Xenophobia sabotages another housing solution

 After Old Forge/Webb and North Hudson, Lake George is the latest community to let xenophobia sabotage a solution to a town's well-identified long-term housing shortage. 

The Lake George Mirror reports that a state-funded to build workforce housing for employees who fill jobs in the heavily tourist dependent region is likely dead because of local opposition. It is based on irrational fears of so-called "illegals" filling the housing. Except the county already has a legally-binding order preventing business owners from housing (mostly Latino) undocumented immigrants. 

More workforce housing is a badly needed in Lake George, according to nearly all business owners. Yet again, bigots are willing to cut off their nose to spite their face. 

Nobody expects anything from far-right US Rep. Elise Stefanik but it would be nice if either of the region's state legislators - Sen. Dan Stec and Assemblyman Matt Simpson - had the guts to speak out about this cancer sabotaging economic solutions to our area. Easy as it is to blame Scapegoat Albany for everything, there are some issues where we have to look in the mirror.

The billion dollar bet on ORDA was pure Cuomo

 A recent piece (click here) in Adirondack Life by one of the region's most prominent journalists examined in great deal the gargantuan sums of money being pumped into the Olympic Regional Development Authority's facilities, mostly in the Lake Placid area. The astronomical sums of money is not being matched by that amount of oversight and accountability.

The piece by Brian Mann and his son Nicholas estimate that the state has pumped around one BILLION dollars into the facilities in recent years.

The culmination of the investments was supposed to be the FISU World University Games held earlier this year. For a variety of reasons - from bad luck to mismanagement - the Games netted a mere $700,000 in ticketing revenues. Now, the billion dollar investment was for more than just the Games but surely those whose money was being spent had a right to expect more from the showpiece event for their huge investment.

More money is being pumped into ORDA than the much (and rightly) maligned Buffalo Bills' stadium being built in the Gov. Hochul's home Erie County. Meanwhile, Adirondacks communities struggle with basics, like housing, sewer and broadband.

The Adirondack Life investigation reveals a text book case on how bad governance proliferates in New York state. Seemingly unlimited funds. No expectation of a detailed plan for sound budgeting. No accountability. Lavish promises. Fawning sycophants not looking too closely at the details. Little follow up with the lavish promises don't materialize.

Proponents of the ORDA money pit cite the alleged economic development benefits of the facilities, which justify the billion dollar taxpayer subsidy. They cite "economic impact" of the ORDA facilities, which are always astronomically amazing whenever any economic development official anywhere in the country tries to justify any massive taxpayer subsidy.

In a radio interview, ORDA boss Joe Maartens contrasted Lake Placid's upkeep of the facilities with dilapidated facilities in Sarajevo, host of the 1984 games. Sarajevo was the cite of a civil war a decade later. And even without massive taxpayer subsidized winter sport facilities, Bosnia had the 3rd highest growth rate in the world of its tourism sector in 2019.

This is really emblematic of how then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo ran things. Throw lots of money at a big, razzle dazzle project. No coordination. Big promises. Lots of photo ops. And by the time anyone notices the big promises were proven empty, he'd moved on to the next big razzle dazzle project.

Does anyone remember the massive hype around the construction of the new Frontier Town state campground? It was supposed to be the shiny new hub for hikers going to the southern High Peaks. The massive hype from the Cuomo administration claimed it was going to revitalized the tiny town of North Hudson with a beehive of activity. Four years later, it's just another state campground and North Hudson is little different than before.

ORDA officials claim that it is not reasonable to expect public facilities to make a profit. I'm not sure why it's unreasonable to expect public facilities to break even, or at least come remotely close. Private ski centers all over the northeast either make a profit or break even. But this sort of arrogance about spending other people's money is what makes people skeptical of the government?

Their attitude is: "It will help you. We know better than you. Give us unlimited funds, no questions asked."

Public agencies all over New York state are imbued with this sort of unaccountable haughtiness. And that's why the state is drowning in debt.

Old Forge's self-inflicted wound: a microcosm of the Adirondacks?

North Country Public Radio is one of several outlets to report on the controversy over an apartment complex project proposed in Old Forge, a hamlet in the town of Webb. Adirondack Explorer offered its own take.

It would added over 50 apartments, some for seniors, some at market rate and some for low income.

One thing that was remarkable about the public hearing is how overt the xenophobia was among several of the residents. 

