THE COMMON GROUND ALLIANCE

BLUEPRINT FOR THE BLUE LINE

FEBRUARY 2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction Page 2

Blueprint Points:

1) Aquatic and Terrestrial Invasive Species Page 4

2) Acid Rain Page 4

3) Global Climate Change Page 4

4) Main Street Revitalization Page 5

5) Water, Sewer and Storm-water Infrastructure Page 6

6) Marketing and Entrepreneurial Development Page 6

7) High-Speed Telecommunications Page 7

8) Workforce/Community Housing Page 8

9) Transportation Infrastructure Page 8

10) Energy Page 9

11) Effective Governance and Policy Framework Page 10

12) Land Use Change Page 10

13) Property Taxes Page 11

14) Primary Healthcare Crisis Page 12

Appendix Page 13

Procedures and Schedule Page 13

Founding Sponsors Page 14

Alliance Core Team Page 15

INTRODUCTION

ALLIANCE GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The Common Ground Alliance is a forum for public-private collaboration. State and local governments, nonprofit organizations, stakeholders, and residents of the Park participate as equals. We work to recognize the common good of the communities, residents, and resources of the Adirondack Park, not to further specific organizational, institutional, or individual agendas.

The six-million acre Adirondack Park is comprised of both public and private lands and contains the largest protected area in the continental United States. The park is ecologically significant in that it constitutes one of the least fragmented temperate forest landscapes remaining anywhere in the world. It also contains historic resources, charming hamlets and villages, a rich cultural history, and access to recreational resources, small businesses and various commercial enterprises.

The Park is home for more than 130,000 full-time residents and is visited annually by 8 million people. The people of New York State value the Adirondacks as a cherished resource. There are Constitutional protections of the public lands of the Forest Preserve, and the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) regulates land use planning for private lands. While local communities are the stewards of this unique Park, the Alliance believes that they must also prosper in order to continue to provide the environmental benefits that are shared by all New Yorkers. Community leaders believe there must be a solid commitment by New York’s leaders to address the complex challenges of sustaining economic development and the quality of life in the Adirondack Park.

The Adirondack Park has 103 towns and villages that differ in size, geography, character and demographics. Some Park communities are recognized internationally, while others are struggling for economic survival. Many communities lack the financial resources and technical expertise to respond to the loss of their Main Streets, the out-migration of their youth, the lack of business development and markets, and their inadequate and aging infrastructure, inclusive of water, sewer, telecommunications and roadways. Rising property values, coupled with increasingly high property taxation and a proliferation of second home development, have made it increasingly hard for local residents to live in the region resulting in a crisis in affordable housing. A lack of local land use plans and zoning in some communities can significantly contribute to their being unprepared for potential development.

The region faces a number of environmental problems including loss of critical habitat due to factors such as climate change, land use change, and invasive species. Other threats include the degradation of water and air quality due to acid rain and mercury pollution that threatens human and ecological health. A number of initiatives by the scientific community and environmental groups exist to understand and respond to these threats. Increasingly, community members and municipal leaders agree that these environmental threats can undermine the natural resources and infrastructure that contribute both to community quality of life and economic sustainability.

BLUEPRINT PROCESS

In the summer of 2006 , A Blueprint for the Blue Line was endorsed by the Common Ground Alliance, a group of leaders representing non-profit organizations, municipal governments, businesses, economic development, and environmental interests that work directly with constituents within the Adirondack Park to help define and attain a collective vision for the Park. In July, 2007, a cross-section of 148 organizational and community leaders met in Long Lake, NY to share suggested revisions to the original Blueprint. Written and verbal input has been synthesized into the Blueprint for the Blue Line .

The order of the Blueprint points was decided by an entrance “poll” at the July 2007 forum. In response to subsequent input, the original 12 points of the Blueprint have been amended to include 2 additional issues of great concern for the Adirondacks – Property Tax Reform and the Primary Healthcare Crisis.

Although each issue is presented separately, the Alliance recognizes the interdependency between many issues. Each point includes a brief problem definition or “rationale” and a list of suggested actions. Some points also include a section for remaining issues that represent ideas that have not yet been adequately explored by the Alliance, but which could be revisited at this year’s forum in July.

The Common Ground Alliance respectfully proposes action on the 14 points outlined below to maintain and sustain the economy, environment and communities of the Adirondacks.

