Griffo: Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor Unit Management Plan meeting to be held in Utica

New York State Senate Deputy Minority Leader Joseph Griffo, R-I-C-Rome, announced today that, following his urging, the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and state Department of Transportation (DOT) will hold a meeting in Utica concerning the latest draft of the Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor Unit Management Plan.

Earlier this month, the DEC and DOT announced that three meetings on the draft would take place in Lake Placid, Tupper Lake and Old Forge. Following that announcement, Deputy Minority Leader Griffo wrote to DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos to encourage the departments to hold a meeting concerning the management plan in Oneida County since many county residents utilize the corridor for various recreational activities.

As a result of Deputy Minority Leader Griffo’s advocacy, the DEC and DOT have decided to hold an additional meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 19 in the first floor conference room of the Utica State Office Building at 207 Genesee St. in Utica. Other meetings will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at the Tupper Lake Middle-High School Auditorium in Tupper Lake, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at the Lake Placid Conference Center in Lake Placid and at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5 at the View Arts Center in Old Forge.

Additionally, due to the meeting in Oneida County, the state will be extending the public comment period from Dec. 20 to Jan. 8, 2020.

“I am pleased that the DEC, in conjunction with the DOT, have agreed to hold a fourth meeting in Oneida County,” Deputy Minority Leader Griffo said. “I would like to thank both the DOT and DEC for their attention to this matter and providing the additional opportunity for Oneida County residents express their thoughts and opinions on this issue.”

The full text of Deputy Minority Leader Griffo’s letter to Commissioner Seggos is below:

November 21, 2019

Basil Seggos

Commissioner

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

625 Broadway

Albany, NY 12207

Dear Commissioner Seggos,

It has been brought to my attention that the Department of Environmental Conservation recently released a draft of the Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor Unit Management Plan (UMP) Amendment/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS). Subsequent to this announcement, your department stated in its release that it would be hosting three meetings: one in Tupper Lake; another in Lake Placid; and a third in Old Forge. My request is for DEC to host a fourth meeting in Oneida County, preferably Rome, though Utica or Remsen would serve as reasonable alternatives.

Like the residents of the three locations where meetings are scheduled to be held, the people of Oneida County stand to be similarly impacted by the UMP; I feel that it is imperative for DEC officials to understand the questions and concerns of this constituency. Many residents of Oneida County utilize the corridor for various recreational purposes, meriting consideration of their opinions on the Remsen-Lake Placid draft by DEC representatives.

As for a specific location, any locality in Oneida County which you select to host this meeting is acceptable. Sensible locations include Rome, which is situated in an area that is reasonably accessible to all residents of the county and is between Utica and Remsen; Utica, which serves as the host city of the Adirondack Scenic Railroad; and Remsen, the southernmost portion of the corridor. Further, I would request that any meeting taking place in Oneida County be held at the same 6-8 p.m. timeframe as the three aforementioned locations.

I hope that you will seriously consider adding a fourth meeting to the list of those DEC is hosting to discuss the Remsen-Lake Placid Corridor UMP Amendment/SEIS draft. Should you have any questions regarding this request, please feel free to contact me.

I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Joseph Griffo

Senator, 47th District

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