Inside Crandall Library

The expansion of the Crandall Public Library in downtown Glens Falls is one of the most visible revitalization projects underway in the City. While the work on this project is not scheduled to be complete until the fall of 2008, the Library has begun hosting tours of the new facility for contributors and community leaders. Even though a great deal of work remains to be done, the first impression of one who has taken the tour is that our library is being transformed from good to great right before our eyes.

The new Crandall Public Library will be a tremendous source of community pride when it is complete and a catalyst for the continued revitalization of the downtown. One of the most amazing features that can already be seen from the inside is just how spectacular the views will be from the new facility and the urgent need to restore City Park. In particular, the quiet reading porch will give users a really incredible view of City Park, the bandstand, the Queensbury Hotel, and the McEchron House. The browsing atrium will be a great place to enjoy a coffee while looking out over Glen Street. Having taken the tour, we can't wait for this extraordinary facility to open.

Lehigh Northeast Cement Celebrates 115 Years

Just a short 115 years ago, Lehigh Northeast Cement began operations in Glens Falls. Today, the company celebrated this incredible milestone with a birthday party to which the entire community was invited. Coopers Cave Ale Company provided a commemorative Lehigh Cement Strawberry Soda and ice cream complete with chocolate "rocks" and marshmellow "cement" for toppings. Rainer's Gourmet Inspiration provided an outstanding lunch and, of course, four cakes that were cut by Senator Betty Little, Mayor Roy Akins, the ARCC's Todd Shimkus, Christine McDonald from the Crandall Library and Stuart Guinther, Lehigh's GM.

Besides food, entertainment, balloons, and face painting, the company provided tours of their 900 acre operation which included a crossing on one of only two privately owned bridges to cross the Hudson River. The line for the tour showed just how popular this unique birthday party was and just how important Lehigh Northeast Cement is to this community. Congratulations and Happy 115th Lehigh Northeast Cement.

Hot Dog!

On May 19th, the ARCC, the Post Star, Adirondack Plastics and Recycling, and the Glens Falls BID will co-sponsor two seminars on "Placemaking" featuring a presentation by the Project for Public Spaces. The first session is at 1:00 p.m., at the Queensbury Hotel, and the second is at 6:30 p.m., at the Fort Edward Fire Station, on Route 4, in the Village of Fort Edward. The Project for Public Spaces has worked with downtown and village leaders in 86 countries to help them take simple, practical and meaningful steps to create places that people want to visit.

I've had the pleasure of participating in 2 seminars facilitated by the Project for Public Spaces. They have photos that clearly show how placemaking can make a real difference in revitalizing a downtown or village. In addition, they have photos showing the mistakes many communities have made over the years creating beautiful places that no one wants to use or visit. The comparison is striking and very informative so we hope people will attend either of these free seminars.

So what does this have to do with hot dogs?

The revitalization of our cities and villages will be decided by property owners and existing businesses rather than hot dog cart vendors. While we might want to perhaps consider allowing more existing businesses to "encroach" upon City sidewalks to draw attention to themselves and to create places people want to visit, we should NOT open up our sidewalks to vendors who don't pay property taxes and who don't invest in our dowtown buildings. Believing that allowing hot dog cart vendors to utilize our public sidewalks represents economic development is quite simply not true. They don't create places but instead unfairly compete with those property owners and businesses that do.

No one said no

More than 50 elected officials, business leaders, professional engineers, planners, and residents attended the May 7th Regional Summit at the BOCES. The ARCC convened and facilitated this meeting. The goal was to determine which local community leaders were willing and interested in working regionally to meet our current and future water and sewer needs.

The participants were given every opportunity to share their ideas and concerns as well as to express their opinion as to whether or not a regional solution was a good idea. The audience heard from elected officials in Fort Ann, Queensbury, Kingsbury, Glens Falls, Moreau, South Glens Falls, Fort Edward, Warren and Washington Counties. There were clearly some in attendance who spoke more forcefully than others in support of a regional solution but no one said no to working together. We're pleased with this turnout and this response and pledge to do whatever we can to help facilitate this continued effort. Our goal is to make sure that our region has a water and sewer system that is safe, abundant, expandable, redundant and affordable, and we will not rest until this goal is achieved.

