Push continues for park fire tower in Saranac Lake

SARANAC LAKE | There's still hope for a fire tower at Ward Plumadore Park after all, according to Kirk Sullivan. "An anonymous donor wants to donate $10,000 to the fire tower project," the Arts & Culture Advisory Board chair and Community Enhancement Fund Committee member exclusively told The Sun late last month. "We're hopeful that this can be a helpful step toward earning the village board's support for the project." The proposed project includes installing a publicly accessible, recreational fire tower on the top level of the park on the corner of Broadway and Bloomingdale Avenue. Bloomingdale resident David Vana, a leading expert in fire tower restoration, would've purchased an Aermotor MC-39, featuring a floor height of 33 feet and a 43-foot cabin's peak, that had once been used for fire observation in upper New Hampshire. In June, the village board was approached by a group of local advocates to accept a grant from the Franklin County Office of Economic Development & Tourism that would have provided $20,000 to cover the full purchase of the fire tower itself — $10,000 from the county with a $10,000 required match from the village, which would've covered almost one-fifth of the estimated $60,000 project cost. After much discussion and input from the public, it was rejected in a 3-2 vote. Mayor Jimmy Williams and Trustee Sean Ryan voted to accept the grant, while trustees Matt Scollin, Aurora White, and Kelly Brunette voted against it. "Let me be very clear. I have always supported the concept of a fire tower as a public feature in the right context. That hasn't changed," Brunette told The Sun via email. While she served as a village board liaison during the exploratory phase, Brunette said she still voted down the grant because she felt specific questions needed to be answered first, including whether the proposed location was best for the community and what the long-term cost to the taxpayers would be."We've already invested $800,000 in state DRI funds in Ward Plumadore Park. It would have been irresponsible to add a structure of this scale given the concerns around cost, safety, maintenance, long-term fit, and public support." The vote was disheartening to advocates for the tower. "We worked closely with village staff and trustees, so for it to come in front of the board and have that decision made not to support the project was very disappointing," Sullivan said. "We really feel like this is an opportunity to create an iconic landmark that reflects our village's spirit and our region's history." And that's why the advocates are not giving up just yet. They're regrouping and coming up with a more detailed, comprehensive plan. "We feel very strongly that this project is a great idea and that it would benefit the community," he said. "We're hopeful that we can find a way to make it happen."

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Push continues for park fire tower in Saranac Lake

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