“I guess it’s all about getting money,” Doty joked at the start of the meeting.

LEAF grants are funded by revenue from the 5% occupancy tax collected by Essex County. This is the sixth round of LEAF grants since the program began in the summer of 2020, with the funds awarded in this round totaling $236,057.

The organizations that received grants were: Adirondack Rugby Inc. and the Can-Am Rugby Tournament, ADK Tour de Ski, Ausable Freshwater Center, Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Lake Placid Olympic Museum, Lake Placid Volunteer Ambulance Service, Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society, New York Ski Educational Foundation, Saranac Lake 3P, Inc., Saranac Lake Civic Center, Search and Rescue of the Northern Adirondacks and the Village of Saranac Lake.

Search for sidewalk funds begins

The town council voted unanimously to accept a feasibility study that was presented in September by the engineering firm, Suozzo, Doty and Associates for a project installing a sidewalk along sections of Wesvalley and Cummings roads. This means that the town will be able to send out a request for qualifications for the project, which in turn allows them to move forward in finding funding, according to Adrienne Relyea, the town’s deputy clerk and secretary to the supervisor.

In the September presentation, the project was projected to cost around $3 million. The firm will likely continue to help with grant applications, particularly when dealing with federal grants and grants that require engineering expertise.

David Genito, founder of Lake Placid Fiber, attended the meeting to discuss a small addition to the project — burying internet conduit in certain areas along the sidewalk. This would be funded by his business, Genito said, but would save time and money in the long run because it would prevent needing to dig into the ground later on to install the conduit.

Approved cannabis funds

The town also unanymously granted $5,000 from the cannabis taxation fund for the Lake Placid Community Ski Program, a program that works to make Nordic skiing accessible to local students. The funds were requested for the organization to buy some of their own pairs of skis and other equipment so that their athletes can participate in other activities outside the club. Currently, they use equipment provided by High Peaks Cyclery.

The town had three recent applications for money from the cannabis taxation fund, which were also discussed at Tuesday’s meeting. They rejected one and asked for more information from the second, council member Emily Kilburn Politi said.

“We think it’s a good ask and a solid use of the cannabis funds,” Kilburn Politi said about the Lake Placid Community Ski Program application.

The club was also requesting funds to help with travel expenses to take some of their more advanced athletes to the annual Bill Koch ski festival, which is taking place in Maine this year.

Golf course rates to increase

The town voted to increase the membership rates at the Craig Wood Golf Club from $219 to $249 per season. Councilman Jason Leon was the only member to oppose the new rates, saying he felt the price increase was a bit steep and he wanted to have more discussion about it. Councilman Richard Cummings said that the membership is still a good deal compared to other golf courses in the region.

The new rate will be effective immediately. For now, the $75 per season rate for youth will remain the same.