants recently failed after a three-year battle for LaChute hydro rights. 'The attorneys will have a field day with this one/' Hansen added. The design proposal that Hansen will prepare for Ticonderoga Hydroelectric is identical to a plan his Vermont firm developed for DEC in 1981 wh«n th4 UaU wai. alternatives for what would be its first attempt to develop a hydro site. DEC eventually rejected Hansen's tunnel proposal in favor of an above-ground penstock configuration similar to those proposed by IP and Long Lake Energy Corp., the other ap- plicants in the contest for river rights. \This is an alternative scheme that may be more environmen- tally acceptable,\ he said of the tunnel plan. In the design prepared for DEC in 1981, Hansen Associates pro- posed boring a tunnel 100 to 200 feet beneath the surface that would divert water from the up- per dam to turbines mounted in a P.9wejL .house in Bicentennial \Park.\\' \ \ \ ~\ ~~ \ An advantage of the tunnel, ac- cording to Hansen, is that the need for more than a mile of penstock is eliminated. Hansen said that preliminary drilling samples takpn in that bedrock under the village would be ideal for such a project. Hansen said he was never told by DEC officials why the tunnel proposal was junked in 1981. \We felt there was local support for the plan but the state decided to go with the penstock alter- native,*' he said. The state and Long Lake, a Manhattan company, were losers in a decision handed down by a Washington, D.C, circuit court earlier this summer. That court ordered FERC to grant IP a license exemption for the LaChute after the paper com- pany challenged an earlier agen- cy decision denying IP's right to an exemption. A license exemption gives IP the right to build a five- megawatt project on the river. Projected output of The DEC and Long Lake proposals were higher — with an estimated production of 10 megawatts. The race for LaChute hydro rights began in 1981 when Long Lake filed a license application DEC and the Essex County In- dustrial Development Agency also submitted license applica- tions while IP filed for two ex- emptions. Essex County later withdrew, leaving two corpora- tions and New York state to con- tend for the permits. If asked, Hansen said he will return to Ticonderoga to describe particulars of the tunnel design to local leaders. \This might be more environmentally appealing now,\ he said. Health fair set TICONDEROGA - Sixteen ex- hibits, most related to health care, will be part of a geriatric health fair on Thursday, spon- sored by a support group for those with Alzheimer's Disease • and related maladies. The program, featuring presentations by area medical experts, begins at 10 a.m. under the festival guild tent on the Community Building lawn. Dr. Michael Celotti will offer a free glaucoma examination, 10- 11 a.m. Dr. William Eicher will do the same at 3 p.m. At 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. a film ti- tle \My First Hundred Years,\ will be shown. It shows how to grow old gracefully, stay mental- ly aware and how to help confus- ed relatives and friends. Dr. Michael Beehner will discuss the natural aging process beginning at 1:30 p.m. New quarters The paint is still wet on the walls and on the floors, but that has not stopped Ticonderoga police from moving into their new offices in the highway garage on Chilson Road. The station moved from the Community Building as part of ef- fort to consolidate of- fices in town-owned buildings. (PR staff photo by Jeff Wright) Power pldy lurks behind Topridge decision By CECILY BAILEY Staff Writer-—^ Sara-Placid Bureau BRIGHTON — To the local people, Camp Topridge is con- sidered a historic treasure, possi- ble tax-revenue producer — even a potential educational facility. But Gov. Mario Cuomo is intent upon stopping the camp's finan- cial drain on the state's budget. The 207-acre, 68-building com- plex, located in Franklin County, is the former estate of heiress Majorie Merriweather Post. But the luxurious camp is a white elephant: out of date and place in a society that can jio longer af- ford such extravagances. It costs the state $300,000 annually to maintain the camp. In May, Cuomo ordered the camp's administrator, the Office of General Services (OGS), to proceed with the sale (or disposal) of the estate. OGS Com- missioner John Egan must make a recommendation to Cuomo about what to do with the camp. The problem is that there are and pulling involved with Topridge, a little background: The ultimate fear for the ma- jority of local people, including adjacent landowner Paul Smith's College, is that Topridge will be dismantled by the state (for lack of a buyer) or by a private in- dividual (for lack of appreciation of its importance). The camp is known as \the greatest of the great Adirondack camps,\ and is recognized for its architectural style as well as its reflection of a nearly extinct, decadent lifestyle. Further, the camp is intriguing because of its original heiress-owner, who add- ed a dramatic, if not eccentric, flair to the estate. When Cuomo's plans were first announced, the camp was of- fered for sale first to both Franklin County and the town of Brighton. Such a deal for a pro- perty valued at nearly $1 million? Not exactly. The yearly maintenance costs frightened both local governments away. At the same timp, Paul Smith's f.ol- News Analysis In the interim, Egan has pro- ceeded with public advertising of the property as he promised he would do given the local refusal to purchase. Here's look at some of the push-and-pull factors involved in deciding about the camp : • Paul Smith's College wants to be involved in the selection of who owns or operates Topridge. Why? Because the school hap- pens to own all of the land sur- rounding the 207-acre estate, as well as the sole land access to the estate and the camp's major water source. The college pays $72,000 a year in local taxes, which is a no small drop in the financial bucket. Although r»«n1ving thp — and the college doesn't have to deal. \It depends on who wants to buy it. I don't think we would want some incompatible party to buy property surrounded by col- lege property,\ Miller said recently. • Egan made clear his idea that access issues are like a double-edged sword, and therefore moot. He said the col- lege needs access to the camp to reach college land at the extreme end of the property. 