{"id":3194,"date":"2010-11-10T10:04:31","date_gmt":"2010-11-10T15:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/?p=3194"},"modified":"2010-11-10T12:43:56","modified_gmt":"2010-11-10T17:43:56","slug":"memo-to-think-tankers-we-need-an-apa-poll-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/2010\/11\/10\/memo-to-think-tankers-we-need-an-apa-poll-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Memo to think-tankers: We need an APA poll now."},"content":{"rendered":"

This week the Glens Falls Post-Star<\/a> published an editorial urging incoming Governor Andrew Cuomo to make Adirondack Park Agency reform a major priority.<\/p>\n

The newspaper’s reform proposals are well worth debating and considering.\u00a0 But one part of the argument caught my eye.<\/p>\n

The editorial points to a “growing level of discontent among park residents,” citing as evidence for this trend “40 pages of almost unanimously negative comments about the Adirondack Park Agency.”<\/p>\n

The Post-Star goes on to describe the APA as a “kind of shadow government” and insist that the situation has “reached crisis proportions.”<\/p>\n

As I’ve written here before, my reporting just doesn’t seem to bear out that kind of conclusion.<\/p>\n

Yes, there are a lot of people who loathe the APA and see it as an unfair imposition on local control and private property rights.<\/p>\n

And there is a growing sense that some reforms are needed to the Adirondack Park Agency Act and the structure of the APA’s board.<\/p>\n

But I also talk regularly with local residents and town officials who view the Agency as an important and reasonable partner.<\/p>\n

To cite one example, the town supervisor in Johnsburg, Sterling Goodspeed, recently praised the APA for its help with a new resort project near Gore Mountain.<\/p>\n

He argued that local governments often lack the expertise and staff to monitor and deal with big projects.<\/p>\n

There also appears to be a fairly large cultural divide between “homegrown” Adirondackers — many view the APA as an imposition — and some recent arrivals, who appear more comfortable with the Park’s rules and restrictions.<\/p>\n

My point here isn’t that I knew where public opinion on this really stands.\u00a0 I don’t.\u00a0 It could be that the Post-Star’s read is far more accurate than what I’m hearing.<\/p>\n

But I do know we need much better information, something that goes beyond the anecdotal.<\/p>\n

We need someone — ANCA or AATV maybe? — to produce a really professional unbiased survey of Adirondack residents, one that uses a neutral pollster to ask serious questions about the APA and its track record.<\/p>\n

(Full disclosure:\u00a0 NCPR tried to put a project like this together and we lacked the resources and expertise to do it properly.)<\/p>\n

Here’s what I would like to know:<\/p>\n

How many people have had direct interactions with the APA?\u00a0\u00a0 Have those interactions been positive, negative, or neutral?<\/p>\n

Do you view the APA as a serious hindrance to the Adirondack economy?\u00a0 Should the APA be abolished?<\/p>\n

Is the APA needed to protect the Adirondack environment?\u00a0 Do its zoning rules enhance your quality of life, or the value of your property?<\/p>\n

Do environmentalists have too much influence over APA decisions? Do developers have too much influence?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I would also ask some baseline questions, hoping to contrast views about the APA with views about other regulatory agencies.<\/p>\n

(When I’m researching stories, I often find as much anger aimed toward local zoning boards or toward the Department of Environmental Conservation.)<\/p>\n

My sense is that the culture and demographic mix inside the blue line has changed a lot in recent years.<\/p>\n

It would be great to grab a fresh and accurate new snapshot of where we are — average citizens — in our view of Park and its management.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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