TUPPER LAKE — Tupper Lake Town Clerk Laurie Fuller attended her final board meeting as clerk on Thursday.

Before the official meeting was underway, the board and citizens alike said goodbye to Fuller, a long-time staple of the office, who is retiring.

Fuller is a Tupper Lake High School graduate who was hired by the town in the late ’90s to fill in for a part-time employee who was on leave, according to newspaper archives. She worked her way up to second deputy clerk, and then was elected town clerk just a few years later. She has served the town for more than two decades.

“We could not have gotten as far as we have as clerks without you, your guidance, your support; you’ve always been there for us,” said Lauren LaFebvre, Franklin town clerk and president of the Clinton/Essex/Franklin Town Clerks Association, who attended Thursday’s meeting to thank Fuller.

Tupper Lake village Mayor Mary Fontana, who is no longer on the town board, stood in the audience during public comment to congratulate Fuller on her retirement from the clerk’s office.

“It’s been a pleasure to work with you this whole time,” Fontana said.

After the meeting closed, Fuller extended her thanks to the board.

“It was not a job for me. I loved coming to work every day,” said Fuller.

Mary Kay Kucipak Strack, who ran on the independent Maple Leaf party line, won the Tupper Lake town clerk election unopposed last month. She will be sworn in as the new town clerk in the new year.

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Rail trail readiness

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The first official order of business on the board’s agenda was a personal appearance by Melissa McManus to discuss the “rail trail readiness” effort for the coming rail trail.

The readiness project is spearheaded by a small group of Tupper Lake locals: Councilman John Gillis, Dan McClelland and Kelly and Reese Fleury. The group’s goal is to prepare Tupper Lake for the opening of the trail before contruction is completed in order to take full advantage of the potential economic impact the anticipated traffic could bring. This includes making enhancements around the train station and to streets and sidewalks, as well as to trail connections where the state jurisdiction ends and the town’s begins.

“We’re now ready to go after the money to design and build the improvements,” said McManus.

According to McManus, the primary plan is to secure federal money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which authorizes up to $108 billion for public transportation. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand secured nearly $18 million of this money for upstate New York this month, which will be allocated through Safe Streets and Roads for All grants.

The secondary plan is to seek a Transportation Alternatives Program grant, or TAP. To get the grant, McManus proposed two resolutions to the board. The first was to authorize the grant application. The second was a request to authorize the supervisor to sign a contract with LaBella Associates to do the “engineering number crunching” needed to turn in the TAP grant application. The committee had already submitted a competitive Request for Proposals, and LaBella was the only taker. Both resolutions passed the board unanimously.

“It’s a great deal for Tupper,” said Gillis.

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Tupper Teens program

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The town board also heard a presentation by Laura LaBarge and Christielee Geiger on the Tupper Teens program. The program seeks to “improve the quality of life for local teenagers by providing constructive opportunities for maturity and growth in a safe and supportive environment, and encouraging teens to become active, productive members of their families, schools and community,” according to its mission statement.

The Tupper Teens board consists of LaBarge and Geiger, both co-directors, Tupper Lake Public Library Director Courtney Carey, Chelsea Schaffer, Bethany Cassel, Matt Arsenault and Fontana.

Geiger expressed a need for time, funding and adult volunteers to supervise and act as authority figures.

“We need bodies, we need time and we need money,” said Geiger.

Their one-year plan is to move the program from the library, a temporary setup, to the Maddox Hall basement, currently under renovation. In five to 10 years, they hope to open a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit teen center with paid staff.

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Other items

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The board also discussed a variety of other measures on Thursday.

Gillis filled the board in on a kickoff meeting earlier that day with their chosen engineering company, GYMO, for a preliminary engineering study on sewer district one and water district one for general repairs and replacing old infrastructure. This is a proactive effort to replace lines before an emergency.

Under new business to be approved, the board accepted Dan Bower’s resignation from the Board of Assessment Review and the zoning board, appointed Roger Amell to fill Bower’s position on the Board of Assessment Review and reappointed Anthony Quinn to the same. The board accepted Sherrill Sherman’s resignation from the Zoning Board of Appeals and approved the Tri-Lakes Humane Society agreement for the year 2024. The board also approved the selling of a 2018 highway truck on Auction International.

The board tabled a resolution to purchase a snowplow and a dump truck. Councilman Rick Donah wanted to review the purchases as he is responsible for the highway department.

The board also discussed moving meetings to the second Monday of the month. The end-of-year meeting is set for Thursday, Dec. 28 at 5 p.m.

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(Managing Editor Elizabeth Izzo contributed reporting.)