One resident warned of "they're going to come from Utica or any other goddamned place that they can fill it with," Utica, about an hour from Old Forge, has been revitalized by a sizable population of new immigrants, especially from the Bosnia and Myanmar. ("The town’s been built on people from Utica," replied one town board member)

Another warned of an influx of "different people" from all around the state., For context, Webb's population is almost 98% white., Town officials have long identified lack of housing for permanent residents as a challenge. This project would help address that.,

Officials throughout the Adirondacks have cited a "labor shortage" as harming many local businesses. Many have specifically identified lack of permanent housing as a factor in that "labor shortage." This project would help address that.,

Less overtly xenophobic opposition was based allegedly on the impact of the project on the town's sewer system. This could easily be addressed by having the developer fund sewer upgrades. And/or by seeking grants for such improvements.,

As one online commenter pointed out, it's unclear how officials can simultaneously say, "We need more housing" and "Our infrastructure can't handle more housing.", Eventually, the town board pulled its support for this project.

On a personal note, I recently wanted to move deeper into the Adirondack Park from my spot on the edge. As a single person with no kids, buying a house was not sensible for my situation (especially at the skyrocketing prices). I would've volunteered a ton of my free time to any community I moved to, just as I do to the one I'm in now. But trying to find a non-Air BnB apartment of any kind, let alone one at a decent rent, was almost impossible. Actions like this a good indicator why.

When local officials oppose projects to expand options for permanent residents and then moan about lack of affordable housing and a "labor shortage," it makes them look clueless, disingenuous or both.

When local folks vocally tell potential newcomers "We don't want your type!", the potential newcomers are going to listen.

Neither is a good look for a tourist town that is and has always been heavily dependent on the money of those dastardly outsiders.

Webb has lost 7% of its population since 2000. Insularity like this will only increase the decline. And it will be the community's own choice. Other towns in the Adirondack should learn from this blunder.

Review of A Wild Idea

 I saw this review on Goodreads of the well-regarded A Wild Idea: How the Environmental Movement Tamed the Adirondacks by Brad Edmondson. The review is republished here with permission of the author.

***

A really indispensable book for understanding Adirondacks history. A detailed look into the creation of the Adirondack Park Agency and the genesis of the modern day Park as we know it in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It's fascinating to read of a time when the environmental lobby actually had influence; seems like another world. My only beef is that for most of the book, the undertone was an overly simplistic morality tale of bad guys (know it all enviros and their plutocratic sponsors) vs good guys (good salt-of-the-earth locals and virtuous, if misunderstood, developers). The only variation seemed to be the apparent grudging respect the author had for the hard-working staff of the Temporary Study Commission and early APA. And yet, the Conclusion chapter was much more balanced. It seemed to concede that the conservationists actually were right about at least some of their concerns. That aside, it truly did seem largely like a battle between millionaires (developers) and billionaires (AfPA), with locals powerless in helping shape their own future. The best aspect of the book is the way it weaves in the voices of those locals

Prison labor built the Adirondacks

 Adirondack Explorer had a nice article explaining the history of prison labor (mostly downstate and disproportionately of color) and its role in building the Adirondacks.

The 'labor shortage' in the Adirondacks: real or imagined?

The Lake George Mirror newspaper had an interesting interview with Lisa Ochsendorf, director of the Warren County Employment and Training Administration. She pointed out that higher unemployment benefits had little impact on the available labor pool in the county.

"We saw only about 300 people rejoin the workforce in August and September," when jobless benefits ran out, she said. 

She pointed out that the workforce is roughly the same size as in September 2019, prior to the pandemic, and that the size of the full-time workforce has been "remarkably stable for the past two decades." 

"We keep hearing that people don't want to work but that's not really the case," she pointed out. "COVID is an issue. Child care is an issue."

She added a point that is common sense among workers but seemingly controversial among the pundit class: in order to attract and retain workers, employers must create "positive work cultures."

Lake George septic regulations

 I've been following with interest the debate over septic system inspections of local lakefront properties. The Lake George Park Commission is considering regular inspections of systems at homes on the Queen of American lakes. Warren County is considering mandatory septic inspections of all homes located on several of the county's major lakes upon sale of the property. The Adirondack Almanack has a good recap of the debate.

At the Warren County Board of Supervisors, opponents of regulation complain that an inspection would cost money and hinder the sale of properties. But here's what I don't get.

Several toxic algae blooms in Lake George have been reported in recent years, blamed by many on old, failing septic systems.

If you're buying a house on Lake George, you're spending at least a few hundred thousand dollars. Homes on other lakes targeted by the county legislation also fetch a pretty penny.

The premium value of the property is precisely that it is located on a major waterway, where you can swim and boat and fish. Many get their drinking water from the lakes. The cleanliness of the Lake George, for one, is not only a major regional economic driver to boot. 

 Water quality is integral to everything that brings added value to owning a home on these lakes. Why wouldn't homeowners want to protect that investment? Perhaps there's an angle I've haven't heard, but opposing septic regulations strikes me penny wise and pound foolish.