Economic Development Strategy - Amazon S3s3.amazonaws.com/zanran_storage/tupperlakeinfo.com/...1 The Tupper Lake Economic Development Strategy is largely an update of the Tupper Lake

Tupper Lake Economic Development Strategy

December 2007

Economic Development Strategy

Table of Contents

Introduction…......1 Vision Statement..…....2 SWOT Analysis….…3

Action Plan……5

Appendices I: Action Plan Matrix

II: Community Focus Group III: Demographic Trends IV: Economic Overview

V: Tourism Overview VI: Stakeholder Interviews

VII. Priority Redevelopment Areas

Prepared by Camoin Associates PO Box 3367

Saratoga Springs, NY 518.899.2608

www.camoinassociates.com

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The Tupper Lake Economic Development Strategy is largely an update of the Tupper Lake Revitalization Plan adopted in 2000, which led to groundswell community efforts to build the Wild Center and the new Railroad Depot, as well as to plan and obtain funding for the Multi-Use Recreational Trail System. This Strategy incorporates many initiatives included in previous planning efforts, supplementing them with new recommendations and assigning target dates for completion and responsible entities for each objective.

Since the year 2000, Tupper Lake has made great strides in achieving many of the revitalization objectives set forth in the original plan, and a sense of optimism and forward movement pervades many community meetings. However, Tupper Lake still struggles with the continued deterioration of its downtown commercial districts, blighted housing conditions, challenges in maintaining its infrastructure, the continuing exodus of young people from the area, seasonal unemployment, and rising property taxes, among other issues.

In 2006, the Town of Tupper Lake received a Technical Assistance grant from the New York State Office for Small Cities to develop an economic development strategy to address these continuing issues more aggressively and incorporate existing plans into one comprehensive strategy. Using this grant, the Town hired Camoin Associates to facilitate the planning process. The results of the project are contained in this plan, which includes a new vision statement for Tupper Lake in 2020, and a set of goals, objectives and actions for the community to use as a guide in achieving its vision. The plan is summarized in table format in Appendix I.

The Tupper Lake Revitalization Committee, an active group of local residents that has been instrumental in providing input, guidance and implementation support to a variety of initiatives and projects in the 2000 Revitalization Plan, acted as the oversight body for the development of this updated plan. Camoin Associates relied on the Revitalization Committee for continuous feedback over the course of

this project, in addition to studying previous planning documents, analyzing independent data and soliciting input via a community focus group and one-on-one interviews with local residents, businesses, government officials, regional stakeholders and county officials. Summaries of the research and outreach conducted are found in the appendices to this document.

Before delving into the specifics of the Economic Development Strategy, it is useful to discuss what the term “economic development” means. Traditional approaches focused on luring businesses to a region or community with tax or other business incentives. The logic was that these companies would offer jobs, which would in turn attract people. However, new thinking and research in economic development points

Introduction


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to the fact that in today’s knowledge-based economy, communities compete not only for businesses, but also for individuals, and that oftentimes people consider location and quality of life over the guarantee of employment in choosing a place to live. As a result, in recent years economic development has increasingly focused on how to create a unique brand and quality of life that will attract creative, talented people to live, work and play in a community, in addition to continuing to rely on more traditional business attraction strategies.

While it may be difficult for small, rural communities such as Tupper Lake to affect macro demographic and economic trends, they can and should focus resources on enhancing quality of place within their communities as a means to retain and attract creative and talented people. This includes things like maintaining an attractive community with access to outstanding public facilities, providing a variety of cultural, recreational and entertainment opportunities, offering day to day convenience retail for local residents and visitors, and, perhaps most importantly, offering a unique identity or experience that distinguishes the community from the thousands of others competing for the same individuals.

This approach creates a foundation that strengthens the traditional economic development initiatives included in this plan by attracting creative people, businesses, investors and visitors to the community that will generate the revenue and investment needed to accomplish the community’s long-term goals for stability, growth and a more diversified economy.

The Revitalization Committee took this thinking to heart and decided it was important to establish a fresh new vision for the community to aspire to and use to brand itself going forward. The success of the Wild Center and plans to build the Adirondack Public Observatory and Planetarium mean that Tupper Lake will be home to two significant entities focusing on education in nature and the environment. These facilities will not only offer the educational and entertainment opportunities needed to enhance quality of place in Tupper Lake, they will also form the basis of Tupper Lake’s branding efforts. The Revitalization Committee used the education in nature and the environment theme as a central component in the vision statement.

Vision Statement

In 2020, Tupper Lake will be a nationally recognized center for education in environmental and natural sciences and a vibrant four-season Adirondack destination attracting families, businesses and visitors looking for a unique place balancing nature and technology, history and progress, work and play.


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SWOT Analysis

The table below organizes factors related to Tupper Lake’s ability to achieve the vision into four categories: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths are internal characteristics that the community can build on to achieve the desired vision. Weaknesses are internal issues that may make it difficult to achieve the vision, but are factors that the community can influence. Opportunities are things that the community can possibly take advantage of or do to achieve the vision. Threats are things the community should guard against.

These factors were identified by community residents, business owners, and local and county officials. Items in-cluded in this SWOT analysis form the basis for the goals and objectives in the plan.

Strengths WeaknessesNature-oriented attractions (The Wild Center, future Adirondack Public Observatory and Planetarium, future rail service from Saranac Lake) Natural beauty and outdoor recreational opportunities; unique among Adirondack communities for access to both lakes and mountains Large and open public space on waterfront is unique Quieter and less crowded than other Adirondack destinations Well-developed program of outdoor events (Tinman, Woodsmen Days, No Octane Regatta, Golf Tournament, Ice Fishing Derby, etc.) Location (at crossroads of two scenic byways, in between two Visitor Interpretive Centers, close to Adirondack Museum) Access to unique facilities (close to Dillon Park, home to Beth Joseph Synagogue) Significant number of seasonal residents with networking contacts in the business world Low-cost municipal power Strong spirit of volunteerism, generosity and optimism in the community Artisan tradition

Lack of winter economy and limited year-round employment opportunities creates significant economic dilemma Lack of winter tourism and recreation; summer tourism alone is not strong enough to support new lodging facilities or higher end restaurants Blighted commercial and residential properties and general community appearance Lack of modern, waterfront hotel Existing lodging facilities need assistance with renovations or expansions Over-reliance on state jobs Lack of focus on business attraction Lack of opportunities for young professionals Lack of local government capacity to provide continuity in strategic planning and implement economic development initiatives Need for coordinated and sustained marketing efforts Need to improve parking and public transportation Lack of broadband Internet Competing interests (environment vs. development)


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Opportunities ThreatsAdirondack Club and Resort would bring new people and potential investors to the community, extend tourism year-round, and provide live/work opportunities for professionals seeking quiet, natural environment Possibility to establish a charter or private school with environmental science theme Possibility to develop a scientific community around the Wild Center and Observatory Promote more environmentally sensitive practices among residents and businesses Make better use of Tupper Lake’s unique waterfront park

Continued loss of public access to camps and waterfront Light and air pollution Climate change Continued deterioration of local economic conditions Continued deterioration of infrastructure Rising taxes Continued loss of young people Misinformation and narrow-mindedness overcoming positive vision for the community’s future


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The following is a narrative description of Tupper Lake’s Economic Development Strategy. A table summarizing the plan and highlighting important benchmarks to achieve, as well as key partnerships and funding sources to pursue is found in Appendix I of this document.

Goal 1: Establish a structure for sustained planning and economic development.

1.1 Set up and staff a Local Development Corporation (LDC) to implement plan, promote public and private investment through its ability to finance, buy, assemble, sell or lease property

A significant weakness identified through the planning process is the lack of local government staff capacity to implement economic development initiatives, which will seriously impact the community’s ability to achieve many of the goals in the Economic Development Strategy. If a LDC were established, it could purchase, control, assemble, sell or lease property to facilitate redevelopment projects throughout Tupper Lake. LDCs are non-profit entities granted certain powers by state legislation and they serve as a powerful economic development tool in communities across the state. The Tupper Lake LDC could also have a full-time paid staff person to oversee redevelopment initiatives and to prepare grant applications, as well as coordinate marketing, events and business retention and attraction programs. Establishing an LDC would require the Town and Village Boards to draft and approve by-laws for the LDC, appoint LDC Board members and allocate initial seed money. In addition, the Franklin County IDA can provide funding support to establish the LDC and interim staff support initially if needed before a Director for the LDC is hired.

Target date: June 2008 Lead agency: Town and Village Boards

Implementation Plan

1.2 Consolidate Town and Village governments

In 2006, the Revitalization Committee updated the 2000 Revitalization Plan. One of the goals included in the updated plan was to foster municipal cooperation, with the specific objective of ultimately combining Town and Village governments listed. The benefits of consolidation include significant tax savings to local taxpayers and the provision of more streamlined public services, both of which will contribute to economic development efforts in the long-run.

Two key benchmarks associated with this objective are:

1.2.1 File petition for referendum on consolidation by November 2008.

1.2.2 Complete consolidation process before the end of 2009.

Lead agency: ad hoc Village committee

1.3 Pursue district financing options to support infrastructure and redevelopment project

It is possible that large redevelopment projects within the Village will be proposed in the near future, particularly as the Adirondack Club and Resort project moves forward. One way to capture a significant amount of revenue for infrastructure improvements or for LDC activities is to establish a district within which any increase in tax revenues as a result of redevelopment goes into a special fund to finance infrastructure improvements or other economic development projects. The Franklin County IDA could be a key partner in setting up these financing mechanisms.

Target date: as needed Lead agency: LDC


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1.4 Make permit application instructions more easily accessible (one checklist, documents on-line)

The Town and Village have already combined their planning boards into one joint board, a significant step in streamlining the permit approval process. However, more could be done to make this process even more seamless, particularly making the permit application process clearer by providing a comprehensive checklist and posting all application documents and instructions on the Internet.

Target date: January 2008 Lead agency: Town Planner and Chamber of Commerce

1.5 Update zoning code to facilitate implementation of Economic Development Strategy

One of the steps the community should take to ensure that it can implement the initiatives included in this Economic Development Strategy is to examine its zoning code and modify it where necessary. For example, one of the objectives under “Improve Community Appearance” is to establish an overlay zoning district where design guidelines apply. The community is currently in the process of applying for an Adirondack Smart Growth grant to support a review and update of its zoning code to dovetail with its Economic Development Strategy.

Target date: Fall 2008 Lead agency: LDC and Planning Board


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Goal 2: Enhance tourism with focus on building year-round season.

2.1 Support the Adirondack Club and Resort

One of the community’s biggest challenges is that the tourism season is currently restricted to summer due to the lack of winter recreational opportunities. The most significant opportunity that Tupper Lake has to address this challenge is to re-open the former Big Tupper Ski Area. Therefore, in this Economic Development Strategy, the community reiterates its support for the Adirondack Club and Resort project.

Specific benchmarks the community would like to achieve related to this objective are:

2.1.1 Adirondack Park Agency permit for the project approved by December 2008.

2.1.2 Local zoning approvals completed (local officials should work simultaneously alongside the APA so that completion of local approvals coincides with APA approval) by December 2008

2.1.3 Support proposed PILOT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) for financing project infrastructure – as needed

2.2 Support the Adirondack Public Observatory & Planetarium

A major project that will contribute to establishing Tupper Lake as a center for education in nature and the environment is the Adirondack Public Observatory & Planetarium (APO). At this stage, the APO is in need of assistance with fundraising for construction and programming, as well as to obtain permit approvals for the project.

Benchmarks associated with this objective include:

2.2.1 Have 80% of funding for construction (approximately $4.8 million) secured by January 2012

2.2.2 Permit approvals granted by June 2008

2.2.3 Obtain funding for additional educational programming to provide enhanced offerings while other fundraising and construction are underway by December 2009

2.3 Get rail service to Tupper Lake

Another priority objective identified through previous community efforts is to get rail service to Tupper Lake. Now that the Railroad Depot has been constructed with plans underway to finish the building next year, it is time for the community to focus efforts on ensuring that rail services is reestablished between Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake.

Two key benchmarks for this objective:

2.3.1 Obtain release of previously appropriated funding ($5 million)

Target date: June 2008 Lead agency: Next Stop! Tupper Lake in partnership with Adirondack North Country Association, North Country Chamber of Commerce and Bob Merrill

2.3.2 Upgrade rail lines between Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake

Target date: December 2008 Lead agency: Adirondack Scenic Railroad in partnership with Next Stop! Tupper Lake and the North Country Chamber of Commerce

2.4 Secure developer to build a waterfront mixed-use project featuring modern hotel facility

One of the weaknesses identified during the planning process is the fact that Tupper Lake has limited options for waterfront lodging at the present time. Franklin County Tourism stated that the number one request for information from potential visitors to Franklin County is for waterfront lodging. As the Adirondack Club and Resort project moves forward, demand for lodging facilities in Tupper Lake will increase. The community should plan to capture this


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demand by preparing for a developer to come in and build a modern hotel facility in the context of a larger mixed-use project, ideally adjacent to the waterfront municipal park. This would create an anchor facility in the heart of the community, and if done properly, would capitalize on Tupper Lake’s large waterfront park. As noted in #5.1.2, it will be important to create a master plan to guide this type of development so that it fits in with the community’s vision for that part of the Village. The LDC can be used to identify, secure and assemble an appropriate site and make it shovel-ready to the extent possible.

