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Saturday,ÊJ anuaryÊ2,Ê2016
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www.SunCommunityNews.com
In SPORTS | pg. 12
Boy’s title game leaving Glens Falls NYSPHSAA moves state tourney to Binghamton
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In OPINION | pg. 6
Sharing bed tax
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Essex Co. should take page from Warren Co.
In LOCAL | pg. 2
Remembering Lenore Community honors Smith
Local Northway rest area to receive tourism makeover By Thom Randall
thom@suncommunitynews.com
QUEENSBURY — Tourism in Warren County is expected to get a solid boost after the rest area on northbound I-87 Northway between exits 17 and 18 undergoes extensive renovation this coming year by the state Department of Transportation to include an enlarged “Adirondack Welcome Center” for travelers. The reconstruction — which will include incorporating renovated rest rooms and the existing tourist information center in one enlarged building — is to begin as soon as this spring. The new enlarged welcome center is expected to be complete by next fall. The project is to be bankrolled by the state. The Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce has for several years operated the tourist information center with a focus on
acquainting motorists with Warren County tourist destinations and recreational opportunities. Many thousands of tourists weekly stop at the rest area, with many headed either into the Adirondacks or further north. This lower stretch of the Northway also serves as a main route into Vermont. The rest area now hosts two buildings — a pair of rest rooms and a tourism information lobby, about 30 feet apart, separated by an overhead trellis. Both structures would be incorporated into one building — and the renovation of the rest rooms would include the addition of a unisex “family” rest room, which would provide a facility for public use while the other two rest rooms are undergoing routine cleaning. Conceptual plans call for two new entranc>> Story Continued | pg. 3
Parting Westcott calls board set-up unconstitutional By Christina Scanlon
christina@suncommunitynews.com
LAKE GEORGE — Outgoing Queensbury Supervisor at-Large Mark Westcott, as his final action before his term ends Dec. 31, urged the Warren County Board of Supervisors to look at the current system of government, calling the make-up of the
board’s voting power “unconstitutional.” With the support of fellow Queensbury Supervisors at-Large Doug Beaty and Rachel Seeber, Glens Falls 2nd Ward Supervisor Peter McDevitt and the Upstate New York Taxpayers Association, Westcott submitted a petition for consideration. “We’re just asking for legislative and rules (committee) to take a look at it, to debate it, to talk about it. There’s no quick fixes here,” said Westcott of a list of issues the group identified. The current board of su-
pervisors violates the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution’s “one person, one vote” principle, said Westcott. Full board decisions are made using weighted voting, which is based on town population. Those votes, however, do not take place until committees have reviewed the information. Matters are often discussed and die at the committee level. Those committees do not use a weighted votes system and are chaired by more supervisors from towns with smaller populations than Queensbury and
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Outgoing super is joined by others requesting a look at a more lawful approach
Glens Falls, Westcott said. While any supervisor can bring any resolution they desire to the full board, “it wouldn’t have the full vetting process as it gets on the committee level,” said Westcott. Supervisors from Queensbury represent 42.5 percent of the county’s population and are listed as chairing just two of the 24 committees. At election time, together they garnered around 12,000 votes, while in contrast Eugene Merlino, won his most recent seat as Lake Luzerne Supervisor with 341 votes. Merlino chairs two commit-
tees. “It’s something we’d been talking about for a year. I hadn’t taken any action because we were focused on other issues,” said Westcott of attempting to address the issue as he leaves office. “It came out as an issue during the campaign and motivated me to look more seriously at it.” Rearranging the committee chairs or members would likely not be a better arrangement as it would pose a “mathematical quagmire,” said Westcott. In total, 230 meetings are held each year,
making it nearly impossible for some with full-time jobs to attend every meeting. In addition, some supervisors have voiced a desire not to chair a committee. Others >> Story Continued | pg. 5