Lake Placid, NY – The Town of North Elba is pleased to announce the North Elba Local Enhancement and Advancement Fund (LEAF) is awarding funds to several local organizations. North Elba LEAF is a dedicated and ongoing fund available to nonprofits, local governments, and public sector organizations within the Town of North Elba. Monies for the fund are derived from a dedicated 2% Essex County occupancy tax that was implemented by the Essex County Board of Supervisors in June of 2020. The mission of North Elba LEAF is to provide funds for programs, activities, and facilities that will have direct benefit to the community and improve the quality of North Elba for both residents and visitors. “The funds available from LEAF will improve the quality of place for both residents and visitors,” North Elba Town Supervisor Jay Rand said. “The LEAF Committee went through a very detailed process of reviewing projects and programs, and we feel those approved best reflect the mission of LEAF.” The projects recommended by the LEAF committee and approved by the Town of North Elba were submitted by the following 19 nonprofits, local governments, and public sector organizations: Lake Placid Community Beautification Association, Inc.; North Elba Park District; Adirondack Medical Center; Homestead Development Corp.; North Elba Youth Commission; Shipman Youth Center; Digital Abraham Inc.; John Brown Lives!; Lake Placid Middle/High School; Lake Placid Volunteer Ambulance Service; American Legion Post 326; Adirondack Mountain Club; Cornell University Uihlein Maple Research Forest; Town of North Elba; Village of Lake Placid; Lake Placid Municipal Electric; Friends of Moody Pond; Lake Placid Land Conservancy; and Lake Placid Sinfonietta. Total funds awarded was $740,553.53 for the following projects: Organization NameAmountProject Lake Placid Community Beautification Association, Inc.$50,000.00Holiday Decorations part 1 and Water Conserving Pots part 6North Elba Park District$39,352.59Purchase of a Kubota RTV multi purpose vehicle with attachmentsAdirondack Medical Center$39,135.00Continuing our legacy of serving world-class athletes and our communityHomestead Development Corp.$125,000.00Fawn ValleyNorth Elba Youth Commission$7,000.00North Elba Youth CommissionShipman Youth Center$39,807.00Attract more students to Shipman Youth CenterDigital Abraham Inc.$2,700.00Roof Project CompletionJohn Brown Lives!$12,000.00All Welcome Here! Engaging Children & Families at the John Brown FarmLake Placid Middle/High School$50,000.00Cafeteria ImprovementLake Placid Volunteer Ambulance Service$147,000.00Vehicle Replacement ProgramAmerican Legion Post 326$5,000.00Hometown HeroesAdirondack Mountain Club$50,000.00Improving Accessibility on the Mt. Jo Long TrailCornell University Uihlein Maple Research Forest$5,897.00Developing a Self-Guided Tour and Nature Trail for the Education of Maple Syrup ProductionTown of North Elba$9,500.00Virtual Meeting Streaming Equipment Village of Lake Placid$150,000.00Mirror Lake Beach DockLake Placid Municipal Electric$2,730.00Banner Bracket System UpdateFriends of Moody Pond$7,500.00Removal of Eurasian Watermilfoil from Moody PondLake Placid Land Conservancy$2,681.94Tools of EngagementLake Placid Sinfonietta$2,750.00Music Library Catalog Project “The LEAF Committee was fortunate to support multiple projects in this grant round that will add significantly to the experiences of residents and visitors in North Elba,” said Matt Donahue, LEAF committee member. “People of all ages will benefit from the work that grantees will do to furnish cultural, educational, and recreational offerings for the community. These LEAF grants are also great investments in infrastructure needs that will help people enjoy this special place.” North Elba LEAF prioritizes projects that meet the mission of the fund and are catalysts for new programming or offerings for the community. LEAF grants are not intended to fund current iterations of programs for eligible organizations. For those considering applications in the future, details on how to apply and the scoring criteria is available at www.RoostADK.com/Leaf. The next round of applications will be accepted no later than February 1, 2022 and approved by the town board no later than May 10, 2022. ###

Tupper Lake, NY – New this year, registration for the Northern Challenge Ice Fishing Derby will be offered online. The Northern Challenge Committee of the Tupper Lake Sportsmens Club and the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) worked together to transition registration to online, making it easier for travelers to register and to find information about the derby. “Every year, this is a fantastic event,” said Dave McMahon, chair of the Northern Challenge Committee. “So many things have gone ‘online’ now and people depend on easy access to information. We hope that by moving things online we will have the ability to reach more people and provide information about the event in a much more accessible manner.” On the first Saturday in February, anglers from far and wide travel to Tupper Lake for the annual Northern Challenge Ice Fishing Derby. This northern pike contest populates Simon Pond with over a thousand fishermen and women who compete for over $40,000 in cash and prizes. Registration can be found here. The 2022 Northern Challenge will be held on Saturday, February 5. The tournament begins promptly at 7 a.m. and continues until 3 p.m. Prizes are raffled off throughout the day. Door prizes are posted at noon, and an award ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. For more information about the Northern Challenge, please contact Katie LaLonde at Katie@roostadk.com or stop in at the ROOST office at 121 Park Street, Tupper Lake. ###