Target date: end of 2009 Lead agency: LDC

2.5 Enhance tourism marketing efforts

There are a number of specific objectives related to enhancing tourism marketing that the community identified. The following are top priorities:

2.5.1 Create a shared Franklin/Essex County fund for tourism marketing

One of the challenges in tourism marketing is that funding is allocated on a county basis, which makes it difficult to market the entire Adirondack region and creates a situation where Franklin County and Essex County attractions compete against one another instead of complementing one another. While changing the way that tourism promotion funds are allocated would be a major undertaking, it may be possible to convince both counties to contribute to some sort of joint marketing fund.

Target date: January 2010 Lead agency: LDC and Chamber of Commerce

2.5.2 Create and implement a unified signage plan to direct visitors to attractions and amenities

Target date: before Summer 2010 Lead agency: LDC

2.5.3 Secure additional funding for Tupper Lake Visitors Center (additional staff, website enhance-ments, new brochure) as per updated 2006 Revitalization Plan

Target date: January 1, 2010 Lead agency: Town and Village Boards in partner-ship with the Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce

2.5.4 Create promotional packages between attractions and lodging facilities

Travelers are increasingly looking for easier ways to book their vacations. Offering package promotional deals, especially on-line, is a great way to meet this demand. An example could include a three-day stay at a Tupper Lake motel in combination with tickets to the Wild Center and a guided kayak tour on Raquette Pond.

Target date: aim to set up two before summer 2008 and build over time Lead agency: Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Franklin County Tourism


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2.6 Implement the Multi-Use Recreational Trail Plan

The 2006 Barton & Loguidice trail plan was developed with significant community input and the Village has already obtained grant funding to begin implementing the plan. This trail system will offer residents and visitors of all ages the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and explore the community on foot, by bike, on cross country skis, and, in some cases, by snowmobile. Cooperation with the Raquette River Corridor Project to ensure that the Tupper Lake trail system links up with the “blueway trail” that is under development for the river corridor will also be important.

Target date: finish Stage 1 before December 2009; finish entire system by December 2012 Lead agency: Village Board

2.7 Establish a Tourism Enhancement Program to support existing lodging facilities with renovations or expansions

In addition to attracting a waterfront hotel, Tupper Lake should also support existing owners of lodging facilities in making desired improvements. Funding is available to establish a microenterprise program focused on assisting lodging operators with making renovations or expanding their facility.

Target date: apply for Small Cities grant in 2008; establish program in 2009 Lead agency: Town Board

2.8 Upgrades to Golf Course & Country Club

Past planning efforts have identified making upgrades to the Golf Course & Country Club as a priority and this remains the case today. The three specific benchmarks are as follows:

2.8.1 Winterize Country Club restaurant

2.8.2 Make improvements to the back nine holes

Target date: after the Adirondack Club and Resort is underway

Lead agency: Town

2.8.3 Provide cross-country ski trails

Target date: Winter 2008 Lead agency: Town, in partnership with the high school to provide cross country ski equipment

2.9 Support development of the Tupper Lake Heritage Museum

Another important facility that the community wishes to support is the Tupper Lake Heritage Museum, which is currently housed in the old Town fire hall. The Museum Committee is currently assessing the feasibility of constructing a brand new building versus staying in the old fire hall. Their lease is currently for a ten-year term. The Museum Committee identified the following actions as being helpful to them in their efforts:

2.9.1 Assist Museum Committee in obtaining grants to complete renovations on building

Target date: as needed Lead agency: LDC

2.9.2 Sell Town building at low cost to Museum if that is most feasible location

Target date: as needed Lead agency: Town


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Goal 3: Focus on business retention and business attraction in private sector industries other than tourism.

3.1 Get broadband Internet access for all of Tupper Lake

This was identified by community members as an essential economic development initiative in order to make Tupper Lake a viable business location. The Community Broadband Network initiative (CBN Connect) for the tri-county region (Franklin, Essex, Clinton) is currently in the process of selecting engineers to design the fiber optic network that will be put in place throughout the three counties. Based on conversations with CBN Connect representatives, it is fully anticipated that Tupper Lake will be served by the fiber optic network. The Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce is on the CBN Connect Board and will continue to be involved in this effort until it is completed.

Target date: ongoing Lead agency: Chamber of Commerce

3.2 Set up Village-wide wireless Internet

Before the fiber optic network is installed, it is possible to improve Internet availability in the Village by providing easily accessible free or low-cost wireless Internet to residents, businesses and visitors. The Village should pursue discussions with Time Warner about the possibility of them installing the wireless equipment at no cost as a community service.

Target date: June 2008 Lead agency: Revitalization Committee

3.3 Establish a formal Business Retention & Expansion (BR&E) Program

The purpose of a business retention program is to develop partnerships with existing business owners to help them address problems and capitalize on market opportunities. Through regular communication with existing businesses, local officials can identify

issues that may become problematic, and develop programs, initiatives and/or policies that work toward the long-term retention of businesses. Actions that should be included in a retention and expansion program include:

Regular meetings between local business owners and local officials. This should occur at least annually and should include a formal business survey to document business plans, challenges and needs that will inform local planning and policy making processes. Presentations by organizations such as the Franklin County Empire Zone, North Country Small Business Development Center, Franklin County IDA and Franklin County Tourism. Periodic review of local policies and regulations to ensure a clear and stream-lined permitting and signage approval process.Referral of business owners to county or regional economic and community development entities for technical assistance and financing, as well as to local banks for financing.

Target date: December 2008 Lead agency: LDC

3.4 Create a Tupper Lake Business Development Committee of influential seasonal residents who can provide industry contacts

Tupper Lake has a unique business attraction strength in the number of seasonal residents who have significant contacts in the business world. One idea that was raised by local residents was to establish a formal committee of these seasonal residents to seek their advice on marketing the community to potential businesses, as well as to rely on them for introductions to potential business leaders.

Target date: June 2009 Lead agency: LDC


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3.5 Establish a formal partnership for coordinated planning between Tupper Lake (as a center for educating future scientists) and Saranac Lake (as a center for commercializing scientific research)

Tupper Lake can strengthen its ability to achieve its vision as a center for primary and secondary education in environmental and natural sciences by partnering with its neighbor, Saranac Lake, whose economic development vision is to establish itself as a center for biological and life sciences research and commercialization of that research. The two communities should establish a formal partnership with regularly scheduled meetings to share information and make plans for joint initiatives wherever possible.

Target date: Fall 2008 Lead agency: LDC

3.6 Set up a system to market Tupper Lake to business people who have vacationed here

Tupper Lake should use tourism as a way to market itself to business owners because tourism is usually the way new people learn about the community. If consistent visitor information is collected by all lodging establishments and major attractions, including whether the visitor is self-employed or a business executive and what industry they work in, then the community can send follow up marketing materials reminding people of all the wonderful things about Tupper Lake and providing them with information on locating a business here.

Target date: January 1, 2011 Lead agency: LDC in partnership with the Tupper

Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Wild Center


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Goal 4: Brand Tupper Lake as a center for environmental and natural sciences education.

Tupper Lake’s efforts to focus on education in nature and the environment will be focused on primary and secondary education and public education of visitors to the Adirondacks in general to complement, rather than compete with, efforts by Paul Smith’s College and North Country Community College to build up a reputation for the region as a center for higher education and research in these fields.

4.1 Establish a task force of local, regional and state environmental and natural science leaders to buy-in to the concept, develop it further, and support its implementation

Creating a high-level task force to develop the concept of Tupper Lake as a center for primary and secondary environmental and natural sciences education will be critical to the success of this effort. Together, the members of the Task Force should possess significant experience in the fields of environmental and natural sciences and should have extensive contacts and experience in education. The job of the task force will be to assist the community in identifying feasible and unique programs and pursuing funding sources and partnerships to implement them. The Wild Center and Adirondack Research Consortium (ARC) could be tremendous partners in this effort and the first step in achieving this objective would be for the community to approach them for guidance.

Two key benchmarks associated with this objective:

4.1.1 Meet with Wild Center and ARC to solicit their help in January 2008

4.1.2 Hold first meeting of the task force before the end of October 2008

Lead agency for both: Revitalization Committee

4.2 Create more environmental and natural sciences educational programs and facilities

While the Wild Center and the Adirondack Public Observatory and Planetarium are two significant science education attractions, Tupper Lake should work toward creating even more programs in this arena to build its image as a nationally renowned center for education in environmental and natural sciences. A number of ideas were floated during the community focus group and at the various Revitaliza-tion Committee meetings, including creating a private or charter school, continuing to develop a series of lectures, conferences and events, and establishing an internship program.

Two key benchmarks under this objective:

4.2.1 Determine the feasibility of creating a private or charter school for environmental science no later than Fall 2009

4.2.2 Establish an environmental science internship program in Tupper Lake for college students before summer 2009. Work in conjunction with Paul Smith’s College and North Country Community College.

Lead agency for both: Revitalization Committee

4.3 Implement a professional brand marketing campaign

The Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce is already working with a marketing consultant to develop one brand and a marketing campaign based on it for Tupper Lake as a whole. The new vision statement should be the basis for this brand, which should include a logo and tag line that can be used in all on-line and printed materials for Tupper Lake. In addition, a new website design that reflects the vision statement and incorporates the logo and tag line should be developed.

Target date: December 2008 Lead agency: Chamber of Commerce


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4.4 Promote environmentally sensitive practices among local residents and businesses

One challenge the community identified that could inhibit its ability to achieve its vision is the general community appearance and lack of environmentally sensitive practices among local residents and businesses. For example, it will appear strange to the outside world if Tupper Lake is known as a center for education in nature and the environment if the community does not have a recycling program and people tend to litter or not dispose of unwanted items properly. There are a number of things the community can do to address this weakness, principally by instituting a recycling program and intensifying public education efforts on how to dispose of old equipment and large household items in an environmentally safe manner. In addition, Tupper Lake’s LDC could work with businesses through the Business Retention and Expansion Program described in #3.3 to identify practices that each individual business could strive to adopt and then use that information in marketing materials to promote Tupper Lake’s image as an environmentally friendly place.

Two important benchmarks for this objective are:

4.4.1 Establish a community-wide recycling program

Target date: Fall 2008 Lead agency: Revitalization Committee

4.4.2 Establish a campaign to help local businesses set up more environmentally conscious practices

Target date: Summer 2009 Lead agency: LDC


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Goal 5: Improve community appearance.

5.1 Revitalize commercial districts

Revitalizing the community’s commercial districts has been a longstanding community goal included in past plans. This broad objective is broken down into more specific objectives as follows:

5.1.1 Create design guidelines to tie Park Street and Main Street business districts together

Part of improving community appearance is to establish a unified look and feel to Tupper Lake’s business districts. The most effective way to do this is to create building design guidelines that articulate the community’s preferred vision. The community is presently pursuing funding from the Adirondack Smart Growth program to develop such guidelines and to modify its local zoning code to ensure that design guidelines can be effectively incorporated into the code. Key to this effort will be determining the boundaries of an overlay district where the design guidelines apply in addition to regular zoning. It is recommended that at the least the overlay district include the Park Street and Main Street business districts and the swath of Demars Boulevard along the waterfront that connects the two business districts.

Target date: before end of 2008 Lead agency: Revitalization Committee and Planning Board

5.1.2 Create a master plan for waterfront mixed use project with hotel and landscape redesign for waterfront municipal park

As noted in #2.4, Tupper Lake’s waterfront municipal park is one of its greatest assets. Throughout the Adirondacks, public access to lakes and ponds is being eroded. The fact that Tupper Lake has maintained such a large piece of property for public use right on the waterfront is a huge advantage that it can capitalize on in its redevelopment efforts. In addition, providing more waterfront lodging options will be key to making Tupper Lake a vibrant tourist destination. In order to enhance the waterfront

municipal park and to address the need for waterfront lodging, it is recommended that the community create a master plan for a mixed use project featuring a hotel adjacent to the park and that the master plan include a landscape redesign for the park. By creating a master plan now, the community can articulate its preferred vision for this type of project in advance, which will make it clear to developers the type of design and uses that the community finds acceptable. This would be a great candidate for funding through the state’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP).

Target date: apply for LWRP in 2008; create master plan before end of 2009 Lead agency: LDC and Planning Board

5.1.3 Implement the Barton & Loguidice streetscape plan

Target date: January 1, 2010 Lead agency: Village Board, working with the NYS Department of Transportation

5.1.4 Establish a Property Maintenance Task Force to educate community on code and heighten enforcement as required

This task force should include the Town Supervisor, Mayor, local municipal attorneys, local code and zoning enforcement officers, fire department and local law enforcement agencies and members of the Revitalization Committee. The job of the Task Force is to draw attention to the issue of property maintenance in general, educate property owners who are not in compliance, review and modify the property maintenance code if necessary, work with property owners to understand and address the causes for neglect, and work to tighten enforcement of property maintenance laws as needed.