BLUEPRINT POINTS

1. AQUATIC AND TERRESTRIAL INVASIVE SPECIES

RATIONALE: Aquatic and terrestrial invasive species, including pests and pathogens, are a significant threat to the Adirondack Park’s native species and can have a devastating impact on our native ecosystems, our forest products industries, and recreation and tourism industries. Aggressive non-native invasive plants and animals crowd out naturally occurring species and choke their habitats, such as wetlands, which are critical to supporting biodiversity, flood control and water quality.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS:

REMAINING ISSUES:

2. ACID RAIN

RATIONALE: The Adirondacks suffer from air pollution from mid-western coal-burning power plants that has resulted in acid precipitation, mercury deposition and deposition of other contaminants which threaten terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and public health. Many of the Park’s water bodies currently have a ban on fish consumption. In a Park where outdoor activities are a focus for both local residents and visitors, this is threatening the quality of life and tourism economy.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS:

3. GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

RATIONALE: There is widespread scientific certainty that global climate change is occurring due to increasing amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Global climate change has the potential to alter the region’s climate in a manner that could significantly influence the region’s economy, landscape, character, and quality of life. Climate change will affect the region’s seasonal tourism economy—particularly in winter—and will affect our forest ecosystems, and change the composition of native plant and animal

communities. Already under stress from acid rain, invasive species and salt runoff from treated roads, our ecosystem will suffer added risk from climate change.

Currently, New York State is a leader in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which calls for the reduction of the state’s carbon emissions. A regional cap-and-trade program, such as suggested by RGGI, will assist all participating states in reaching such state-specific goals.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS:

REMAINING ISSUES:

4. MAIN STREET REVITALIZATION

RATIONALE: The unique historic character of the Adirondack Park’s 103 towns and villages presents outstanding opportunities to showcase their individual and special character through the revitalization of their main streets. Relatively sparse year-round populations maintain downtown business communities in hamlets which are limited in expansion potential. Achieving Main Street Revitalization requires customized technical assistance and tailored financial incentives that recognize the physical and economic environment that exists in these Adirondack communities. Maintenance of architectural history contributes to the region’s unique character and builds historic tourism, while providing 2 nd and 3 rd floor housing options which could help alleviate some of the critical community housing shortage.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS:

5. WATER, SEWER AND STORM-WATER INFRASTRUCTURE

RATIONALE: Many small communities in the Adirondack Park have inadequate, aging water and sewer infrastructure that often do not meet current NYS health standards. Existing water and sewer treatment capacity needs to expand if town and village growth is to occur; new ways to address the water and waste-water improvement and maintenance needs in outlying areas must be addressed to realize important community development gains. Given their relatively sparse year-round population size and diminished political clout, Adirondack communities are at distinct disadvantages in competing for federal and state funding.

The development of centralized wastewater treatment systems and alternative technologies to solve related problems is impeded in the Adirondacks by the area’s wide assortment of community types, and by the physical distances and barriers typically occurring between them. Lacking needed financial resources, they then are unable to capitalize on the economic benefits that generally stem from investments in infrastructure.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS:

REMAINING ISSUES:

6. MARKETING/ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT

RATIONALE: In the Adirondack Park, government is the largest sector of employment, followed by healthcare, retail and the hospitality/tourism sector. A wide range of small businesses, including wood products companies, giftware manufacturers, services, historic tourist attractions, and lodging establishments, benefit from the area’s abundant natural resources. But small businesses in particular experience challenges in business planning, marketing and the development of competitive, value-added products for distribution at local, national and international levels. There is a continual need for services, training and capital investment to assist businesses. In some Park locations, existing industrial sites are available for a wide range of business activities, but investment in their clean-up, development and marketing is significantly lacking.

The Forest Preserve and privately owned forests of the Park offer significant opportunities for public recreational access. Yet, tourism and hospitality businesses need assistance and financial investment to develop services for visitors and residents that take advantage of recreational assets. Blueprint for the Blue Line 7 February 2008

Transportation and product distribution throughout the Park are major impediments for all businesses, but more so for small-scale agricultural producers. There is a need for planning and investment to rebuild the region’s agricultural base as some farmers consolidate to larger operations and others strive to find niche markets for locally grown and value-added products.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS :

REMAINING ISSUES:

7. HIGH-SPEED TELECOMMUNICATIONS

RATIONALE: The Adirondack Park is in a true, rural digital divide with very limited broadband access available at affordable rates within the Blue Line. Improved wireless and wired accessibility is needed along the roadways and in the villages and hamlets. The lack of adequate cell services throughout the Adirondack Park is a threat to the millions of annual visitors and residents often making it impossible to request or coordinate emergency services. The lack of advanced telecommunications services adversely affects the ability to attract businesses to the region. Tourism facilities lack broadband and cellular connections, which adversely impacts the region’s ability to be competitive in a tourism market where travelers expect high-end amenities such as wireless services and consistent cellular coverage.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS:

REMAINING ISSUES:

8. WORKFORCE/COMMUNITY HOUSING

RATIONALE: The increasing purchases of Adirondack housing stock for second homes, coupled with high property taxes, has raised the prices of Adirondack property beyond the ability of year-round residents to afford a home. Workers from all economic sectors, including hospitality service workers, town employees, medical technicians, teachers, and other professionals, often cannot find affordable housing in the towns and counties in which their jobs are located. The result is a fraying social fabric in many local communities: young people are leaving, schools are closing, and emergency service entities are losing volunteers. Residents are severely limited in their ability to live, work and play in the same community. Affordable housing stock must be established in order to sustain Adirondack communities and “keep the lights on” year-round.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS:

REMAINING ISSUES:

9. TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE

RATIONALE: The region’s major roadways, many of which are designated as Scenic Byways by the Federal Highway Administration and NYS Department of Transportation, are often slow to receive improvements due to funding being allocated to regions of the State with higher populations and traffic volume. With the Park located within a day’s drive of nearly 100 million people, the region’s infrastructure of roads, rails and air connections has been inadequate in providing an integrated network for commerce, residential and visitor travel.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS: Blueprint for the Blue Line 9 February 2008

10. ENERGY

RATIONALE: Clean, affordable and reliable energy is a necessity to build a sustainable economy in the Adirondack Park, to continue to promote energy independence from foreign sources, and to mitigate the widespread environmental damage we incur from burning fossil fuels.

The current energy picture is grim and includes: high prices for oil and propane fuels, high costs for non-municipal electricity, a decreasing electric power allocation from the New York Power Authority (NYPA) for municipal utilities, increasing peak power and energy needs for business and homes, the very low probability that electric transmission line capacity will be increased throughout the Park, the lack of natural gas infrastructure, and the use of diesel generators for peak power and reliability.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS:

REMAINING ISSUES:

11. EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE AND A POLICY FRAMEWORK

RATIONALE: The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) Act and Land Use Plan, which regulate land uses and development densities, have not been substantially amended since they were adopted in the early 1970’s. Approved local land use plans, one of the mandates of the original APA Act, have been adopted in only 19 of the Park’s 103 towns and villages, in part due to a lack of resources for local planning.

In addition, a myriad of governmental agencies have Adirondack Park oversight responsibilities directed from various levels, often attempting to regulate the same or similar functions. The Department of Environmental Conservation splits the Park into two administrative regions which often demonstrate different management philosophies and practices. Likewise, the Departments of Health, Education, Transportation, Economic Development, and others, all have differing jurisdictional regions that overlap the Park, resulting in bureaucratic inefficiencies and a lack of clear guidelines and information for business, residential and community development. The delivery of social services, local planning, and management of the Park’s natural resources is fragmented and ineffective in many aspects.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS:

12. LAND USE CHANGE

RATIONALE: A major debate continues about additional land acquisition for the Forest Preserve, conservation easements on private lands that eliminate future development rights, and concerns for the economic survival of local communities. Today, 56%of the Adirondack Park’s lands are protected, between conservation easements on 767,000 acres of large private land-holdings (13%), and 2.6 million acres of publicly owned Forest Preserve lands (43%). The Nature Conservancy’s recent acquisition of 161,000 acres of Finch Pruyn forest lands increases the concerns of local communities that are “land-locked” by State lands; in extreme cases, State lands comprise more than 90% of a town’s lands, hindering future expansion.

Even though the State pays property taxes on Forest Preserve lands, many communities are asking, “How much protected land is enough?” Conversely, several second home subdivisions and other developments are Blueprint for the Blue Line 11 February 2008

proposed for resource management land use areas that were originally zoned to protect working forests and farms, raising environmental concerns.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS:

13. PROPERTY TAXES

RATIONALE : As currently structured, property taxes are used to finance too many programs of our ever-growing government and are contributing to the destabilization of Adirondack communities. Attempts by the Legislature and Executive Branch to lower taxes have usually focused on income taxes. While there have been significant reductions in income tax rates, government spending at the federal, state and local levels have continued to grow. This shift has resulted in huge federal deficits and has moved the tax burden for mandated programs to state and local governments.