'This is not a serious impediment,\ he said. Besides, he laughed, \We're bargaining as good neighbors.\ • Enter the town of Brighton and Franklin County. More than one invnlvAH pprgnn hac rrmfirm- county for its concept and sup- port from Brighton only for \discussions\ of the concept. Brighton is not yet ready to sup- port any one proposal. Further motivating the town is the prospect of restoring taxes or tax-type payments from Topridge to the town's coffers. At one time, the property was assessed for $80,000 When the state took the camp over in 1974, the tax payments were phased out over five years. Supervisor Buckley wants income from the property. \We have been told that in some instances, the state does do something in lieu of taxes; we would request something,\ Buckley said. Although the college is in a position to push the state with ac- cess issues and the town is in an approval-giving position over the college, everyone knows that in- dividual power struggles dim in contrast with Cuomo's decision- making power. Moreover, Egan is walking a fine line between his boss decision the state makes.\ But, the governor holds the paycheck. One thing is for sure, no one wants to find out what will hap- pen if the subtle issues become outright power plays. If Brighton doesn't like the college's concept, the proposal could go down the drain. If the state picks an owner the college doesn't like, access may become an issue. But, if the state decides to play hard-ball, the college may also have access problems. So, good-neighbor bargaining has become essential to Topridge. • Through it all, Cuomo has never visited the camp. The mat- ter of historic or aesthetic value does not seem as much a concern for Cuomo as does keeping the budget in line. Without having seen or experienced the place, Topridge remains a mere eight- letter word typed into state ex- pense columns. Cuomo will sure- ly accept no less than a balancing of that expense. :penj KfcF factors that make Egan's deci- sion a difficult balancing act of special interests and a subtle power struggle. While Egan may be pushed toward private sale from one side, he is being encouraged to recommend continued state ownership from another direc- tion. Before looking at the pushing lege President Harry K. Miller contacted the state with the idea to run the facility as a combined conference center and an arm of the school's education programs in hotel management. While the college would attempt to make the conferences produce more revenue, the proposal requires continued state ownership of the property. issue can be done by drilling a well on the property, access is another matter. According to Miller, the state has legal rights to only a four-foot-wide bridle path. The school has kindly been looking the other way as cars drive over a path that has become a road, albeit it illegal. Anyone looking to buy the estate must deal with the college ed that without local approval, the college's training-conference center proposal will get no more than a passing glance from Cuomo. Since local people want to ensure the camp is not dismantled, they want to be careful about who gets seals of approval. So far, the college has succeed- ed in garnering support from the (Cuomo) and the Topridge- region residents. Because Egan is a past North Country resident, he is often seen as (or expected to be) a friend to the locals. So, Egan promised to keep the town involved in the decision- making process. In the words of Brighton Supervisor Margaret Buckley: They (OGS) assured me the town will be a part of any But Miller once raised a pro- vocative question: \My proposal won't take (Topridge off the state completely), but let me ask you how much do the state taxpayers worry about how much it costs to operate the Statue of Liberty? \ Put Topridge on Staten Island and let's see how fast it becomes an irreplaceable, undeniably essential, state historic treasure. Earth Education Program set TICONDEROGA - Ticonderoga s Earth Education Program, for children 8-13, has been rescheduled for Aug. 22 and 23. The first of the three programs will take place Aug. 22, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ticonderoga Civic Center._There will be a day hike up Mt. t)efiance with instruction in map reading and compass use. Hikers must provide their lunch. There will be an opportunity for swimming after the hike. The second program will be a half-day offering on Aug. 23. 8- 11:30 a.m. meeting at the Civic Center. This program will study old cemeteries. The final program will take place Aug. 23 beginning at 12:30 p.m. Those taking part in this program will explore Ticooderoga's railroads. Earth Education is directed by George Preston, a science teacher at Eliiabethtown-Lewis Central School. Tbe program is fuoded by the Essex County Youth Bureau through the Ticooderoga Youth Commission 2 Registration for this program * most be completed by Aug 20 at f - xbt Legion Barbershop oo Mont- br calm Street. f^f For more information call THSke Da*is at 5*S-7*4S or Andrew at eH Boywdee TRAINLOAD OF VALUES • i F IT T^t « _ 41 • ^ Get ths TYCO TRAIN SET for as tow as 95 I Reg Retail Value $50. MAXUfeCTUfttR S COUK* LXHttS AMQl 30, I9t5 20<OFF on any 2 cans of Chef Boyardee Canned Pasta (15 ox. size or larger only) T G S'oce' <We *•*• redeem coupon *cr 4 ace *a>ue P*us &c **Y*nq pro ycx arc <ou' cusio rT ie f s nave 20* onS stoo 10 c r eouesi zf ^SJ^?' ••JS* ta v saes *a» one zojocr pc jxxcri OOc Ma* coupon ic BO* e*as 79975 Enjoy LaChoy and Save25 c . 25 1A CHOV 25 Save 25 c on any LaChoy product. 25 C&C5 25