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5.1.5 Establish a "Main Street Tupper Lake" program that includes Park Street and Main Street businesses as a single district

The National Trust for Historic Preservation's Four-Point Main Street Approach provides a strong model for any community to follow to enhance its downtown district. Main Street programs often take the form of non-profit organizations whose mission is to coordinate beautification efforts, marketing and downtown business development activities. As such, the Main Street program for Tupper Lake should include businesses in the Park Street and Main Street business districts in one program. This program could be part of the Local Development Corporation.

Target date: Lead agency: LDC

5.1.6 Establish Commercial Building Improvement and Façade Improvement Programs

The Town and the LDC should apply for state funding from the New York State Office for Small Cities and New York State Main Street Program to establish a local program that offers low-interest or deferred payment loans to business owners in Tupper Lake for both interior commercial space improvements and façade restoration or improvement. These grant programs also offer funds to assist municipalities in administering their grants, which could be administered by the LDC.

Target date: apply for 2008 Small Cities grant; establish program in 2009 Lead agency: Town and LDC

5.2 Establish housing rehabilitation program

The Town should also pursue funding to establish a program that provides low-interest loans and/or grants to property owners to make improvements to residential properties. This would include apartment buildings and single-family homes. Funding for this type of activity is available from the NYS Office for Small Cities and the NYS HOME Program.

Target date: apply for 2008 Small Cities and HOME

grants; establish program in 2009 Lead agency: Town and LDC

5.3 Create a plan to establish a Tupper Lake Housing Trust to preserve quality, affordable housing

The Burlington Land Trust provides a wonderful model for preserving quality, affordable housing in a community where real estate costs have increased as community revitalization and economic development initiatives have been successful in attracting significant numbers of new businesses and residents and real estate demand has increased. As the Adirondack Club and Resort project moves forward, preservation of quality, affordable housing will be an issue that the community will need to address. The Franklin County IDA will assess the project’s impact and seek mitigation measures as necessary from the developer to contribute to this effort.

Target date: Summer 2009 Lead agency: LDC, in partnership with the Franklin County IDA

5.4 Improve Town and Village Streets and Roadways

Although a number of roadway improvements have recently been made, the community lacks a long-term plan to improve its streets and roadways and ensure proper maintenance so that they do not fall into disrepair. Keeping streets and roadways in good condition is vital to business attraction and tourism, as well as public safety.

Two specific benchmarks established for this objective are:

5.4.1 Develop a multifaceted plan for comprehensive street and roadway improvement and maintenance


5.4.2 Town and Village both adopt the street and roadway plan

Target date: July 2008 Lead agency: Town and Village Boards


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Goal 6: Continue support of youth activities programming.

6.1 Maintain the Youth Activities Coordinator as a permanent position

One of the goals of past community plans was to provide more programs and activities for the community’s young people. Significant progress in achieving this goal was made when the Town hired a Youth Activities Coordinator. The Revitalization Committee feels that it is important to maintain a focus on this issue and that maintaining the Youth Activities Coordinator as a permanent Town position is critical.

Target date: ongoing Lead agency: Revitalization Committee and Tupper Lake Youth Council


Appendix I: Action Plan Matrix

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d in

terim

sta

ff su

ppor

t in

itial

ly. F

undi

ng fr

om T

own

and

Vill

age,

pr

ogra

m in

com

e fro

m g

rant

s

1.2

Con

solid

ate

Tow

n an

d V

illag

e go

vern

men

ts

1.2.

1 F

ile p

etiti

on fo

r ref

eren

dum

Nov

embe

r 1, 2

008

ad h

oc V

illag

e co

mm

ittee

1.2.

2 C

ompl

ete

cons

olid

atio

n pr

oces

sbe

fore

end

of 2

009

1.3

Pur

sue

dist

rict f

inan

cing

opt

ions

for i

nfra

stru

ctur

e im

prov

emen

ts a

nd o

ther

pro

ject

s as

nee

ded

LDC

, Tow

n an

d V

illag

e B

oard

sP

artn

er w

ith F

rank

lin C

ount

y ID

A a

s ne

eded

1.4

Mak

e pe

rmit

appl

icat

ion

inst

ruct

ions

mor

e ea

sily

acc

essi

ble

(one

che

cklis

t, do

cum

ents

on-

line)

Janu

ary

1, 2

008

Tow

n P

lann

er, C

ham

ber o

f C

omm

erce

Par

tner

with

Cha

mbe

r to

post

doc

umen

ts

on th

eir w

ebsi

te

1.5

Upd

ate

zoni

ng c

ode

to fa

cilit

ate

impl

emen

tatio

n of

Eco

nom

ic D

evel

opm

ent P

lan

Fall

2008

LDC

, Pla

nnin

g B

oard

Fund

ing

from

Sm

arth

Gro

wth

gra

nt u

sed

to

esta

blis

h de

sign

gui

delin

es a

nd o

verla

y zo

ning

dis

trict

2.1

Sup

port

the

Adi

rond

ack

Clu

b an

d R

esor

t

2.1.

1 A

PA

per

mit

appr

oved

Dec

embe

r 1, 2

008

AP

A

2.1.

2 L

ocal

zon

ing

appr

oval

s co

mpl

eted

(wor

k si

mul

tane

ousl

y to

coi

ncid

e w

ith A

PA

app

rova

l)D

ecem

ber 1

, 200

8

Join

t Tow

n V

illag

e Zo

ning

B

oard

, Tow

n S

uper

viso

r, M

ayor

Par

tner

with

AN

CA

for p

roje

ct m

anag

emen

t as

sist

ance

2.1.

3 S

uppo

rt pr

opos

ed P

ILO

T (P

aym

ent I

n Li

eu o

f Tax

es) f

or fi

nanc

ing

proj

ect i

nfra

stru

ctur

eTo

wn

Boa

rd

2.2

Sup

port

the

Adi

rond

ack

Pub

lic O

bser

vato

ry &

Pla

neta

rium

2.2.

1 H

ave

80%

of f

undi

ng fo

r con

stru

ctio

n (a

ppro

xim

atel

y $4

.8 m

illio

n) s

ecur

edJa

nuar

y 1,

201

2O

bser

vato

ry B

oard

Par

tner

with

LD

C fo

r gra

nt w

ritin

g an

d gr

ant

adm

inis

tratio

n as

sist

ance

2.2.

2 P

erm

it ap

prov

als

gran

ted

June

1, 2

008

Join

t Tow

n V

illag

e Zo

ning

B

oard

Goa

l 1: E

stab

lish

a st

ruct

ure

for s

usta

ined

pla

nnin

g an

d ec

onom

ic d

evel

opm

ent.

Goa

l 2: E

nhan

ce to

uris

m w

ith fo

cus

on b

uild

ing

year

-rou

nd s

easo

n.

Tupp

er L

ake

Eco

nom

ic D

evel

opm

ent S

trate

gy -

Act

ion

Pla

n M

atrix

Pag

e 2

of 4

2.2.

3 O

btai

n fu

ndin

g fo

r add

ition

al e

duca

tiona

l pro

gram

min

g to

pro

vide

enh

ance

d of

ferin

gs w

hile

ot

her f

undr

aisi

ng a

nd c

onst

ruct

ion

are

unde

rway

Dec

embe

r 1, 2

009

Obs

erva

tory

Boa

rdP

artn

er w

ith L

DC

for g

rant

writ

ing

and

gran

t ad

min

istra

tion

assi

stan

ce

2.3

Get

rail

serv

ice

to T

uppe

r Lak

e

2.3.

1 O

btai

n re

leas

e of

pre

viou

sly

appr

opria

ted

fund

ing

($5

mill

ion)

June

1, 2

008

Nex

t Sto

p! T

uppe

r Lak

e

Par

tner

with

AN

CA

, Nor

th C

ount

ry

Cha

mbe

r of C

omm

erce

and

Bob

Mer

rill f

or

advo

cacy

2.3.

2 U

pgra

de ra

il lin

es b

etw

een

Sar

anac

Lak

e an

d Tu

pper

Lak

eD

ecem

ber 1

, 200

8A

diro

ndac

k S

ceni

c R

ailro

adN

ext S

top!

Tup

per L

ake,

Nor

th C

ount

ry

Cha

mbe

r of C

omm

erce

2.4

Sec

ure

deve

lope

r to

build

a w

ater

front

mix

ed-u

se p

roje

ct fe

atur

ing

mod

ern

hote

l fac

ility

Janu

ary

1, 2

009

LDC

2.5

Enh

ance

tour

ism

mar

ketin

g ef

forts

2.5.

1 C

reat

e a

shar

ed F

rank

lin/E

ssex

Cou

nty

fund

for t

ouris

m m

arke

ting

Janu

ary

1, 2

010

LDC

and

Cha

mbe

r of

Com

mer

ce

Par

tner

with

AN

CA

and

Nor

th C

ount

ry

Cha

mbe

r of C

omm

erce

on

advo

cacy

; see

k S

hare

d M

unic

ipal

Ser

vice

s G

rant

?

2.5.

2 C

reat

e an

d im

plem

ent a

uni

fied

sign

age

plan

to d

irect

vis

itors

to a

ttrac

tions

and

am

eniti

esC

ompl

ete

befo

re

sum

mer

201

0LD

C

Par

tner

with

Tow

n an

d V

illag

e to

sub

mit

gran

ts (T

ouris

m E

nhan

cem

ents

Pro

gram

an

d N

YS

Par

ks)

2.5.

3 S

ecur

e ad

ditio

nal f

undi

ng fo

r Tup

per L

ake

Vis

itors

Cen

ter (

addi

tiona

l sta

ff, w

ebsi

te

enha

ncem

ents

, new

bro

chur

e) a

s pe

r upd

ated

Rev

italiz

atio

n P

lan

2006

Janu

ary

1, 2

010

Tow

n an

d V

illag

e B

oard

sTu

pper

Lak

e C

ham

ber o

f Com

mer

ce

2.5.

4 C

reat

e pr

omot

iona

l pac

kage

s be

twee

n at

tract

ions

and

lodg

ing

faci

litie

sge

t 2 fo

r sum

mer

200

8 an

d bu

ild o

ver t

ime

Cha

mbe

r of C

omm

erce

Par

tner

with

Fra

nklin

Cou

nty

Tour

ism

2.6

Impl

emen

t Mul

ti-U

se R

ecre

atio

nal T

rail

Pla

n

Dec

embe

r 201

2 fo

r en

tire

trail

syst

em; S

tage

1

to b

e co

mpl

ete

befo

re

Dec

embe

r 200

9V

illag

e B

oard

Par

tner

with

LD

C fo

r adm

inis

tratio

n of

$8

00,0

00 g

rant

that

has

bee

n aw

arde

d.

Als

o pa

rtner

with

the

Raq

uette

Riv

er

Cor

ridor

Pro

ject

to e

nsur

e co

nnec

tivity

to

the

blue

way

trai

l und

er d

evel

opm

ent.

2.7

Est

ablis

h To

uris

m E

nhan

cem

ent P

rogr

am to

sup

port

exis

ting

lodg

ing

faci

litie

s w

ith re

nova

tions

or

exp

ansi

ons

Janu

ary

1, 2

009

Tow

n B

oard

App

ly fo

r 200

8 N

YS

Offi

ce fo

r Sm

all C

ities

gr

ant

2.8

Upg

rade

s to

Gol

f Cou

rse

& C

ount

ry C

lub

2.8.

1 W

inte

rize

Cou

ntry

Clu

b re

stau

rant

afte

r AC

RTo

wn

2.8.

2 P

rovi

de c

ross

-cou

ntry

ski

trai

lsW

inte

r 200

8To

wn

Par

tner

with

hig

h sc

hool

to p

rovi

de c

ross

co

untry

ski

equ

ipm

ent

2.8.

3 M

ake

impr

ovem

ents

to b

ack

9af

ter A

CR

Tow

n

2.9

Sup

port

deve

lopm

ent o

f the

Tup

per L

ake

Her

itage

Mus

eum

Tupp

er L

ake

Eco

nom

ic D

evel

opm

ent S

trate

gy -

Act

ion

Pla

n M

atrix

Pag

e 3

of 4

2.9.

1 A

ssis

t Mus

eum

Com

mitt

ee in

obt

aini

ng g

rant

s to

com

plet

e re

nova

tions

on

build

ing

as n

eede

dLD

CN

atio

nal P

ark

Ser

vice

Pre

serv

e A

mer

ica

Pro

gram

2.9.

2 S

ell T

own

build

ing

at lo

w c

ost t

o M

useu

m if

that

is m

ost f

easi

ble

loca

tion

as n

eede

dTo

wn

3.1

Get

bro

adba

nd In

tern

et a

cces

s fo

r all

of T

uppe

r Lak

eon

goin

gC

ham

ber o

f Com

mer

ce o

n B

oard

of C

BN

Con

nect

3.2

Set

up

Vill

age-

wid

e w

irele

ss In

tern

etJu

ne 1

, 200

8R

evita

lizat

ion

Com

mitt

ee?

