acerbone@adirondackdailyenterprise.com SARANAC LAKE The village board is considering regulation of short-term vacation rentals and will hold a public work session Monday to discuss a possible STR permit system. This will not be a public comment session, but there will be a public hearing before the law is voted on. Public comment can also be made at regular board meeting or by sending mail or email to the village clerk. STRs are a hot topic in the Tri-Lakes, which has an economy heavily reliant on tourism. In nearby Lake Placid some residents say the rentals eat up the affordable housing stock and cause problems with neighbors. Others say they rely on the income they get by renting out their home, part of their home or second home, and that it allows for more visitors.
Staff Writers
Cannabis bud
(Photo provided via Wikimedia Commons) Lake Placid officials are mixed on whether to opt out of allowing the sale of marijuana in their village. In Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake, boards have not discussed the topic yet, but mayors say they do not expect to opt out. A new state law legalizing recreational marijuana for adults 21 years old and over includes a provision that allows towns, villages and cities to ban dispensaries, decline to offer on-site consumption licenses to businesses and even impose civil fines for violations, although consumption of cannabis will still be legal.
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– “We have not had a public discussion yet,” new Lake Placid Mayor Art Devlin said Monday, the day he was sworn in. “I don’t have a position on that yet. I’d like to speak with legal counsel and our chief of police.”
acerbone@adirondackdailyenterprise.com
Lake Placid Pub and Brewery co-owners Christopher and Catherine Ericson stand behind the former Amusement and Vending building on Woodruff Street, Saranac Lake, where they plan to open a new brewing location and replace the asphalt with a grassy beer garden.
(Enterprise photo â Aaron Cerbone) SARANAC LAKE The village board agreed to expedite a River Walk expansion Monday night after a request from the owner of a brewery opening on Woodruff Street. On Tuesday, the state approved a grant the village filed in 2016 that could provide funding for the construction outside of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative state grant package.
Cannabis bud
(Photo provided via Wikimedia Commons) SARANAC LAKE New York legalized recreational marijuana for adult use Wednesday, and local residents spoken to on the street were mostly stoked that it’s now legal to smoke. Some said they do not use cannabis but support legalization for legal and taxation reasons. Others said they partake daily and were glad their use of the drug is legal now.
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– Locals spoken to Wednesday all said they believe legalization has been a long time coming. That said, some had questions about how the state will keep use of cannabis safe. “I don’t have a lot of strong thoughts either way, actually,” Sue West of Bloomingdale said. “I’m not really opposed or really in favor.”
the Enterprise staff
Lake Placid resident Ryan Tummons, left, signs in to vote in the village election at the North Elba Town Hall on Tuesday, March 16. Poll worker Mary Merrill, right, watches. In the background is a livestream of the polling place.
(Enterprise photo â Elizabeth Izzo) LAKE PLACID Voters headed to the polls Tuesday to choose a new majority for the Lake Placid Village Board of Trustees. Results were not available by press time. Lake Placid residents voted at the North Elba Town Hall between noon and 9 p.m. to choose a new mayor, two trustees and a justice. Face coverings were required to vote, due to the COVID-19 pandemic; that also drove many people to vote absentee this year.