Dannemora Supervisor Varin engages discussion

DANNEMORA | In April, newly elected Town Supervisor Joey Varin held an open community meeting to learn about local concerns. The discussion proved beneficial, he said. "The Community Meeting is something I plan to continue doing over the next three years," Varin said in a recent interview with The Sun. Water quality on Chazy Lake and land use planning are two items he identified as priorities. "We are kicking off comprehensive planning review that has not been done since the early 1970s. MJ Engineering has been hired to help with a grant proposal for that process," Varin said. The town is looking for residents who would like to participate and has information about committee goals on their web page: townofdannemora.gov/comprehensivecommittee "The second item high on the list is controlling Eurasian milfoil in the lake. Currently we do hand-harvesting on Chazy Lake, but it's a band-aid. Chateaugay Lake has done a wonderful job with ProcellaCOR application." ProcellaCOR EC, he said, is an aquatic herbicide that has also been used with immense success by the Lake George Park Commission. Lake George Commission identifies some of the benefits in their management protocol, saying the herbicide "selectively targets milfoil and is applied at staggeringly low dosage rates (5-7 parts per billion). "This new aquatic herbicide has no drinking water impacts, no contact recreation impacts, and has no impacts upon fish or other aquatic life." The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) approved use of the herbicide in 2019 and it has been used in 30 lakes in New York with no negative impacts identified. "I just think that's the right way to go with our small lake," Varin said. "Hand harvesting has curtailed milfoil spread. But it's not a permanent fix." The boat wash station for Chazy Lake is located at the DEC boat launch. "We're going to be putting out the boat wash station next week," Varin said, referring to the last week in April. Varin said residents at the community meeting in Lyon Mountain also asked about road salt use on Route 374. "It bleaches into Chazy Lake from the narrows," Varin surmised. The question is one he hopes to find answers for. Ongoing upgrades at the Lyon Mountain Wastewater treatment plant though have made good progress and should be wrapped up by end of June, the supervisor said. The project was reviewed and certified by DEC last year to install UV disinfection systems. "It has modernized the wastewater treatment plant, using $5 million in grant funding," Varin said. "The project added technology upgrades with a new ultraviolet treatment system. We updated everything to new standards." The need for volunteer fire and emergency services department personnel did come up in community discussion, Varin said. "Training measures have gotten more stringent, so much so that people who are working full time find it challenging to do the training and then leave work to respond to fires or emergencies. I have pointed out we have a very good partnership with the Village of Dannemora to provide EMS service to the entire community. "I think we can make it better in years to come, but right now I think it's on the right path." Dannemora is currently working to source grant funding for repairs on the breakwater barrier along Route 374. "It needs an upgrade; the concrete barrier is showing rebar and being worn away by the many years of ice moving against it," Varin said. He lauded support from outgoing supervisor Deb Coryer for her continued work on the new Veterans Memorial Park near the Pump House off Wilfred King Road. The site was designed to use rain gardens to mitigate stormwater runoff at that corner of the road. "We are looking to the formal dedication of Veterans Park at part of Dannemora's America250 celebrations this summer," Varin said. DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES A key development proposal the town is reviewing would place a battery storage system near the power substation just outside Lyon Mountain. "We're not anywhere near approval for this," Varin cautioned. "We are having a lot of conversations about it now, understanding the pros and cons. As information comes forward we will be open and honest about it." Battery storage systems hold energy to use when the grid has periods of high demand. The Leo Energy Storage project in Dannemora proposes at 75 megawatt (MW) - 300 MWh, four-hour standalone Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) would be built on approximately 16 acres of previously disturbed land, next to an existing 115-kilovolt transmission corridor. It is being proposed by BGTF NY BESS Holdings LLC, an affiliate of Brookfield Renewable Partners L.P., which New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) says is one of the largest owner/operator of hydroelectric and wind facilities in the state. NYSERDA project documents indicate the developer is in ongoing discussions with the town, the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) and local emergency responders. Lithium battery fires require a specialized approach to contain, and fire hazard has been raised as one concern with the project. Lithium "fire" is a chemical reaction and the smoke is extremely toxic. For reference, a similar project developed by Carson Power was granted an APA permit for construction near Great Sacandaga Lake earlier this year. It was the first battery storage project approved for construction in the Adirondack Park. But in March, the Town of Northampton, within which sits that section of Great Sacandage and the Village Northville, passed Local Law No. 01 of 2026, enacting a one-year moratorium on battery energy storage facilities. The moratorium was set to give the town time to evaluate zoning restrictions and safety plans to inform regulation going forward. Use of the former Lyon Mountain prison could provide other economic development. "We would really like to do something with the old prison in Lyon Mountain," Varin said of future development. "It's privately owned now, and we would like to find a use worthy of those buildings. We had one company a few years ago, a German company, that wanted to use it to produce glass maple syrup bottles." COMMUNITY MEETINGS Varin said he will continue to hold open meetings with residents to keep conversations going. He is going to schedule another sesson near the end of May, drawing discussion toward residents at the southern side of town, below the mountain. He said people told him they were glad to have a chance to just talk and ask questions. "The more transparency we can have with our community, the better off we'll be," Varin said. "Our town board meetings are videotaped, and anybody can view a town board meeting. The meetings are always open to the public. It's important people recognize me as somebody they can call anytime." To reach Varin by email: jvarin@townofdannemora.com or by phone 518-492-7541, Ext. 1 Town Board meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month at 5 p.m. in the Town Hall, 78 Higby Road, Chazy Lake. The town's website is townofdannemora.gov Video of Town of Dannemora board meetings are archived on the town's website: townofdannemora.gov/meeting-minutes

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Dannemora Supervisor Varin engages discussion

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