Par

tner

with

Tim

e W

arne

r

3.3

Est

ablis

h a

form

al B

usin

ess

Ret

entio

n &

Exp

ansi

on (B

R&

E) P

rogr

amD

ecem

ber 1

, 200

8LD

C

3.4

Cre

ate

a Tu

pper

Lak

e B

usin

ess

Dev

elop

men

t Com

mitt

ee o

f inf

luen

tial s

easo

nal r

esid

ents

who

ca

n pr

ovid

e in

dust

ry c

onta

cts

June

1, 2

009

LDC

3.5

Est

ablis

h fo

rmal

par

tner

ship

for c

oord

inat

ed p

lann

ing

betw

een

Tupp

er L

ake

(as

a ce

nter

for

educ

atin

g fu

ture

sci

entis

ts) a

nd S

aran

ac L

ake

(as

a ce

nter

for c

omm

erci

aliz

ing

scie

ntifi

c re

sear

ch)

Fall

2008

LDC

Par

tner

with

Com

mun

ity D

evel

opm

ent

Offi

ce in

Sar

anac

Lak

e

3.6

Set

up

a sy

stem

to m

arke

t Tup

per L

ake

to b

usin

ess

peop

le w

ho h

ave

vaca

tione

d he

reJa

nuar

y 1,

201

1LD

CP

artn

er w

ith T

uppe

r Lak

e C

ham

ber o

f C

omm

erce

and

Wild

Cen

ter

4.1

Est

ablis

h a

task

forc

e of

loca

l, re

gion

al a

nd s

tate

env

ironm

enta

l and

nat

ural

sci

ence

lead

ers

to

buy-

in to

the

conc

ept,

deve

lop

it fu

rther

, and

sup

port

its im

plem

enta

tion

4.1.

1 M

eet w

ith W

ild C

ente

r to

solic

it th

eir h

elp

Janu

ary

1, 2

008

Rev

italiz

atio

n C

omm

ittee

4.1.

2 H

old

first

mee

ting

of th

e ta

sk fo

rce

End

of O

ctob

er 2

008

Rev

italiz

atio

n C

omm

ittee

4.2

Cre

ate

mor

e en

viro

nmen

tal a

nd n

atur

al s

cien

ces

educ

atio

nal p

rogr

ams

and

faci

litie

s

4.2.

1 D

eter

min

e fe

asib

ility

of c

reat

ing

a pr

ivat

e or

cha

rter s

choo

l for

env

ironm

enta

l sci

ence

no la

ter t

han

Fall

2009

Rev

italiz

atio

n C

omm

ittee

4.2.

2 E

stab

lish

an e

nviro

nmen

tal s

cien

ce in

tern

ship

pro

gram

in T

uppe

r Lak

e fo

r col

lege

st

uden

tsbe

fore

sum

mer

200

9R

evita

lizat

ion

Com

mitt

eeP

artn

er w

ith P

aul S

mith

s C

olle

ge a

nd

Nor

th C

ount

ry C

omm

unity

Col

lege

4.3

Impl

emen

t a p

rofe

ssio

nal b

rand

mar

ketin

g ca

mpa

ign

Dec

embe

r 1, 2

008

Cha

mbe

r of C

omm

erce

Par

tner

with

mar

ketin

g co

nsul

tant

, How

ard

Fish

4.4

Pro

mot

e en

viro

nmen

tally

sen

sitiv

e pr

actic

es a

mon

g lo

cal r

esid

ents

and

bus

ines

ses

4.4.

1 E

stab

lish

a co

mm

unity

-wid

e re

cycl

ing

prog

ram

Fall

2008

Rev

italiz

atio

n C

omm

ittee

Par

tner

with

Wild

Cen

ter i

n th

eir r

egio

n-w

ide

cam

paig

n

Goa

l 3: F

ocus

on

busi

ness

rete

ntio

n &

exp

ansi

on a

nd b

usin

ess

attr

actio

n in

priv

ate

sect

or in

dust

ries

othe

r tha

n to

uris

m.

Goa

l 4: B

rand

Tup

per L

ake

a ce

nter

for e

nviro

nmen

tal a

nd n

atur

al s

cien

ces

educ

atio

n.

Tupp

er L

ake

Eco

nom

ic D

evel

opm

ent S

trate

gy -

Act

ion

Pla

n M

atrix

Pag

e 4

of 4

4.4.

2 E

stab

lish

a ca

mpa

ign

to h

elp

loca

l bus

ines

ses

set u

p m

ore

envi

ronm

enta

lly c

onsc

ious

pr

actic

esS

umm

er 2

009

LDC

Par

tner

with

Wild

Cen

ter i

n th

eir r

egio

n-w

ide

cam

paig

n

5.1

Rev

italiz

e co

mm

erci

al d

istri

cts

5.1.

1 C

reat

e de

sign

gui

delin

es to

tie

busi

ness

dis

trict

s to

geth

erbe

fore

end

of 2

008

Rev

italiz

atio

n C

omm

ittee

an

d P

lann

ing

Boa

rd20

07 S

mar

th G

row

th g

rant

5.1.

2 C

reat

e a

mas

ter p

lan

for w

ater

front

mix

ed u

se p

roje

ct w

ith h

otel

and

land

scap

e re

desi

gn

for w

ater

front

mun

icip

al p

ark

befo

re e

nd o

f 200

9LD

C a

nd P

lann

ing

Boa

rdA

pply

for 2

008

Loca

l Wat

erfro

nt

Rev

italiz

atio

n P

lan

5.1.

3 Im

plem

ent t

he B

arto

n &

Log

uidi

ce s

treet

scap

e pl

anJa

nuar

y 1,

201

0V

illag

eN

YS

Dep

artm

ent o

f Tra

nspo

rtatio

n

5.1.

4 E

stab

lish

a P

rope

rty M

aint

enan

ce T

ask

Forc

e to

edu

cate

com

mun

ity o

n co

de a

nd

heig

hten

enf

orce

men

t as

requ

ired

June

1, 2

008

Rev

italiz

atio

n C

omm

ittee

Par

tner

ship

with

Tow

n an

d V

illag

e co

de

and

law

enf

orce

men

t offi

cers

5.1.

5 E

stab

lish

a "M

ain

Stre

et T

uppe

r Lak

e" p

rogr

am th

at in

clud

es P

ark

Stre

et a

nd M

ain

Stre

et

busi

ness

es a

s a

sing

le d

istri

ct

5.1.

6 E

stab

lish

Com

mer

cial

Bui

ldin

g Im

prov

emen

t and

Faç

ade

Impr

ovem

ent P

rogr

ams

Janu

ary

1, 2

009

Tow

n an

d LD

C20

08 S

mal

l Citi

es a

nd M

ain

Stre

et g

rant

s

5.2

Est

ablis

h ho

usin

g re

habi

litat

ion

prog

ram

Janu

ary

1, 2

009

Tow

n an

d LD

C20

08 S

mal

l Citi

es a

nd H

OM

E g

rant

s

5.3

Cre

ate

a pl

an to

est

ablis

h a

Tupp

er L

ake

Hou

sing

Tru

st to

pre

serv

e qu

ality

, affo

rdab

le h

ousi

ngS

umm

er 2

009

LDC

Fran

klin

Cou

nty

IDA

will

ass

ess

Adk

Clu

b an

d R

esor

t's im

pact

and

see

k m

itiga

tion

to

cont

ribut

e to

this

effo

rt

5.4

Impr

ove

Tow

n an

d V

illag

e S

treet

s an

d R

oadw

ays

5.4.

1 D

evel

op a

mul

tifac

eted

pla

n fo

r com

preh

ensi

ve s

treet

and

road

way

impr

ovem

ent a

nd

mai

nten

ance

June

1, 2

008

Rev

italiz

atio

n C

omm

ittee

5.4.

2 T

own

and

Vill

age

both

ado

pt th

e st

reet

and

road

way

pla

nJu

ly 1

, 200

8To

wn

and

Vill

age

Boa

rds

6.1

Mai

ntai

n th

e Y

outh

Act

iviti

es C

oord

inat

or a

s a

perm

anen

t pos

ition

ongo

ing

Rev

italiz

atio

n C

omm

ittee

an

d Tu

pper

Lak

e Y

outh

C

ounc

il

Goa

l 5: I

mpr

ove

com

mun

ity a

ppea

ranc

e.

Goa

l 6: C

ontin

ue s

uppo

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Appendix II: Community Focus Group

FOCUS GROUP SUMMARY

Town of Tupper Lake 1 Economic Development Strategy

Summary of Community Focus Group

On Thursday, November 1, 2007, approximately 25 people gathered for a two-hour focus group session with Camoin Associates to discuss Tupper Lake’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in an economic development context. This type of exercise is referred to as a SWOT analysis. Participants included Town and Village officials, local residents, local business owners, and representatives of local community groups.

Participants were asked to list as many strengths, weaknesses (challenges), opportunities and threats as possible. After a full list of each was compiled, participants were asked to choose the two most important characteristics or issues listed within each group. The following summarizes the discussion, indicating the top two SWOTs in each category.

In addition, participants were asked to describe their ideal vision for Tupper Lake in twenty years. A summary of comments during that discussion is found at the end of this document.

STRENGTHS

#1) Natural beauty, access to unique combination of lakes and mountains in same spot

#2) Nature-oriented attractions & well-developed program of outdoor events ATTRACTIONS: a. Wild Center/ Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks b. Adirondack Public Observatory & Planetarium (in future) c. Train Depot and Rail Service will allow people to observe natural beauty (in

future)d. Waterfront Municipal Park provides public access to lake e. Trails on back of golf course f. Public beach g. Mt. Arab

EVENTS:h. Ice fishing derby i. Tinman -25 year tradition - June j. 4th of July k. Woodsmen Days – July l. Golf tournament m. Flea market n. Art show o. Hockey tourneys p. Thunder Over Tupper Lake q. No octane regatta r. Celebrate Tupper Lake

FOCUS GROUP SUMMARY


Other strengths:

Business attraction resources Lots of 2nd homeowners with significant resources and contacts Municipal power

Unique facilities/amenities Beth Joseph Dillon Park – Tupper Lake is only 15 miles away from this unique park

Location strengths Location on scenic byways Location at crossroads (positive & negative in winter) Proximity to Adirondack Museum Located in between Visitor Interpretive Centers (VICs)

People strengths Friendly, giving people Spirit of volunteerism Positive change & optimism Artisan Tradition

CHALLENGES

#1) Short tourism season means no market for newer lodging facilities or higher end restaurants

#2) Deteriorated properties and general community appearance

Other challenges:

Structural economic challenges Lack of sectors in economy besides tourism Overdependence on state jobs Keeping youth here and occupied (employment) Lack of young professionals

Capacity to carry out economic development programs Need for patience/phasing of activities Lack of faith in business community in Tupper’s future Lack of institutional memory – starting and stopping

FOCUS GROUP SUMMARY


Lack of continuity in strategic planning

Other challenges to tourism Loss of public access to camps and waterfront over time Country club not winterized Inability to keep money local Lack of essential consumer goods Parking and public transportation

Other barriers to economic development Need fiber optic network Lack of interest by private investors Competing interests (environment vs. development)

OPPORTUNITIES

#1) Adirondack Club and Resort – brings new people and potential investors to the community, extends the tourism season year-round, keeps money in Tupper Lake by keeping visitors overnight, provides live/work opportunities for professionals who want to be in a quiet, natural environment

#2) Establish a brand for Tupper Lake as a nationally renowned center for education in nature and the environment

Makes competing interests an asset by putting the environment at the center of economic development efforts Establish an environmental science charter or private school for NY/VT Develop a scientific community around the Wild Center and Observatory Incorporate environmental education into the Town’s Day Camp Build on the Wild Center’s focus on climate change – seek their assistance in promoting more environmentally sensitive practices among residents and businessesLink to Adirondack Research Assoc.

Other opportunities:

Tourism opportunities Establish boat tours Attract coach bus tours Attract national birding tours

FOCUS GROUP SUMMARY


Create an auditorium for performing arts and lectures in the style of the old Altamont Hotel

Opportunities to influence structural economic issues Link to regional airport Fiber optic network provides the ability to have “Think Tank” or incubator Focus on creating a development trust and financing streams for major projects Work with APA’s economic division Use wood biomass for power

THREATS

Note: time was running short during the session so the top two threats were not voted on.

Physical threats Pollution (air and light pollution) Climate change RemotenessContinued deteriorating infrastructure

Structural economic threats Rising taxes Losing more young people One horse town, inability to diversify (State jobs) Continued loss of Canadian tourists Continued rising fuel prices and availability of gasoline

Public relations threatsMisinformation spreading Narrow mindedness overcoming positive vision for the community

FOCUS GROUP SUMMARY


TUPPER LAKE IN 20 YEARS

Recognized as a green community and center for environmental education. “Tupper Lake, where nature gets nurtured.”

