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June 13, 2009
A Denton Publication
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High Peaks Hospice receives grant from Wal-Mart.
Art Walk showcases photographs and drawings.
Experience the music of the world at ALCA.
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Verizon plans to activate 10 new cell towers
Facteau resigns after 13 years on school board By Chris Morris denpubs@denpubs.com
By Chris Morris denpubs@denpubs.com NEW YORK — Representatives from Verizon Wireless announced plans last week to activate at least 10 new cell-phone towers across the North Country this summer. Verizon spokesman John O’Malley said the towers should be operating by the end of the year. “We’re very excited about these various projects — they will be beneficial to the North Country,” he said. O’Malley wouldn’t provide specifics on each location, but he said the new projects will give Verizon 90 cell towers in the company's northern network including 26 cell sites within the Adirondack Park. Currently, the company has six applications pending with the Adirondack Park Agency. The list includes two towers in the Town of Wells and single towers in Westport, Duane, Wilmington and Queensbury. One of the company’s goals has been to bring better service to the Adirondack Northway. To date, Verizon Wireless has activated four of its planned 13 new sites to bring service to a previously uncovered stretch of Interstate 87. Marquett Smith, president of Verizon’s Upstate New York Region, said the new cell sites reflect the company’s commitment to providing reliable wireless service. “We’ve taken the lead on expanding wireless service throughout the Adirondack Region, both inside the park and outside,” Smith said. “We believe wireless service is essential to the people who lie in the region.” The new towers will provide increased cell phone service, as well as access to Mobile Broadband, Verizon’s high-speed wireless Internet service. In the past 18 months, Verizon has activated 14 sites in the North Country. The new cell towers cost approximately $550,000 a piece, representing an investment of more than $5 million in the region for 2009. The Adirondack Park Agency has approved plans for a Verizon cell tower designed to look like a large pine tree at Paul Smith’s College. In Keene, crews are preparing to construct a brand-new Verizon tower near the highway sand storage facility off of State Route 73. A second proposal would place an antenna on the Neighborhood House in Keene Valley, although the project has not yet been submitted to the APA. O’Malley says Verizon plans to invest more than $100 million in the upstate New York network in the coming year. “We keep adding customers,” he said. “So it only makes sense to provide better service moving forward.”
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Hannah Tremblay of Wilmington shows off a fine mess of trout she caught recently while fishing with her father, Paul and local guide Joe Hackett of Raybrook. Hannah is the granddaughter of retired state Forest Ranger Gary Hodgson of Lake Placid. Photo by Paul Tremblay
TUPPER LAKE — Tupper Lake School Board member Patrick Facteau tendered his resignation last week after 13 years of service to the school district. Facteau made the announcement at the June 1 regular meeting of the board of education. The board accepted his resignation, effective July 1. District Superintendent Seth McGowan said Facteau – who is the Chief Financial Officer at Adirondack Medical Center – will be missed for his depth of financial knowledge. “Pat had a depth of knowledge on finance in general that is really unparalleled,” McGowan said. “He had an ability to put numbers together, and he’s really involved with it up to his elbows everyday. So when financial matters come up, he’s really knowledgeable and often has been down that road already.” Facteau served as both president and vice president of the school board on multiple occasions, McGowan added. Mark Yamrick, Facteau’s co-worker at AMC and the son of retired L.P. Quinn teacher Jeanne Yamrick, was appointed by the school board to fill the vacant seat. Facteau had recommended Yamrick for the position. Yamrick has two children in the Tupper Lake School District and has business experience as the former owner of Jarden Plastic Solutions. “I’m excited about the opportunity,” Yamrick said. “I still have a lot to learn and I hope to be able to get up to speed as soon as possible.” McGowan said Yamrick was given preference because he expressed an interest in district operations. In July, Yamrick will join Jane Whitmore as the second new board member, after Whitmore was elected to replace John Quinn last month. McGowan is not concerned about the board’s future due to the recent turnover. “The balance that the board needs to have is looking out for the taxpayers and providing the community with the best possible education,” McGowan said. “This board did an outstanding job of that and always has,” he added. “Even prior to my becoming superintendent, I was elementary principal, and I had dealings with them on a number of educational and financial issues, and could not have asked for a better rapport or better relationship.” McGowan also noted two other members, President Mike Dechene and Dan Mansfield, have many years of experience. “We’ll have a nice balance of new blood and experience moving forward, so I’m comfortable with the board’s direction,” he said.
Adirondack region welcomes new health care program Pilot project aims to improve care, draw more doctors By Matt Bosley matt@denpubs.com ALBANY — A new model for health care services will soon be implemented in the Adirondacks, and it’s being welcomed with open arms. State legislators, insurance carriers, and physicians gathered at the Legislative Office Building in Albany June 2 for an update of the Adirondack Regional Medical Home Demonstration Project, a unique health care program designed to improve the coordination of health care services in the Adirondacks. The pilot project is a collaboration between area hospitals, primary care clinicians, health insurance companies and the New York State Health Department. It aims to better organize and deliver primary care services while addressing the value and cost of health care services.
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That’s the benefit to the hospital, and the patient; that they get the help they need and don’t wait until the condition worsens to the point that they need to go to the ER, where the cost of treatment is higher.
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— Joe Riccio “This project could not have gotten off the ground without the tireless support of Senator Elizabeth Little and Assembly members Teresa Sayward and Jan Duprey,” said Stephen J. Acquario, executive director of the New York State Association of Counties. “NYSAC and the county supervisors in the Adirondack Park Region are grateful for their public service to ensure that access to health care in this region continues.” With over $9.5 million in state funding, the program offers participating medical
providers enhanced reimbursement rates through participating health insurance plans. Proponents hope the added incentive will address the consistent shortage of doctors. “We are pleased to have this project in our communities, and we hope it attracts and retains the primary care physicians we need to keep our families healthy,” said Duprey. “We are at a distinct disadvantage when recruiting doctors to move their families and open up practices in our communities. We have difficulty competing in terms of pay and technology,” said Little. “This innovative project will help us be more competitive and provide an attractive environment that is breaking new ground in terms of health care delivery.” In return for the enhanced reimbursement, participating providers must meet a new standard of care with an increased focus on primary and preventive care. Joe Riccio, communications manager at Adirondack Medical Center, said the program creates a team approach whereby primary care
See HEALTH, page 5