LAKE PLACID - Tempers flared during Monday night's village Board of Trustees meeting when the president of the Lake Placid Shore Owner's Association accused the board of dragging its feet in protecting the lake from milfoil.

Mayor Craig Randall, Trustee Zay Curtis and other board members fired back that they're working on the issue and don't plan to make a hasty decision.

Mark Wilson has been at nearly every village board meeting over the last four months, pushing the board to take action after milfoil was found in Paradox Bay last summer. He's asked the board to hire a lake steward to inspect boats using the village boat launch or restrict the use of the launch to canoes and kayaks.

"We need some direction from you," Wilson said. "We need some leadership."

Monday's debate began after village Mayor Craig Randall announced plans to bring together several local watershed stewardship groups including the Lake Placid Shore Owners Association, the Mirror Lake Watershed Association and the AuSable River Association, to discuss the problem.

"It appears to me there's more to be gained through collaboration," Randall said. "That's not the only watershed we need to protect."

Randall said the meeting could spur development of a program that would involve training local residents to serve as lake stewards.

He also announced that the village has no plans to close its boat launch on Lake Placid.

"The launch site will remain open," Randall said. "It's pretty apparent to me that the community wishes the launch site to remain open."

Wilson said his group would be willing to take part in a meeting with other watershed groups but argued for faster action on a problem he said is specific to Lake Placid.

"I do not see the need to involve all these organizations to focus on one particular problem that affects Lake Placid," he said. "Why do you need to wait any longer?"

Wilson pushed the board to hold a public forum, which had been discussed at the last village board meeting. He said the Shore Owners Association is facing a January deadline to commit to hiring lake stewards from the Adirondack Watershed Stewardship Program at Paul Smith's College to staff the state boat launch on Lake Placid.

But Trustee Zay Curtis said that program is too expensive to be an option for the village. He said it would cost $53 an hour per steward.

"I'm not in favor of rushing into the Paul Smith's program to meet a deadline," Curtis said. "We could staff those launch sites for a lot less money than that."

Curtis also refuted Wilson's allegation that the village was dragging its feet.

"The board is working on the problem," he said. "It's just not working according to your timetable."

Bill Billerman of the Mirror Lake Watershed Association said his group would be willing to work with other organizations on watershed issues. But he encouraged the board to restrict the use of the village launch to car-top boats or staff it with lake stewards.

"I do think the imminent threat we have is the milfoil in Paradox Bay," Billerman said. "If you do keep it open, we really need control."

Peter Meister, owner and operator of Meister Marine Services, said no one knows how milfoil got into Lake Placid. Meister, who said he uses the village launch to access the lake, encouraged the board to keep it open.

"There are a lot of young families and fisherman who use that little ramp and don't want to go to the big (state) launch," he said.

Wilson then asked the village about its rules prohibiting commercial use of the boat launch, implying that Meister may be using it in violation of that policy. That prompted a sharp response from Meister.

"Would you like to meet me out in front of the town hall at the end of this meeting," he asked Wilson. "I don't like what you're driving at."

Although the sign at the boat launch says "no commercial vehicles or watercraft," village officials said last night that businesses can use the site to access the lake, provided they don't conduct business on the property.

"He's not running his business out of there," said village Attorney Janet Bliss.

"An individual who has business on the lake can launch his boat there," Randall added.

After nearly an hour of back and forth, the board moved on to the next agenda item. Randall said after the meeting he expects the board to meet with the watershed groups sometime in the next few weeks.

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Contact Chris Knight at (518) 891-2600 ext. 24 or cknight@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.