Green community Green tourists / eco-tourism AdventurersAthletesOutdoors people Developed in a green manner Careful planning and development Community is steward of its environment Natural sciences campus (public or private school – see Newcomb school district plan) Partnerships with other green communities in the Adirondacks

Small town Pedestrian Friendly Well kept Integrated business districts Accessible to all people regardless of abilities More balanced population in terms of age and income More children More small business w/low environmental impact – concentration of small business to balance reliance on State jobs Local people stay local We hold on to our heritage Locals & 2nd homeowners working together to make Tupper Lake better

Appendix III: Demographic Trends

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS


Executive Summary

As part of the background research and analysis conducted for Tupper Lake’s Economic Development Plan, Camoin Associates analyzed a range of demographic data for Tupper Lake (defined as the 12986 zip code for purposes of this study) and compared them to data for Franklin County, New York State and the U.S. These data are derived from the Census and only include full-time permanent residents of Tupper Lake and Franklin County. Important findings to consider in the context of the Economic Development Plan include:

In general, the community of Tupper Lake has been slowly shrinking since the year 2000, and this trend is expected to continue over the next five years. Due to the aging population and the corresponding decrease in average household size in the community, the number of total households is actually projected to increase slightly, while the total population and the number of families will decrease slightly between 2007 and 2012.

An analysis of median age and the age distribution in Tupper Lake shows that the community is older than the statewide and county population and that it is projected to age more rapidly than the statewide and county population over the next five years.

Projected growth in household income in Tupper Lake will be concentrated in the upper income brackets over the next five years, while middle-income households will decrease slightly as a percentage of total households in the community. By 2012, households earning $75,000 or more will make up nearly 33% of all households in Tupper Lake. This is largely due to the

In terms of educational attainment, Tupper Lake surpasses Franklin County in the percentage of the population that graduates from high school or obtains an associates or bachelor’s degree. However, Tupper Lake still lags far behind the state in terms of the proportion of population that earns a bachelor’s degree or higher.

In the context of Tupper Lake’s Economic Development Plan, these findings substantiate issues already articulated by community members, such as the need to attract young, educated people and families to the community and the need to take care that income disparity does not reach a point where affordable housing for working class families will not be available in the future, particularly as a focus on enhancing the tourism industry is likely to increase demand for service sector employees.

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS


Introduction

As part of the background research and analysis conducted for Tupper Lake’s Economic Development Plan, Camoin Associates analyzed a range of demographic data for Tupper Lake and compared them to data for Franklin County, New York State and the U.S. This brief report summarizes that analysis. The data for Tupper Lake and Franklin County are derived from the Census and include only year-round residents.

The goal of this exercise was to capture recent and projected demographic trends for the community of Tupper Lake in order to understand changes taking place that drive demand for community services and public infrastructure, that affect the local business mix and that impact the competitiveness of the community’s workforce. The information presented here will be complemented by a separate report describing the changes taking place in the local economy in terms of employment and wages.

In an effort to use the best available data while capturing the maximum number of households considered part of the community of Tupper Lake, Camoin Associates used the 12986 zip code as the geographic area for which data were analyzed. This area is shaded in the map below.

The demographic data in this report were purchased from ESRI Business Analyst Online (ESRI) and Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc. (EMSI). ESRI’s base data is the 2000 Census and its uses proprietary statistical models and updated data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Postal Service and various other sources to project current statistics and future

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS


trends. Many communities and corporations use ESRI data for economic development, marketing, site selection and strategic decision making. For more information, visit www.esri.com.

EMSI data are compiled from several sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Departments of Health and Labor using specialized proprietary processes and models to estimate current statistics and predict future trends. Visit www.economicmodeling.com for additional information.

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS


Basic Demographic Trends

The data show that total population and the number of families in Tupper Lake will decline slightly over the next five years, but the number of households will increase slightly. The graph below illustrates this point. This paradox exists because the population is aging and household size is shrinking.

Projected Changes in Population, Households, Families 2007-2012

-1.00%

-0.50%

0.00%

0.50%

1.00%

1.50%

2.00%

2.50%

Population Households Families

Tupper LakeFranklin CountyNYS

Source: ESRI

The following graph shows the annual projected growth rates for various economic indicators for Tupper Lake, Franklin County, New York State and the U.S. As illustrated in the graph, all indicators for Tupper Lake, with the exception of median household income, are expected to grow at a rate below the county, state and nation.

Demographic Trends - Annual Projected Growth Rates 2007 - 2012

-0.4%

0.1%

0.6%

1.1%

1.6%

2.1%

2.6%

3.1%

3.6%

Population Households Families Ow ner HHs Median HH Income

Ann

ual R

ate

TupperLake

FranklinCounty

NY

U.S.

Source: Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc.

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS


The table below provides growth rates for the period 2000-2007 and projections for 2012 for a variety of demographic indicators for Tupper Lake, Franklin County and New York State. In addition to the trends described above, this table shows that the median age in Tupper Lake is significantly higher than Franklin County and New York State and is projected to increase at a more rapid rate than both the county and state median age.

2000 2007 Change '00 to '07

% Change '00 to '07 2012 Change '07

to 12% Change '07 to '12

Population 6,331 6,269 -62 -0.98% 6,259 -10 -0.16%Households 2,517 2,540 23 0.91% 2,557 17 0.67%Families 1,585 1,583 -2 -0.13% 1,577 -6 -0.38%Average Household Size 2.37 2.33 -0.04 -1.69% 2.31 -0.02 -0.86%Owner Occupied HUs 1,742 1,835 93 5.34% 1,834 -1 -0.05%Renter Occupied HUs 775 705 -70 -9.03% 723 18 2.55%Median Age 38.5 41.0 2.5 6.49% 43.1 2.1 5.12%Median Household Income $35,771 $45,801 $10,030 28.04% $53,691 $7,890 17.23%

Population 51,134 51,592 458 0.90% 52,048 456 0.88%Households 17,931 18,546 615 3.43% 18,907 361 1.95%Families 11,805 12,108 303 2.57% 12,236 128 1.06%Average Household Size 2.46 2.41 -0.05 -2.03% 2.39 -0.02 -0.83%Owner Occupied HUs 12,638 13,562 924 7.31% 13,730 168 1.24%Renter Occupied HUs 5,293 4,984 -309 -5.84% 5,177 193 3.87%Median Age 36.4 38.4 2.0 5.49% 39.8 1.4 3.65%Median Household Income $31,531 $38,802 $7,271 23.06% $44,373 $5,571 14.36%

Population 18,976,457 19,581,872 605,415 3.19% 19,995,757 413,885 2.11%Households 7,056,860 7,279,758 222,898 3.16% 7,446,125 166,367 2.29%Families 4,639,387 4,747,142 107,755 2.32% 4,812,260 65,118 1.37%Average Household Size 2.61 2.61 0.00 0.00% 2.60 -0.01 -0.38%Owner Occupied HUs 3,739,166 4,047,554 308,388 8.25% 4,109,542 61,988 1.53%Renter Occupied HUs 3,317,694 3,232,204 -85,490 -2.58% 3,336,583 104,379 3.23%Median Age 35.9 37.2 1.3 3.62% 38.3 1.1 2.96%Median Household Income $43,582 $56,704 $13,122 30.11% $67,544 $10,840 19.12%Source: ESRI

Tupper Lake (12986 zip code)

Franklin County

New York State

Changes in Basic Demographic Indicators 2007-2012

The table above also shows that median household income in Tupper Lake is higher and increasing at a faster rate than median household income in Franklin County. However, Tupper Lake median income is lower and not growing as fast as at the state level. Changes in the distribution of household income are discussed in more detail below.

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS


Age Distribution

The graphs below show the current age distribution in Tupper Lake and in Franklin County. In Tupper Lake, the largest age groups in the following order are 45-49; 40-44; and 25-29. In Franklin County, the largest age groups are 25-29; 20-24; and 40-44.

Tupper Lake 2007 Age Distribution

Franklin County 2007 Age Distribution

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS


The bar graph below shows the results of a Location Quotient (LQ) analysis of age groups in Tupper Lake compared to the statewide population. The LQ analysis compares the percentage of Tupper Lake’s population in each age group to the percentage of the statewide population in each age group. The black line represents the statewide distribution; the orange bars show how closely the percentage of each age group in Tupper Lake resembles the statewide distribution. For example, there is a significantly larger portion of Tupper Lake’s population in all age groups over 70 than statewide. Conversely, there is a much lower percentage of Tupper Lake’s population in the age groups under 9 years old than statewide. In general, this graph shows that Tupper Lake’s population is older compared to the statewide population.

Tupper Lake 2007 Age Distribution Compared to New York State

As shown in the graph below, Franklin County has an age distribution fairly similar to that of the state for all age groups older than 30 years. There is, however, a much higher concentration of persons aged 20-29 than statewide and a much lower concentration of children 9 years and younger.

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS


Franklin County 2007 Age Distribution Compared to New York State

The projected changes in age groups in Tupper Lake and Franklin County are shown in the two bar graphs below. Both populations exhibit similar patterns:

The 30-34 year old groups will grow by the largest percentage.All age groups over 50 will increase.The 10-19 and 35-49 age groups will all decrease.

Projected Changes in Age Groups in Tupper Lake 2007-2012

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS


Projected Changes in Age Groups in Franklin County 2007-2012

Household Income Distribution

The two pie charts below show the projected change in household income distribution in Tupper Lake between now and 2012. The percentage of households in the upper income brackets will increase significantly – the percentage of households with annual incomes of $75,000 or more will grow by over 10%, making up nearly 33% of all households by 2012. The middle income group, comprised of households earning between $35,000 and $75,000, will decrease slightly.

For comparative purposes, the next two pie charts show what is projected to happen to household income distribution in Franklin County. The percentage of households earning $75,000 or more will grow by just over 6% to make up 24.1% of all households in the year 2012. In contrast to what is projected to occur in Tupper Lake, the percentage of middle-income households in Franklin County is projected to grow by 2%.

2012 Households by Income - Tupper Lake

<$15K9.9%

$15-25K9.9%

$25-35K12.6%

$35-50K14.4%$50-75K

20.2%

$75-100K15.8%

$100-150K13.2%

$150K+3.8%

2007 Households by Income - Tupper Lake

<$15K11.9%

$15-25K13.1%

$25-35K15.9%

$35-50K13.1%

$50-75K23.5%

$75-100K15.4%

$100-150K5.5%

$150K+1.6%

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS


Educational Attainment

The bar graph below compares educational attainment in Tupper Lake to Franklin County and New York State, based on the 2000 Census. The graph shows that in Tupper Lake, a larger percentage of the population graduated from high school than county and statewide. Also, a larger portion of Tupper Lake residents attended some college or got an associates or a bachelor’s degree than countywide.

Educational Attainment

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

Less 9thGrade

No HSDiploma

HSGraduate

SomeCollege

AssocDegree

Bachelor's Masters orHigher

Tupper LakeFranklin CountyNYS

Source: ESRI, 2000 Census

The following graph shows the projected annual growth rates in educational attainment in Franklin County and New York State for the period 2007-2012. Unfortunately, this data is not available for Tupper Lake. The graph shows that a higher percentage of the statewide population will continue to achieve a bachelor’s degree or higher and that changes in educational attainment groupings as a percentage of total population follow similar

2012 Households by Income - Franklin County<$15K14.1%

$15-25K13.0%

$25-35K11.9%

$35-50K16.0%

$50-75K20.8%

$75-100K10.8%

$100-150K9.6%

$150K+3.7%

2007 Households by Income - Franklin County

<$15K16.6%

$15-25K14.1%

$25-35K15.7%$35-50K

15.6%

$50-75K20.1%

$75-100K9.8%

$100-150K5.9%

$150K+2.1%

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS


patterns at the state and county levels over the time period.

Projected Changes in Educational Attainment

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

> 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School

Some College

Associate's D.

Bachelor's D.

Graduate D. +

Ann

ual R

ate

NYS 2007

NYS 2012

FranklinCounty 2007

FranklinCounty 2012

In contrast, the graph below shows what is projected to happen to the nominal number of people earning various degrees during the time period 2007-2012. This graph illustrates the projected changes in the size of each group; it does not show how these groups will change as a percentage of total population, as does the graph above. However, when the data are analyzed in this way, we see that nominal growth in postsecondary education in Franklin County actually outpaces growth at the state level. For example, the number of persons that will attain a graduate degree or higher is expected to grow by 9% between 2007 and 2012 in Franklin County, but by only 2% at the state level.

Growth in Education 2007-2012 Franklin County & New York State

-15%

-10%

-5%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

> 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School

Some College

Associate's D.

Bachelor's D.

Graduate D. +

Ann

ual R

ate

% Change NYS

% ChangeFranklin County

Appendix IV: Economic Overview

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

Town of Tupper Lake Economic Development Strategy 1

Executive Summary

This report provides a snapshot view of the local Tupper Lake economy and identifies potential growth industries over the next five years in Franklin County. The purpose of this exercise is to help the community identify possible targets for business retention and attraction efforts so that resources can be focused in ways that will have the largest positive impact on the local economy.

In general, unemployment in Tupper Lake is relatively low, at less than 4% in the 2000 Census. However, underemployment seems to be an issue, especially in the winter. The Tupper Lake economy is also heavily reliant on state jobs at the Sunmount facility. Public sector jobs, including Sunmount, local government and public school employees make up the vast majority of employment and as a result, Tupper Lake has a significantly lower concentration of nearly all private industry sectors when compared to the U.S. economy as a whole.

