The Northern Border Regional Commission’s $4.1 million grant package also carved out $350,000 for Historic Saranac Lake to rehabilitate the historic Trudeau Building and $675,452 to Paul Smith’s College for improvements to its wastewater and drinking water systems.

–

ADK

–

ADK’s $303,960 grant from the NBRC’s State Economic & Infrastructure Development fund will put a large dent in a $380,195 renovation project at the former Cascade Ski Center on state Route 73 outside Lake Placid. ADK Director of Communications Ben Brosseau said this grant will help the club install a lighting system along its ski trails, improve wayfinding and other signage for the center’s trail network and install fiber optics in the building. Brosseau said that this project and the grant ADK received are one piece of a funding “puzzle” that the club is navigating to support all of its renovation projects.

Brosseau said that ADK is hoping to find at least $3 million in funding for renovations at the center, and the club has raised about a third of that so far.

ADK has received several grants for the welcome center, including the $500,000 state grant that helped the club purchase the $2.1 million property. The state Department of Environmental Conservation awarded ADK $47,000 earlier this year for hiking information stewards and a portable toilet at the center for the summer. ADK also sold its Lake George headquarters for $800,000 earlier this summer, and the club planned to use a portion of that sale to help pay for the welcome center.

This summer, Brosseau said ADK has been busy with building renovations and preparing for the ski season. He said the club recently got a side-by-side mower so they can start mowing the ski trails and open the trails up to skiers by late October or early November.

ADK purchased Cascade in February with plans to transform the seasonal ski center into a year-round recreational and educational facility that would allow ADK to expand its classroom space and provide information to hikers while still offering some of the skiing and snowshoeing experiences that Cascade was known for. ADK reopened the center as the Cascade Welcome Center in June.

–

Historic Saranac Lake

–

HSL is restoring the Trudeau Building at Main and Church streets in Saranac Lake, a property HSL bought in 2019 with plans to convert it into a museum. HSL Executive Director Amy Catania said abatement at the property is done, and once this grant is administered and approved, HSL plans to put out bids for interior and exterior construction at the beginning of 2023.

HSL estimated that the project — between buying the building, construction and exhibit installation — will cost around $5.2 million. Catania said on Aug. 25 that HSL has raised nearly $4.5 million between private donors, foundation grants, state grants, tax credit financing and the $350,000 federal grant.

–

Paul Smith’s College

–

Dan Kelting, vice president for research and executive director of the PSC Adirondack Watershed Insititute, shared excerpts with the News from the application Paul Smith’s College submitted for its $844,315 revamp to the college’s wastewater and drinking systems. The project plan is to replace around 12,000 lineal feet of sewer lines and water distribution piping, and the college was ultimately awarded $675,452 from the NBRC. Kelting said the college hopes to complete the project in summer 2023.