The IRONMAN survey has been completed and the data compiled. This information will help the IRONMAN Community Task Force better understand the impact of the IRONMAN race on our communities. Join us for a community call to review the results of the Ironman Survey. Date: Tuesday, November 30 Time: 5:30p.m. - 6:30p.m. Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84207130698 OR Call in number: 929-205-609 Meeting ID: 842 0713 0698 RSVP via the Facebook Event

Lake Placid, NY -- The results of the IRONMAN Task Force Committee community survey are in and the numbers show that there is generally support for the IRONMAN race, but there are opportunities for improvement to make the event more favorable for locals and regional residents. The survey was released by the IRONMAN Task Force and the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) and ran from October 20 to November 1. With the goal of understanding the impact of the IRONMAN race on the community, respondents were asked about specific positive impacts, as well as challenges, associated with hosting the IRONMAN Lake Placid triathlon. 1,598 complete responses were used in data analysis, with respondents segmented by zip code to best understand how the race is viewed based on location. ROOST Chief of Staff Mary Jane Lawrence began a Task Force meeting by saying that the goal of this is to “accomplish what is best for the communities moving forward.” In the first general question, overall respondents indicated that they are in favor of the IRONMAN Lake Placid triathlon, with 49% in favor and 41% opposed. However, just accounting for locals who live on the course itself (449 complete surveys out of 1,598), almost 50% oppose hosting the race. The numbers show that locals living on the course are less supportive of the event than locals who do not live on the course. Those who have competed, volunteered, or been a spectator are much more likely to support the IRONMAN race, while those who have not been involved in any way, are not as likely to voice support. For business owners, overall favorability of IRONMAN is very similar to that of those that do not own their own business. Lowering the impact of the race itself was a common theme in many responses. The number one complaint amongst all respondents was athlete training, specifically road cycling, in the weeks leading up to the event. One respondent commented that training creates dangerous road conditions, especially in the Wilmington Notch, a main thoroughfare with small shoulders. Overall, respondents said they support establishing a maximum number of competitors (26%) and altering the route to minimize congestion (24%). Training before the big race is just as important to consider. ROOST CEO James McKenna said that aside from the IRONMAN race itself, “there are a lot of people who like to [cycle] on the course. Projections of cycling indicate growth regardless of the event.” To many on the Task Force, that information means it’s time to enhance "share the road" messaging and better communicate the rules of the road. “People are very aggressive when driving,” said Dorine Peregrim, one Task Force member said during a meeting. “People need to ride single file. These are just simple courtesy issues when we share a single resource.” Lawrence followed up by saying that regardless of the outcome of these Task Force meetings a major goal of 2022 marketing should be to promote sharing the road. What’s next After studying the data, the Task Force will make recommendations on how best to proceed with IRONMAN in the future. In 2021, when considering whether or not to renew the IRONMAN contract, it was decided to extend a one-year contract with IRONMAN Group and form the task force to gather further community insight. Dave Christen, IRONMAN Regional Director and Task Force member, said that many of the detriments respondents indicated in their surveys will inform actionable items for future races. Christen said there are some statics, like the date for the 2022 IRONMAN race, but certainly educational elements can be addressed sooner rather than later. The IRONMAN Community Task Force aims to offer a recommendation no later than the end of 2021. The 2022 ViewSPORT IRONMAN® Lake Placid triathlon will take place on Sunday, July 24, 2022. Full survey results can be found on ROOST’s research webpage. Information on the IRONMAN Task Force can also be found on ROOST’s website. ###

Saranac Lake, NY - Ring in the New Year with a festive display of fireworks in Saranac Lake! The fireworks will begin at 8 p.m., not midnight, and will be launched from their traditional location at the boat launch on Lake Flower. Outgoing mayor Clyde Rabideau and his spouse Janie are underwriting the event that was approved at the last village board meeting. "I will be retiring in March 2022 after serving twenty-four years in public office, the last twelve of which as Mayor of Saranac Lake, and I am grateful for this privilege,” said Mayor Rabideau. “Janie and I wanted to express our gratitude by underwriting this year’s New Year's Eve fireworks.” Spectators will be able to view the fireworks display from the sidewalks opposite lakeside on River Street or from Riverside Park. “Midnight fireworks are the norm, but we felt like 8 p.m. would make this event more accessible to children who might usually be asleep by midnight,” added Rabideau. Pending the public health situation in the region as it relates to the COVID-19 cases, the Village reserves the right to cancel the fireworks display at any point in time. ###