Tupper Lake is clearly struggling with the transition from an economy based largely on logging and wood processing to one that is sustainable in the global knowledge-based economy. The community has recognized that tourism will likely be a significant driver of future growth in the new economy. Issues associated with growing the tourism industry are discussed in a separate memo. The community should also seek ways to build other sectors of the economy, particularly those that could retain and attract creative, talented professionals.

Potential Growth Industries

The following industries show growth potential in Franklin County and may represent possible business attraction targets for Tupper Lake:

constructionother services (defined as service businesses not classified under other categories, including equipment repair and maintenance; personal and laundry services; religious, grantmaking and civic services; death care; pet care; photofinishing, valet parking; and dating services) administrative and waste services transportation and warehousing utilities professional and technical services real estate rental and leasing

Declining Industries

The primary industry that is in decline in Franklin County is agriculture and forestry. In addition to agriculture, industries that appear to have a competitive disadvantage in Franklin County are listed below. Business retention efforts should pay particular attention to businesses in these industries and it may take extra effort for the community to attract businesses of these types going forward because they tend to be less competitive than average in Franklin County.

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW


accommodation and food services management of companies and enterprises (“parent” companies or holding companies of one or more subsidiary companies)

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW


Introduction

The purpose of this analysis is to help Tupper Lake identify possible targets for business retention and attraction efforts so that resources can be focused in ways that will have the largest positive impact on the local economy.

For purposes of this report, data presented for Tupper Lake are based on a study area defined by the boundaries of the 12986 zip code, which is shaded on the map below. All data for Franklin County are based on county boundaries.

Public and private sector employment data for the 12986 Tupper Lake zip code were obtained from ESRI Business Analyst Online. See www.esri.com for more information. ESRI bases its employment projections on recent changes in the supply and demand of labor from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) and Employment Projections programs, the New York State Department of Labor’s unemployment insurance program, and the American Community Survey and Current Population Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau.

For Franklin County employment data, Camoin Associates relied on Economic Modeling Systems, Inc. (EMSI) (www.economicmodeling.com). Only data on private industries, which excludes all federal, state and local government jobs, are presented for Franklin County in an effort to focus on finding private industry sectors that may provide future growth opportunities.

EMSI combines covered employment data from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) produced by the Department of Labor with data from the Regional Economic Information System (REIS) published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and augmented with County Business Patterns (CBP) and Nonemployer Statistics (NES) published by the U.S. Census Bureau. Projections are based on the latest available EMSI industry data combined

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW


with past trends in each industry, industry growth rates in national projections (Bureau of Labor Statistics), and projections and data from the New York State Department of Labor.

The data includes all employment covered by unemployment insurance – only the self-employed, student workers, unpaid family workers, and some agricultural workers are excluded. Unlike the decennial Census and other sources of employment data available from the state and federal Departments of Labor, QCEW measures jobs by place of work, not place of residence, so it is a strong measure of economic activity taking place in a particular region.

The data analyzed in this report are broken down into industry sectors, organized using the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS). See http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html for more information and for definitions of the various categories. The analysis was performed primarily at the 2-digit NAICS code level, which is the highest aggregated level available. Again, please note that the analysis for Franklin County excludes all public sector employment (NAICS 90). Franklin County data were analyzed for the NAICS codes found in the table below.

Selected Industries – Tupper Lake and Franklin County Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (NAICS 11) Mining (NAICS 21) Utilities (NAICS 22) Construction (NAICS 23) Manufacturing (NAICS 31-33) Wholesale trade (NAICS 42) Retail trade (NAICS 44-45) Transportation and warehousing (NAICS 48-49) Information (NAICS 51) Finance and insurance (NAICS 52) Real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53) Professional and technical services (NAICS 54) Management of companies and enterprises (NAICS 55) Administrative and waste services (NAICS 56) Educational services (NAICS 61) Arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71) Accommodation and food services (NAICS 72) Other services, except public administration (NAICS 81)

Occupation Data

Organizing regional employment information by occupation provides a workforce-oriented view of the regional economy. Employment by occupation data for Franklin County are based on EMSI's industry data and regional staffing patterns taken from the Occupational Employment Statistics program (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Wage information is partially derived from the American Community Survey. The occupation-to-program (SOC-to-CIP) crosswalk is based on one from the U.S. Department of Education, with customizations by EMSI.

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW


Tupper Lake

Although the majority of this report analyzes projected growth trends in private industry sectors in Franklin County, a snapshot of the local Tupper Lake economy is a useful starting point for the community’s economic development plan.

The table below shows total current employment in Tupper Lake by sector (sorted in order from highest to lowest employment), including state and local government jobs, and the percentage of total employment that each sector comprises. This table shows jobs located in Tupper Lake, not jobs held only by Tupper Lake residents. Also shown in the table for comparative purposes is employment in each sector nationwide. A location quotient (LQ) for each employment sector reveals which sectors are more highly concentrated in the Tupper Lake economy than nationwide.

LQs of 1.2 or higher mean that a sector is significantly more concentrated in Tupper Lake than nationwide.

LQs of 0.80 or lower mean that a sector is significantly less concentrated in Tupper Lake than nationwide.

LQs between 0.80 and 1.2 mean that employment in that sector is relatively similar in concentration in Tupper Lake and nationwide.

For more detailed explanation of location quotient analysis, please see page 7.

2007 Jobs % of total Jobs 2007 Jobs % of total

Jobs62 Health Care and Social Assistance 1,953 57.5% 17,079,917 13.6% 4.2361 Educational Services 258 7.6% 10,333,334 8.2% 0.9392 Public Administration 191 5.6% 8,654,838 6.9% 0.81

44-45 Retail Trade 183 5.4% 16,347,268 13.0% 0.4272 Accommodation and Food Services 155 4.6% 10,642,388 8.5% 0.5481 Other Services (except Public Administration) 127 3.7% 6,977,949 5.6% 0.66

31-33 Manufacturing 103 3.0% 13,063,493 10.4% 0.2923 Construction 94 2.8% 6,262,375 5.0% 0.5642 Wholesale Trade 77 2.3% 6,415,459 5.1% 0.4552 Finance and Insurance 67 2.0% 5,167,933 4.1% 0.4953 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 60 1.8% 3,213,677 2.6% 0.6911 Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 42 1.2% 520,187 0.4% 3.0054 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 24 0.7% 7,573,826 6.0% 0.12

48-49 Transportation and Warehousing 24 0.7% 3,293,979 2.6% 0.2771 Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 18 0.5% 2,424,208 1.9% 0.2651 Information 13 0.4% 2,715,237 2.2% 0.1856 Administrative and Support and Waste Management 5 0.1% 3,378,849 2.7% 0.0421 Mining 0 0.0% 305,451 0.2% 0.0022 Utilities 0 0.0% 434,817 0.3% 0.0055 Management of Companies and Enterprises 0 0.0% 257,146 0.2% 0.00

Totals 3,394 100.0% 125,458,057 100.0% 1.00Source: ESRI

Tupper Lake (12986) Total Employment Compared to U.S., 2007Tupper Lake USA

2007 LQNAICSCODE Description

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW


According to the data displayed above, the top five employment sectors are:

1. Health Care and Social Assistance 57.5% (due in large part to employment at the Sunmount facility)

2. Education 7.6% 3. Public Administration 5.6% 4. Retail 5.4% 5. Accommodation and Food Service 4.6%

Taken together, the top three employment sectors, which include primarily public sector jobs, comprise over 70% of all employment in Tupper Lake.

Sectors that are significantly more concentrated in Tupper Lake than nationwide according to the LQs include:

Health Care and Social Assistance Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting

Virtually all other employment sectors except education and public administration are significantly less concentrated in Tupper Lake than nationwide.

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW


Franklin County

Employment Summary

The graph and table below show the projected change in total private sector employment in Franklin County, New York State and the U.S. for the period 2007-2012. As illustrated in the graph, private sector employment in Franklin County (represented by the blue line for “Regional Growth Rate”) is projected to grow by 10%, which exceeds national and state growth.

At $28,854, average annual earnings per worker (EPW) are substantially lower in Franklin County than at the state or national levels.

Private Sector Employment in Franklin County, 2007-2012

Description 2007 Jobs 2012 Jobs Change %Change EPW 2006 #

EstablishmentsFranklin County Total 12,348 13,587 1,239 10% $28,854 955State Total 8,069,031 8,413,067 344,036 4% $64,213 459,883National Total 138,691,961 147,382,903 8,690,942 6% $47,840 7,426,167

Employment by Industry

The graph and table below show projected employment changes by industry, average annual earnings per worker (EPW) and total number of establishments for each industry in 2006. As shown in the graph, retail and service sector jobs make up the top three employment sectors and they are all growing. Employment in professional and technical services and private educational services are also projected to grow significantly over the next five years.

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW


Industry Breakdown - 2007-2012 - Franklin County

NAICS Code Description 2007 Jobs 2012 Jobs EPW 2006

Establishments44-45 Retail trade 2,802 2,980 $26,668 20581 Other services, except public administration 1,533 1,780 $23,444 12072 Accommodation and food services 1,206 1,231 $13,764 12123 Construction 1,146 1,338 $33,212 12554 Professional and technical services 829 1,011 $37,339 7311 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting 747 663 $14,143 2831-33 Manufacturing 660 635 $34,065 3561 Educational services 534 644 $24,810 853 Real estate and rental and leasing 511 635 $25,543 4752 Finance and insurance 507 539 $49,538 6256 Administrative and waste services 478 633 $19,795 2048-49 Transportation and warehousing 453 547 $44,913 3571 Arts, entertainment, and recreation 284 318 $26,246 2842 Wholesale trade 235 237 $49,375 2451 Information 222 235 $64,112 1622 Utilities 87 101 $69,628 555 Management of companies and enterprises 76 28 $71,088 221 Mining 37 32 $35,678 1

Total 12,348 13,587 $28,854 955

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW


Location Quotient Analysis

A location quotient (LQ) is a quantitative tool that in this case uses employment data to determine which industries have a higher or lower concentration of employment in the local economy relative to the U.S. economy. Location quotients provide insight into understanding local economic strengths and competitive advantages. The location quotient method is often used to analyze industry clusters and identify potential business attraction targets.

Location quotient analysis tells a much different story than merely job numbers or job growth. Industries with a high LQ are typically (but not always) export-oriented industries, which are important because they bring money into the region, rather than simply circulating money that is already in the region (as most retail stores and restaurants do). Industries which have both a high LQ and relatively high total job numbers typically form a region’s economic base. Economic developers and government officials need to pay particular attention to these industries.

Technically speaking, an LQ is calculated as the ratio of an industry’s share of local employment divided by that same industry’s share of national employment. A value of 1.00 demonstrates that the employment concentration in a particular industry is roughly the same both locally and nationally. An LQ greater than 1.00 indicates an industry with a high degree of concentration, potentially an industry that produces goods sold outside of the region. An LQ less than 1.00 indicates that the industry’s share of local employment is less than that industry’s share of national employment. As a rule of thumb, location quotients of between 0.80 and 1.20 are not considered significantly different from 1.00.

LQ analysis is augmented by two other pieces of information: size of industry in terms of jobs, and percent change in LQ over a given time period. A high-LQ industry with a small number of jobs may be an export-oriented industry, but is not vital to the region’s economy. A large industry in terms of jobs with a declining LQ over time may endanger the regional economy.

The bubble graph and table below show total jobs and location quotients for private industry sectors in Franklin County compared to the U.S. The vertical axis has the basic Location Quotient (LQ) measurement, while the horizontal axis shows the percent change in the LQ over time. Industries are plotted as circles (or “bubbles”), with the circle size corresponding to their relative size (in jobs). The graph’s four quadrants can usefully categorize various types of industries.

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW


Location Quotient Analysis for Franklin County, 2007-2012

NAICS Code Description 2007 Jobs 2007 LQ 2012 LQ

11 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting 747 1.39 1.2181 Other services, except public administration 1,533 1.09 1.1222 Utilities 87 1.05 1.1544-45 Retail trade 2,802 1.04 1.0061 Educational services 534 1.00 1.0023 Construction 1,146 0.72 0.7872 Accommodation and food services 1,206 0.71 0.6471 Arts, entertainment, and recreation 284 0.55 0.5253 Real estate and rental and leasing 511 0.52 0.5448-49 Transportation and warehousing 453 0.50 0.5554 Professional and technical services 829 0.48 0.5052 Finance and insurance 507 0.44 0.4351 Information 222 0.44 0.4131-33 Manufacturing 660 0.32 0.3121 Mining 37 0.31 0.2956 Administrative and waste services 478 0.30 0.3355 Management of companies and enterprises 76 0.29 0.1042 Wholesale trade 235 0.26 0.24

An industry in the upper right quadrant is more concentrated in Franklin County than at the national level, and also is becoming more concentrated over time. These industries are “standouts” that distinguish the local economy and are doing so more every year—and they are especially important if they are also large in terms of jobs.