ARCC prepares to host regional summit

The public is invited to a special summit for our region's elected officials on regional water and sewer options on Wednesday, May 7, 2008, at 7:00 p.m., in the Multi-purpose Room, in Building D, at the BOCES Education Center, on Dix Avenue, in Hudson Falls.

The ARCC’s Board of Directors recently voted to authorize the Chamber to convene and facilitate such a meeting. The ARCC recognizes that providing a safe, abundant, expandable, redundant and affordable water and sewer system is an absolute necessity to preserve our region’s quality of life and to expand economic opportunity. We’re eager to host this summit simply to begin a dialogue among the region’s elected officials, business leaders and the community at large as to whether this goal can best be accomplished regionally and how we might proceed most effectively.

We sent a memo inviting elected officials in Warren County, Washington County, South Glens Falls, Moreau, Fort Ann, Kingsbury, Hudson Falls, Queensbury, and Glens Falls to this summit. We have also invited Congresswoman Gillibrand, Senator Little, Assemblywoman Sayward, Assemblyman McDonald, the DEC, and area business leaders. We will make a very brief presentation relative to some recent research that we’ve done on this subject and then will be seeking the advice and counsel of participating elected officials on what they believe might be possible to meet our common goals.

We'd like for this meeting to be as inclusive as possible. Therefore, the meeting is open to the public and anyone interested in this subject from the region is invited to attend. During the meeting, we may give preference to elected officials to speak first but there may also be time for comments from the general public.

Earth Day Update from the ARCC

I just put Scott Sopczyk's email in my "blocked" file. It was his email four weeks ago asking if the ARCC would help promote an earth day initiative to encourage people to NOT drive alone that put me in this predicament today. In response to Scott's email, we said yes to his request correctly believing that many of our members were interested in such an effort. But for me personally, this meant that I left my car in the driveway and walked to work at the Chamber.

Just 100 feet into my walk/commute, Ray Agnew from the Glens Falls Hospital - - one of the corporate partners in our weeklong initiative - - pulled up in his car and said hello. He reminded me that I owed him a phone call and asked if I was participating in the "earth day" effort. I smiled and said yes. He smiled back, rolled up the window, and drove alone to work without asking if I could use a ride. Note to Ray - - we are encouraging carpooling too as part of the program in case you see me out there later this week. I also saw Aaron Frankenfeld, of the Adirondack/Glens Falls Transportation Council - - a sponsor of this program - - riding his bike to work.

On my walk to work, I noticed that gas prices are now over $3.60 gallon. That helped to motivate me to do this again tomorrow. Of course, the beautiful weather today was also far more apparent and enjoyable being outdoors walking rather than in the traditional confines of my car. If you too found an alternative means of getting to work today, send me an email and we'll be sure to recognize your efforts in our blog.

Todd Shimkus

Walk this way...

Choose NOT to drive alone!

During the week of April 21 – April 27, the ARCC, the Glens Falls Transit Authority, the Glens Falls Hospital, the Glens Falls YMCA and the Glens Falls/Adirondack Transportation Council is pleased to invite local residents to join us for a week long local “Earth Day” initiative by choosing not to drive alone. By walking, bicycling, carpooling, or taking the bus rather than driving alone, you can help to:

√ Reduce traffic congestion and pollution
√ Feel better about yourself by getting some exercise, burning calories, reducing the stress of driving, or by participating and knowing that you made a difference
√ Conserve demand for scarce resources, such as fuel and parking spaces
√ Save yourself some money

Participation is easy. Just list the amount of miles that you would ordinarily travel by car to work and tell us what you did differently by completing this form. Completed forms should be returned to the Adirondack/Glens Falls Transportation Council by Friday, May 2, 2008. Everyone who chooses not to drive alone during this week-long celebration will receive a special gift from a select group of area organizations. A/GFTC will also send all participants and their employers a tally of the beneficial environmental impacts that result from this community-wide effort.

And yes in case you were curious, even the ARCC's President will be leaving his car at home.