Tt a 0099 1105

Page 1

ECRWSS PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID DENTON PUBLICATIONS/ NEW MARKET PRESS PO Box 338 Elizabethtown NY 12932 Postal Patron

Saturday,ÊNo vemberÊ5,Ê2016

>>

www.SunCommunityNews.com

In SPORTS | pg. 21-23

>>

Sentinels earn Class D title

In opinion | pg. 6

OFA plans not transparent

Lady Vikings Cinderella run ends

Electorate needs to know more

>>

In MORIAH | pg. 13

Stay alert when driving

Advocate warns of distraction dangers

OFA merger plan criticized in public hearing Dozens pack Old County Courthouse to speak out against merger of aging department into public health By Pete DeMola

pete@suncommunitynews.com

TICONDEROGA — Essex County’s plan to merge a pair of departments was met with stiff resistance on Monday. Dozens crammed into the Old Courthouse for a public hearing on the plan to merge the Office for the Aging into the Essex County Department of Public Health.

Nearly a dozen speakers, including health care providers, civil servants and teachers, spoke out against the decision, calling for the county lawmakers to rescind their authorization for what has been branded as an efficiency-creating measure. Combining the departments would lead to a loss of independence at a time when services need to be enhanced, say critics. Demographic trends show seniors will be make up an increasingly larger slice of the population. And the projected cost savings, initially tabbed at $100,000 due to the elimination of a cabinet-level director, won’t materialize. Office for the Aging Advisory Council

AheadÊ of Ê landÊ useÊ debate,Ê groupsÊ turnÊ toÊ publicÊ opinion By Pete DeMola

Chairman Elizabeth Buysse said no other county in the state has embarked on a similar measure, an indication that the OFA needed to be kept as an umbrella agency. “Elder issues need to be kept at the forefront of the county,” said Buysse, who hoped she could receive assistance with telemedicine and flying cars in 20 years. “We must meet these challenges with a singular focus and independent department.” With an annual operating budget of $2.6 million, the state-mandated OFA runs 18 programs, including meal delivery, transportation, nutrition programs and caregiver services designed to ensure seniors remain independent. Under the new arrangement, OFA would

cease to be an independent cabinet-level department, and would be folded into one of several units overseen by public health. Jamie Whidden, executive director of Saranac Village at Will Rogers, said those programs are critical to preventing rehospitalization and keeping seniors independent. “You may end up stepping over a dime to pay a dollar later,” Whidden said. Twenty-one percent of Essex County is over 65, a number that is projected to increase to 30 percent by 2030. That’s significantly higher than the state average of 14.7 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. >> See COUNTY | pg. 25

spending pro-access groups at least 10 to one.

pete@suncommunitynews.com

NORTH HUDSON — As the public comment period gears up for how the state will classify the newly acquired Boreas Pond Tracts, groups on either side of the debate are flexing their muscles when it comes to lobbying the public and delivering their message. The war over the 20,494-acre tract, purchased by the state for $14.5 million in May, will not only be fought at Adirondack Park Agency-sponsored public hearings across the state — the first is scheduled for Nov. 9, and comments will be accepted until Dec. 30 — but also on the digital frontier: Expect an influx of social media posts, blog entries and news articles. They will join mass emails, letter writing campaigns, television advertisements and targeted online advertising, making the battle, perhaps for some, as ubiquitous as a political campaign. But it’s not all even, with green groups out-

THE PLAYERS The parcels, purchased by the state earlier from the Nature Conservancy, is largely anticipated to be the final in a series of largescale state acquisitions. Formerly owned by the Finch Pruyn timber company, the land has been closed to the public for over a century. Now the APA will collect comments to help determine the classification of the land, then the state Department of Conservation will draft a Unit Management Plan, with a formal decision expected to be made sometime next year. Four proposed alternate classification plans have been approved by the APA. Both sides — in as much that sides are clearly delineated — have painted the final >> See BOREAS | pg. 24

Students from eight local schools gathered in Long Lake on Saturday, Oct. 29 to participate in the 2016 fall Central Adirondack School Music Association All-County Concert. Pictured here is the senior chorus under the direction of Dr. Michael Lister. For additional photos visit www.suncommunitynews.com. Photo by John Gereau


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.