Large industries in the upper right quadrant are both important and high-performing, which means they will have increasing workforce demand. In Franklin County, the only industry in this quadrant is “other services,” which are service businesses not classified under other NAICS categories, including equipment repair & maintenance; personal and laundry services; religious, grantmaking and civic services; death care; pet care; photofinishing, valet parking; and dating services.

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW


Small industries in the upper right quadrant are emerging, high-potential regional export industries that should be developed further. Utilities is the only industry in this quadrant for Franklin County, which is similar to Tupper Lake.

The lower right quadrant contains industries which are not yet as concentrated in Franklin County as they are at the national level, but are becoming more concentrated over time. If they continue this trend, they will eventually move across the horizontal axis into the upper right-hand quadrant. We might call them “pre-emergent” industries, having the potential to contribute more to the region’s economic base. In Franklin County, these include:

ConstructionReal estate and rental and leasing (rental and leasing of items other than real estate) Transportation and warehousing Professional and technical services (shown in the table as low but with an increasing LQ)

The upper left quadrant contains industries that are more concentrated in Franklin County than average, but whose concentration is declining. If a mid-size or large industry is in this quadrant, it is an important warning that the region is losing a major part of its export base and should form planning and investment priorities accordingly. Similar to Tupper Lake, the only at-risk industry sector in Franklin County is agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting(NAICS 11), although it is a much smaller component of the County economy than the local Tupper Lake economy. In addition, the LQ for retail is declining over time. While retail is not an industry that is significantly more concentrated in Franklin County than average, it employs the largest number of people of all private industry sectors.

Finally, the lower left quadrant contains industries which are less concentrated regionally than nationally and are also declining in employment. These “secondary” industries are nonetheless important as they could be warning signs that Franklin County needs to attract more businesses in those industries in order to maintain an economy that is sufficiently balanced and diversified in comparison to the national economy. In Franklin County, these include:

Accommodation and food service Arts, entertainment and recreation

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW


Shift Share Analysis

Shift share is similar to location quotient in that it highlights the uniqueness of a regional economy, but it does so in terms of job growth rather than total jobs in an industry. Industries with high regional competitiveness effects highlight the region’s competitive advantages or disadvantages. Shift share is thus useful in identifying investment targets so that local stakeholders can help high-performing regional industries either continue to outperform national trends or else “catch up” with national trends so that the regional economy is not left behind in those sectors. It is important to note that shift share analysis does not capture changes in productivity but only focuses on job creation.

Shift share essentially attempts to determine how much of regional job growth can be attributed to national trends and how much is due to unique regional factors. To do this, shift share analysis splits regional job growth into three components: the national change effect, the industrial mix effect, and the regional competitiveness effect, all defined in the basic unit of jobs.

Job Change: This is the actual and/or projected job change in the regional industry over the specified timeframe. The change is projected for future years’ data.

Expected Change: The sum of the national growth effect and industrial mix effect. It is basically the job growth one would expect in the regional industry if it followed national trends exactly.

Competitive Effect: A measure of how much of regional job growth is attributable to unique regional factors. Calculated as job change minus expected change.

The competitiveness effect is the most important. A positive competitiveness effect for an industry indicates the regional industry is outperforming national trends (both overall national trends and national trends in that specific industry). A negative effect means that the industry is underperforming compared to national trends.

The bar graph and table below show the regional shift share numbers for select industry sectors in Franklin County, with industries having the highest competitive effect being illustrated by the graph and also showing up first in the table.

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW


Shift Share Analysis for Franklin County, 2007-2012

NAICS Code Description Job Change Ind Mix

EffectNat Growth

Effect Expected Change

Competitive Effect

23 Construction 192 -31 79 47 14581 Other services, except public administration 247 10 105 115 13254 Professional and technical services 181 34 57 91 9156 Administrative and waste services 155 41 33 73 8248-49 Transportation and warehousing 94 -10 31 21 7353 Real estate and rental and leasing 124 36 35 71 5344-45 Retail trade 179 -42 192 150 2961 Educational services 110 46 37 82 2852 Finance and insurance 31 -21 35 14 1722 Utilities 14 -5 6 1 1321 Mining -5 -7 3 -4 -131-33 Manufacturing -25 -66 45 -21 -471 Arts, entertainment, and recreation 34 19 19 38 -442 Wholesale trade 2 -10 16 6 -551 Information 12 3 15 18 -655 Management of companies and enterprises -48 -5 5 0 -4872 Accommodation and food services 25 3 83 86 -6111 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting -84 -70 51 -19 -65

Total 1,239 -77 847 770 469

According to the analysis, the most competitive industries in Franklin County include:

construction other services professional and technical services administrative and waste services

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW


transportation and warehousing real estate and rental and leasing retail

The industries with the most significant competitive disadvantages include:

agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting accommodation and food service management of companies and enterprises

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW


Employment by Occupation

Another way to analyze employment data is to sort jobs by occupation instead of by industry. The top occupations in Franklin County are shown in the graph and table below. Although cashiers, farmers and ranchers, and retail salespersons account for the largest occupational groups, the largest increases in employment between 2007 and 2012 will occur in the following occupations:

door-to-door sales workers maids and housekeeping cleaners carpentersfirst-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers

Changes in Top Occupations in Franklin County, 2007-2012

SOC Code Name 2007 Jobs 2012 Jobs Change % Change

41-2011 Cashiers, except gaming 537 546 9 2%11-9012 Farmers and ranchers 413 391 -22 -5%41-2031 Retail salespersons 406 409 3 1%

41-9091 Door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers 367 430 63 17%

37-2012 Maids and housekeeping cleaners 281 348 67 24%47-2031 Carpenters 266 309 43 16%41-1011 First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers 249 284 35 14%

Appendix V: Tourism Overview

TOURISM INTERVIEWS & DATA


Summary of Tourism Operator Interviews & Visitor Data

Camoin Associates (CA) interviewed a number of tourism-related business owners, people who operate local attractions, and county tourism officials to gain an understanding of Tupper Lake’s strengths and weaknesses as a tourism destination, the general characteristics of visitors to the area, and to gather input on initiatives that could make Tupper Lake more attractive to visitors. Below is a summary of the information gleaned from the interviews, as well as a summary of relevant data. A list of interviews and data sources is found on the last page of this summary.

One of the most important issues that all interviewees discussed is the fact that tourism is not currently a viable industry year-round in Tupper Lake because of the lack of recreational opportunities during the winter season. This also creates a situation in which the summer tourism market alone cannot support larger lodging facilities and retail, but the lack of those offerings in turn makes it difficult for the community to fully capture visitor spending in the region during the summer months.

In general, however, interviewees expressed a feeling that Tupper Lake is a special place in the Adirondacks that attracts visitors seeking a slower pace and the ability to enjoy the natural beauty of the lakes and mountains of the Adirondacks without dealing with the crowds and traffic one might encounter in busier destinations such as Lake Placid or Lake George. Interviewees expressed the importance of preserving this special quality while building up a year-round tourism season and generally improving community appearance.

Characteristics of Visitors

Visitor Origins

While detailed data on visitors to Tupper Lake is not generally collected by operators of local lodging facilities, a few of the interviewees noted that they believe their guests come primarily from the following areas:

Albany, NY Rochester and Syracuse, NY New York City

One interviewee also noted that Canadian visitors used to make up a fairly large portion of visitors to Tupper Lake, but that since 1990, the number of Canadian visitors has dropped off significantly. Re-capturing Canadian tourists may represent an opportunity for the community.

In addition, the Wild Center conducted a self-selected survey of visitors in summer 2006. This survey found that 22% of survey respondents live within a one-hour drive of Tupper Lake and that 25% of visitors have a home in another part of the Adirondacks.



Demographic Characteristics

Lodging operators reported a fairly diverse visitor population in terms of age and income. Some said they primarily serve families with children, while others said they get a lot of retirees.

According to the Wild Center survey, the largest age group visiting the museum in summer 2006 was 50 to 65 year olds (31%), followed by 36 to 49 year olds (24%). In addition, 67% of respondents reported that they have a bachelor’s degree or higher, which indicates that the museum is clearly attracting a well-educated group of visitors to the community.

Why Visitors Come to Tupper Lake

Outdoor recreational opportunities were most often cited by interviewees as the reasons most visitors come to Tupper Lake, especially those that choose to stay overnight in the community. Canoeing, kayaking and hiking are three common activities visitors engage in.

Affordable accommodations for group vacations, family reunions and quiet family vacations are other reasons interviewees feel people choose Tupper Lake over other Adirondack destinations.

Lodging and Visitor Spending Data

The Northern New York Travel and Tourism Research Center conducted an economic impact study of tourism in Northern NY in 2006. This report is available on their website. According to the study, there were an estimated 3.459 million overnight person visits to the Adirondacks in 2006, and 321,019 overnight person visits to Franklin County. An overnight person visit is one person staying one or more nights in one place. The average length of stay for trips to the Adirondacks and Franklin County was 2.3 nights.

Average spending per overnight person trip in the Adirondacks was $361 and in Franklin County it was $276. This average figure includes all types of spending, such as lodging, food, transportation and shopping. The average daily room rate paid by Adirondacks visitors staying in hotels, motels or resorts was $93 and for Franklin County visitors it was $90.

The table below shows how the lodging choices of visitors to the Adirondacks region as a whole differ from that of Franklin County. As shown in the table, significantly more Franklin County visitors stay in campgrounds and significantly fewer stay in hotels than visitors to the Adirondacks in general. This is likely due to the fact that there are fewer hotels in Franklin County than in the rest of the Adirondacks region, which for purposes of this study includes Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis and Warren Counties.



Adirondacks Franklin CountyHotel, motel or resort 49% 23%Campground 28% 45%Friends or relatives 14% 26%Cabins or cottages 9% 6%Source: Northern NY Travel and Tourism Research Center

Lodging - Adirondacks vs. Franklin County

In addition, the Northern NY Travel and Tourism Research Center’s report estimates that the average occupancy rate for campgrounds in Franklin County is 45% during the season in which they are open. Unfortunately, Camoin Associates was unable to obtain data directly from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation on occupancy rates of campgrounds in the Ten Rivers Region. One concern that has been expressed is that while occupancy rates show the campgrounds are not usually full, in many instances the states on-line reservation system shows no vacancy available at many campgrounds. This may indicate that people are reserving more than one campsite at a time and then canceling the reservations they don’t use when they get up there. This means that many people who may be looking for a site cannot find one even though there should be plenty available.

While this type of data on lodging and visitor spending is not readily available for Tupper Lake, we did have access to some interesting data collected in 2003 by the organizers of the Tinman Triathlon who surveyed race participants. The point of the survey was to learn where people who were participating in the Tinman were staying while they were in the area, as well as how much money participants estimated they spent in the region and specifically in Tupper Lake. Only data gathered for the most popular lodging destinations reported by survey respondents are presented below. Not all race participants took part in the survey.

Where People Stayed

How many people

Average amount spent in region

Average amount spent in Tupper

LakeLake Placid 24 $343 $28Long Lake 18 $335 $36Saranac Lake 42 $299 $43Tupper Lake 40 $276 $211Source: Survey of 2003 Tinman participants

2003 Tinman - Visitor Spending Patterns

As shown in the table, the 40 participants who stayed overnight in Tupper Lake during the event spent a significantly higher amount of money in Tupper Lake than the participants who stayed overnight elsewhere. This is largely due to the cost of lodging, which for Franklin County in 2006 was $90 per night as stated above, but it illustrates the difficulty that Tupper Lake has in fully capturing visitor spending related to events or attractions it hosts, primarily because it does not have lodging facilities to accommodate large crowds. However, without a stronger year-round tourism economy, the market does not exist to support additional lodging that would help the community capture more of the visitor



spending generated by its events and attractions. All interviewees expressed the opinion that the reopening of the ski area and providing other winter recreational activities and events will be paramount to building a year-round tourism market in Tupper Lake.

Strengths

The following summarizes what interviewees said when asked what they believe Tupper Lake’s strengths are when it comes to attracting visitors:

Location: Tupper Lake’s location in the heart of the Adirondacks and at the crossroads of Routes 3 and 30 make it an ideal spot for tourists looking for a “base camp” from which to enjoy numerous activities and attractions throughout the Adirondacks.

Outdoor recreation: Tupper Lake is unique in that it provides visitors access to both lakes and mountains. Canoeing, kayaking and hiking are the most popular outdoor recreational activities that Tupper Lake visitors engage in. In addition, the community offers a number of popular outdoor events such as the Tinman Triathlon and Woodsmen Days that attract significant numbers of visitors to the community. The Multi-Use Recreational Trail System that the community is working to build will enhance outdoor recreation options, especially in the winter. Re-opening the ski area will be critical to providing year-round outdoor recreational opportunities.

Waterfront: Interviewees described Tupper Lake’s waterfront in the municipal park as an important asset as the community seeks to build tourism. As more and more lakefront property in the Adirondacks is being purchased by private landowners and hotels, it has become increasingly difficult for the public to enjoy access to the water. By preserving and enhancing public access to waterfront in its municipal park, Tupper Lake will stand out among Adirondack communities.