Adirondack communities and other rural areas of upstate New York can no longer afford to fund schools with property taxes. School taxes now exceed local government taxes in many places in the Adirondacks, (e.g., the Saranac Lake Central School District).

Property tax assessment rules have a negative impact when they result in annual taxes going up in “lock-step” with rapidly rising property values, especially when an adjacent property sells for a much higher price than paid for the property. Low and middle-income people are finding it necessary to move out to avoid prohibitively high tax increases. Some states have instituted “welcome stranger” laws, where assessments are NOT raised on nearby properties when a newcomer pays above-market prices for a home or land.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS:

REMAINING ISSUES:

14. PRIMARY HEALTHCARE CRISIS

RATIONALE: Like other areas in the country, the primary health care system in the Adirondacks is facing significant challenges. Should the system collapse, there is no other option for health care and the out-migration of year-round residents will escalate. The growing crisis reflects two interconnected issues: the underpayment by commercial insurance companies for the services provided to patients in rural areas, and the inability to attract and retain primary care physicians.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS:

APPENDIX

COMMON GROUND PROCEDURES AND SCHEDULE

1. The Core Team will assemble an annual draft Blueprin t of timely issues.

2. The draft will be distributed throughout the Adirondacks. This process will continue to be an open one in which anyone is welcome to comment. Written comments will be compiled.

3. Verbal input will be received at an annual meeting each July in an outdoor location. (An additional winter meeting may be added).

4. Final input will be compiled and redistributed for endorsement by the Alliance. Any items not endorsed by a cross-section of diverse Adirondack interests will be tabled for future consideration.

5. The final Blueprin t will be submitted to State and federal officials for consideration in policy initiatives.

6. All participants will be reminded to leave “Axes, Egos, Agendas, and Logos” at the door. We will empathize with others, strive to get to the heart of matters, think with fresh perspectives, and work toward the common good.

7. Representatives of participating organizations will not use our relationship with the Common Ground Alliance to advance individual/organizational agendas.

FOUNDING SPONSORS

This revision of the Blueprint of the Blue Line is being sent to all participants in the 2007 Common Ground Alliance Forum held in Long Lake, NY and to other leaders and organizations within the Adirondacks whose voices help shape the future of Adirondack Park communities. We hope that you and your organization will be able to endorse the Common Ground principles of this Blueprint by signing on as those below did for the original document.

Signatories to the original 2006 Blueprint for the Blue Line

Adirondack-Champlain Community Broadband Network, Andy Abdallah, Chair of the +Advisory Board; Howard Lowe, Executive Director

Adirondack Economic Development Corporation, Dan Woodman, Executive Director

Adirondack Council, Brian Houseal, Executive Director

Adirondack Daily Enterprise, Catherine Moore, Publisher

Adirondack North Country Association, Terry Martino, Executive Director

Adirondack Sustainable Communities Inc., Ray Curran, Board Chairperson

Audubon NY, David Miller, Executive Director

CAP-21, Lani Ulrich, Executive Director

Central Adirondack Association, Chip Kiefer, Executive Director

Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director

Clifton-Fine Economic Development Corporation, Christopher Westbrook, President

Historic Saranac Lake, Mary B. Hotaling, Executive Director

Holmes and Associates, Timothy Holmes, Research Director

Leading Edge, Jack Drury, Principal

New York Rivers United, Bruce Carpenter, Executive Director

Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce, Garry Douglas, Executive Director

Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, Sylvie Nelson, Executive Director

Saranac Lake Red Carpet Team, Keith Wells, Chair

Sound Adirondack Growth Alliance, Susan Cooper, Chair

Town of Forestport Town Board, Joan Ingersol, Supervisor

Town of Inlet, J.R. Risley, Supervisor

Town of Ohio, George Edwards, Supervisor

Town of Salisbury, John Mowers, Supervisor

Town of Webb, Robert Moore, Supervisor

Town of Wilmington, Jeanne Ashworth, Supervisor

Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce, Jon Kopp, Executive Director

Village of Tupper Lake, Michael R. Desmarais, Mayor

Wildlife Conservation Society’s Adirondack Program, Zoë Smith, Program Coordinator

Wildwood Arts & Antiques, Jon Kopp, Owner, Tupper Lake Blueprint for the Blue Line 15 February 2008

The post 2008 Blueprint for the Blue Line appeared first on Common Ground Alliance.