That’s one of the big questions I’ll ask departing APA chairman Curt Stiles when we sit down for an interview later this week.<\/p>\n
Stiles shocked the Adirondacks earlier this month when he abruptly announced that he won’t stay on for another term.\u00a0 His departure is very nearly immediate, as he’ll be stepping aside before the next meeting in August in Ray Brook.<\/p>\n
All of which raises troubling concerns about the APA’s ability to fairly and thoroughly adjudicate the Adirondack Club and Resort project proposed for Tupper Lake.<\/p>\n
The resort’s developers want to build hundreds of condos and mansions, as well as a modern state of the art marina, ski resort, equestrian center, and more.<\/p>\n
The public hearings which just wrapped up cap a review process that has gone on for years, with mountains of information and context and citizen involvement all thrown into the mix.<\/p>\n
This is quite possibly the biggest, most controversial single decision the APA will make in its first half-century.<\/p>\n
Now, it appears that the Agency will make the final call led by an interim chairman, or by someone new to the post hastily appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo and confirmed by the state Senate.<\/p>\n
What’s more, a total of four other APA commissioners — not including Stiles — are serving after their terms have expired.\u00a0 That’s fully half of the eight citizen board-members who are lame ducks.<\/p>\n
Members of the commission who represent other state agencies are also relatively new to the panel and some have expressed anxiety about getting up to speed on the massive project.<\/p>\n
According to APA officials, the Big Tupper applicants have given the commission until January to make this decision — to reject construction of the resort, to approve it (likely with conditions), or to call for more public hearings.<\/p>\n
That gives Governor Cuomo a little time to sort out the APA’s leadership, though in fact much of the board’s deliberating and internal review process will begin almost immediately.<\/p>\n
It helps that the Park Agency staff is fairly stable at the moment despite the state’s economic tribulations.\u00a0 Their expertise will play a big role in helping commissioners sort through the piles of documents, maps and testimony.<\/p>\n
But the learning curve on ACR is steep.\u00a0 The nuances of fact, science, and public sentiment will be daunting even for veteran commissioners.<\/p>\n
And ultimately, this decision is the commission’s responsibility, not the staff’s.<\/p>\n
Even without this muddle, the outcome of the Adirondack Club and Resort vote, whatever it is, will be be hugely controversial and the APA’s credibility will be called into question by one faction or another.<\/p>\n
Surely it would help matters if the final decision were being made by an experienced chairman working with commissioners who are properly appointed by the governor, properly confirmed by the state legislature, and still serving their proper terms.<\/p>\n
If nothing else, this situation highlights the need for leadership from Albany.\u00a0 Obviously, Governor Cuomo has been preoccupied with much bigger issues than the APA or the Adirondack Club and Resort.<\/p>\n
But it’s been two years now since a governor — David Paterson, in fact — tried to fill one of the expired seats on the APA commission.<\/p>\n
If the state wants Adirondackers to live under the APA’s regulatory authority, it seems only reasonable that officials in Albany take the time to give the agency proper attention, so that it can carry out its duties appropriately.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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