Peace and quiet: One of the things that interviewees all felt makes Tupper Lake special is that it is much quieter and less crowded than other Adirondack destinations, especially Lake Placid and Lake George, and that this characteristic makes it very attractive to the people that choose to vacation there.

Weaknesses

The following summarizes interviewees’ thoughts on the weaknesses or challenges that Tupper Lake faces in attracting visitors:



Lack of year-round tourism: All interviewees shared the opinion that Tupper Lake’s greatest weakness when it comes to tourism is the fact that it does not have the winter recreational activities or facilities to sustain tourism year-round. The loss of the ski area was a huge blow to the local tourism economy. Interviewees felt that it will be difficult to attract the critical mass of winter visitors to make tourism viable year round without the ski area and other winter recreational activities and events.

Community appearance: All interviewees lamented the fact that to a first-time visitor, the community does not look like a place one would want to stop and spend time and money in. The run-down appearance of many commercial and residential properties on the main arteries running through the community and inconsistent and aesthetically displeasing signage are considered a barrier to visitor attraction.

Lack of waterfront lodging (and dining): The Franklin County Tourism office stated that the number one thing people request when they call in looking for information on vacationing in Franklin County is waterfront lodging. In Tupper Lake, options for waterfront lodging are extremely limited and in many cases a campground is the only option available.

Golf Course upgrades: While the front nine of the golf course was recently redone and in great condition, the back nine also need to be upgraded in order to make the Tupper Lake course more competitive with other courses in the region.

Need for more coordinated marketing: More than one interviewee noted that recent coordinated marketing between the Chamber of Commerce, Franklin County Tourism, the Wild Center and local businesses has yielded some success and that more coordinated marketing of this type would be beneficial. Regional marketing of the Adirondacks as a destination (versus individual counties in the Adirondack Park) is sporadic at best. More could be done to pursue regional marketing strategies that would benefit destinations throughout the park.

Need to upgrade lodging facilities: Many of Tupper Lake’s lodging facilities were built in the 1950s and 1960s and have never undergone a major renovation. Most do not offer Internet access and other amenities, such as fitness centers and pools, which are now standard at most modern hotels. All lodging operators interviewed noted a few improvements they would like to make to their properties, such as winterizing cabins and doing basic remodeling of rooms. It would also be good to have a consistent “Adirondack motif” for lodging facilities and the community in general as a way to improve community appearance.



List of Interviews

Sue Scotti, Blue Jay Campsite Nancy Cadwallader, Northwood Cabins Don Dew, Timber Lodge Neil Seymour, Franklin County Tourism Stephanie Ratcliffe, W!ld Center Julie Beaudet, Swiss Kitchen

Data Sources

2006 Summer Visitor Survey, Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks 2003 Survey of Tinman participants, supplied byJon Kopp 2006 Economic Impact of Expenditures by Tourists on Northern New York State – Franklin County, by the Northern New York Travel and Tourism Research Center at SUNY Potsdam

Appendix VI: Stakeholder Interviews

STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS


Summary of Stakeholder Interviews

Camoin Associates (CA) conducted a number of interviews with various stakeholders in Tupper Lake’s future to understand their perspectives on economic development and to learn about any efforts underway that might dovetail with the community’s Economic Development Strategy.

Each interviewee was asked a series of questions off a standard questionnaire and was given the opportunity to provide general feedback through open-ended questions. To solicit as much honest and frank feedback as possible, CA promised not to attribute opinions to any particular individual. A list of the people that were interviewed can be found at the end of this memo. Camoin Associates made several attempts to interview the Administrative Director at Sunmount, but due to the changeover in that position and the relative short timeframe of this project, it was not possible to complete an interview. Contact with the new director was made by Camoin Associates, however, and the Revitalization Committee remains in contact with her to facilitate a dialogue going forward.

The following is a summary of the major findings gleaned from the interviews.

Strengths

Natural beauty; environment Central location in Adirondacks Combination of mountains and lakes in same place Quieter and not crowded like Lake Placid Interesting history (lumberjacks, railroad junction) Waterfront Municipal Park with unique westerly views provides an opportunity for a large, public green space in the heart of the community that could tie both business districts together and if done properly could create a pedestrian-friendly corridor that ties into the trail system making it easy to enjoy the outdoors in Tupper Lake Numerous institutions of higher learning in the region Low-cost municipal power Wild Center attracts a lot of visitors Tupper Lake can learn from other Adirondack communities that have had success Potential rail service will bring visitors in (but need to improve community appearance so these visitors feel comfortable exploring)

Weaknesses

Run-down community appearance Aging infrastructure



Lack of winter business due to no ski slope Lack of unified look to Park Street and Main Street business districts Poor signage, lack of unified look to signage, violations of code in use of signage by businessesProperty maintenance code violations are significant problem Outdated lodging facilities are not attractive to many visitors to the Adirondacks Fear of change Lack of environmentally friendly practices among residents and businesses, no recycling in Tupper Lake Lack of local government capacity to administer grants and oversee projects Loss of young people from the area Lack of convenience retail Young people that stay are pulled away from private business sector to state jobs with better benefits High taxes No art gallery or performing arts space

Community Support for Ongoing Projects:

Wild Center (WC): The WC is focusing on climate change. They have started an educational campaign for schools, are gearing up for a summer 2008 major conference on climate change to be hosted at the Museum and are planning an Adirondack region-wide campaign to help communities institute more environmentally friendly practices by providing technical assistance and possibly funding to implement “community greening” programs throughout the region. They see themselves not necessarily as a research center (although they do have one staff person doing some bat research and they do assist Paul Smiths with an inventory of species in the Adirondacks), but really as a resource for natural and environmental sciences education and education on how to be more environmentally sensitive, not only for visitors who come to the museum, but also to communities throughout the Adirondack Park. They also envision themselves as taking on a national leadership role in policy discussions about climate change.

Adirondack Public Observatory & Planetarium (APO): Although the APO is in the initial phases of raising funds to construct the facility, it is already carrying out educational programs outdoors and in conjunction with the Wild Center, which provides use of its auditorium for APO programs. Long-range goals of the APO are to provide a public facility for viewing and learning about the night sky, as well as someday maybe becoming a place for research to be conducted on issues like asteroids that threaten Earth and a host for conferences for the Astronomical League of New York or other similar organizations.



Things the community can do to support the development of the APO include:

1. Protecting the night sky. As new development or redevelopment occurs throughout the community, instituting regulations that require full cut-off lighting for new streetlights will go a long way toward keeping the sky dark at night so that the APO can provide the best night sky viewing opportunity possible. In addition, this low-impact lighting produces energy efficiencies that would contribute to community efforts to institute more environmentally sensitive practices among residents and businesses.

2. Getting broadband Internet access. This will allow the APO to conduct and distribute research and educational materials. The type of files that are used to capture and share images of the night sky are very large and require broadband. This would also allow them to broadcast real-time video to universities, which could be a future revenue source for them.

3. Providing modern lodging facilities and amenities. If the APO is going to be successful at hosting conferences and attracting researchers, it will be key to provide modern hotel facilities with amenities required by business travelers.

4. Assisting with fundraising. The APO would welcome staff support in identifying and pursuing public and private grants to support construction if Tupper Lake establishes a Local Development Corporation with capacity to do that.

5. Plan for public transportation needs to shuttle people from future train station to APO and ensure that the APO is located on the multi-recreational trail system.

Next Stop! Tupper Lake: Once the Railroad Depot is finished, they are hoping to find an office tenant to occupy the approximately 1,500 square feet of office space that will be available. They would also like the Chamber of Commerce to be located there and hope to make the rent affordable for them to achieve this. They will also have a railroad museum and a four-season visitor center in the building. The 30 x 70 foot great room could also be a good performance space.

One of their major goals is to restore rail service between Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake. Gov. Pataki appropriated $5 million before he left office, but that money has been held up by the new administration, so a top priority is getting that money dislodged. Things that the community can do to support Next Stop! Tupper Lake are:

1. Lobbying to get the $5 million released. 2. Possibly assisting with starting up a trolley service to shuttle people from the

Depot to the Museum, the Observatory, golf course, the ski area and other local destinations. This is intended to be a private enterprise, but assistance from the community may be needed in the start-up phase.

Tupper Lake Heritage Museum: The Museum has a ten-year lease for the old Town Fire Hall and recently moved in to the building and began renovating it. The group’s short-term plans are to get the building ready for viewing for summer 2008. To do this, they need to add a second exit and make the building ADA compliant.



Long-term plans include obtaining more square footage with a focus on having ground-level exhibit space (most exhibit space in the old Fire Hall will be on the second floor). To this end, the Museum Committee is working with Next Stop Tupper Lake and the Town to assess the feasibility of constructing a new building where the old roundhouse building used to be. They ultimately would like to house the Tupper Lake Historical Society in the Heritage Museum and significantly expand on the number of exhibits, including constructing a replica of an old hotel lobby, displaying antique logging equipment outdoors and building a replica of an old lumber camp.

The Heritage Museum Committee indicated that the community can support the Museum in the following ways:

1. Be alert and not discard historical artifacts. Donate anything old that you are considering throwing out to the Committee so they can determine if it should be preserved and put on display.

2. Assist with fundraising. Presently, the VFW, American Legion, Rotary, Lions Club and others are doing a Christmas raffle and a portion of the proceeds will be given to the Heritage Museum. However, there is a significant need for assistance in identifying and pursuing grant funding to achieve long-term plans especially, which will require much more significant resources. They are in the process of obtaining non-profit legal status and once that is done, they will begin to pursue grant funding.

3. Establish affiliations with the schools and the library. Partnering to promote the Museum and collaborate on educational programming would be a great help.

4. Consider selling the old Fire Hall to the Museum at a low cost. If the Museum Committee determines that the most feasible location for them in the long-term is the old Fire Hall, it would be a huge help if the Town would consider selling the building to them at a low cost.

Miscellaneous:

The Clifton-Fine Development Corporation that was established a few years ago as a Local Development Corporation for the towns of Clifton and Fine in St. Lawrence County can serve as a possible model for setting up the Tupper Lake LDC, or at least as a source of information. Christopher Westbrook is the director.



List of Interviews

Local Businesses:Mark Yamrich, Tupper Lake Plant Manager, Jarden Plastic Solutions Dan King, Hammersong Artist Blacksmith Leroy Pickering, Leroy Car Sales

Local Community Groups:Mark Moeller, Mark Staves, Time Moeller, and Jim LaValley – Adirondack Public Observatory Stephanie Ratcliffe, Managing Director, W!ld Center Art Richer, Tupper Lake Heritage Museum

Regional Stakeholders:Brad Jackson, Franklin County IDA Neil Seymour, Franklin County Tourism Zoe Smith, Adirondack Communities & Conservation Program Coordinator, Wildlife Conservation Society

Appendix VII: Priority Redevelopment Areas

PRIORITY REDEVELOPMENT AREAS


Priority Redevelopment Areas

On November 1, 2007, Camoin Associates went on a tour of Tupper Lake with Town Supervisor, Roger Amell, Village Mayor Mickey Desmarais and Revitalization Committee member Jim Ellis. The objective of this tour was to identify and discuss parcels or areas that the community has identified as priorities for redevelopment or environmental improvement. Camoin Associates finalized the list of priority redevelopment areas with the Tupper Lake Revitalization Committee on their weekly conference call on December 6, 2007.

The following is a brief summary of the areas that were identified:

1. Adirondack Club & Resort (ACR) – Local leaders stressed that re-opening the ski area is a top priority for the community and that the ACR proposal is the number one redevelopment/development priority for the Town and Village.

2. Multi-Use Recreational Trail System – Part of creating a more pedestrian-friendly community is providing a community trail network. Another top redevelopment priority identified by the community is to implement the existing Tupper Lake Multi-Use Recreation Trail & Transportation Network developed with the assistance of Barton & Loguidice. The community has already obtained grant funding to start constructing the trail.

3. Park Street and Main Street Business Districts – A need to make improvements to the appearance of both business districts was articulated by local leaders and Revitalization Committee members as key to making the community more attractive to potential visitors, businesses and residents. This would include things like heightening enforcement of property maintenance codes, creating a unified look for both business districts through design guidelines that cover building facades and signage, developing and implementing streetscape enhancement projects such as the existing Barton & Loguidice streetscape plan for the Park Street district, and helping property owners in both business districts make improvements to the exterior and interior of their buildings.

4. Waterfront Municipal Park – One of Tupper Lake’s biggest assets is its large waterfront park. Back in 1994, the Town Planner wrote a grant application for state funding to lay the groundwork for a Tupper Lake Local Waterfront Revitalization Program by conducting initial visioning exercises with local residents and business owners to begin to define a community vision for the waterfront park. The grant was not funded, but the community still desires to create a unified vision for the waterfront park, as well as to make it an integral part of a pedestrian friendly corridor that links the Park Street and Main Street business districts together.

Documents

Economic Development Strategy - Amazon S3s3.amazonaws.com/zanran_storage/tupperlakeinfo.com/...1 The Tupper Lake Economic Development Strategy is largely an update of the Tupper Lake