Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at the Olympic Sports Complex at Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Sydney Emerson)

LAKE PLACID — Gov. Kathy Hochul visited the Olympic Sports Complex at Mount Van Hoevenberg on Tuesday to speak about her $233 billion executive budget proposal and to highlight budget items specific to the North Country, including funding for the Adirondack Rail Trail, housing, climate resiliency, infrastructure, former Olympic venue improvements and more.

The speech was part of a broader statewide tour to push for her funding priorities as the state Legislature begins work on the state budget.

Hochul announced that the state will invest $13.1 million from the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act to support the ongoing construction of the Adirondack Rail Trail and the restoration of the Saranac Lake Depot. Around $10 million of this $13 million is from existing state commitments to funding the trail. It includes an additional $3 million for renovation of the Saranac Lake Union Depot.

Hochul also announced that Lowville, Lewis County, has been awarded $10 million in state funding through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and that Canton, St. Lawrence County, and Alexandria Bay, Jefferson County, will receive $4.5 million through the New York Forward program.

Hochul said DRI funding helps local governments undertake large projects they otherwise might not attempt or envision.

“This program, in one shot, brings the money all at once so projects can be worked on simultaneously so you’re not waiting for one to finish to start another,” Hochul said. “You see and feel the impact almost immediately.”

–

Adirondack Rail Trail

–

The state is putting close to $38 million in total into the 34-mile trail. DEC spokesperson Lori Severino said the state has put approximately $17.4 million into the trail as of today.

So far, all the railroad lines have been removed, making the corridor more accessible to snowmobiles than before. The 10-mile stretch between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake is now fully open. The rest of it is currently open for winter traffic.

Severino said the “bulk” of this $13 million will go toward completing the third phase of the project. Around $4 million will also support the completion of the first two phases and around $3 million will go toward renovating the Union Depot building.

This past October, the state Department of Environmental Conservation solicited ideas for future uses of the Saranac Lake Depot and the associated Freight Building — the department is still reviewing submissions before issuing a formal Request for Proposals.

“The estimated total cost for the Adirondack Rail Trail project including the new $13.1 million in Bond Act funding is approximately $38 million,” Severino wrote in an email. “This includes $1.94 million in State Environmental Protection funds for Stewardship funding for Design, Planning and Administration, $22.32 million in NY Works funding for Rail Trail planning and construction and all Saranac Lake Depot renovations.”

The Adirondack Rail Trail Association was enthusiastic about this money coming in, saying the rail trail is “already providing recreational and economic benefits to the North Country, and mentioning the Volunteer Service Agreement it has with the DEC to assist the state in managing and maintaining the trail.

–

Housing

–

Hochul unveiled her $233 billion executive budget last week. Her proposal includes a funding package that aims to address the affordable housing crisis around the state.

One part of that plan calls for the state spend $25 billion to build 100,000 affordable homes over the next five years.

She also calls on the state to earmark $500 million for the construction of 15,000 housing units on state-owned land. Hochul’s office said state agencies have identified former correctional facilities, areas near commuter rail stations and SUNY properties on which the units could be built.

On Tuesday, Hochul highlighted the housing challenges that impact the North Country — namely, the rise in popularity of short-term vacation rentals and an influx of new residents during the coronavirus pandemic. She said the dearth of affordable housing in the region inhibits both the local economy and the sense of community.

“You shouldn’t have to be a rich person to afford to live up here,” she said. “If you’re already here, you have your house, you don’t want anybody else to come in. Unless you’re an employer who says, ‘Where are my workers going to live?’ Unless you’re a grandma who says, ‘Why can’t my grandbaby grow up in the community where I raised their parents?’ Those are the people you look out for, as well as the firefighters and police officers and teachers who want to be able to live in the community where they work.”

Hochul named the town of North Elba as one of the leading communities tackling the housing crisis in the North Country. The town has started the process of becoming a certified “pro-housing community,” a designation that allows certified towns to access more than $650 million in state funding. North Elba town Councilor Emily Kilburn-Politi said the town has submitted all necessary paperwork to the state Division of Homes and Community Renewal but has not yet received any word back.

The town of North Elba and village of Lake Placid, seeing the impact of the growth of vacation rental popularity on long-term housing, were among the first municipalities in the region to impose major regulations on STRs.

A 2020 housing needs assessment study found that with a target of 50% of the local workforce living within the community, North Elba and Lake Placid alone have a need for roughly 1,534 “workforce and affordable level” housing units — the majority, 1,013 units, for those who make less than $35,150 per year.

–

Prisons

–

Her budget also includes a proposal to close five state prisons. The exact facilities on the chopping block are not clear, and Hochul did not say on Tuesday which prisons could face closure.

She said the shuttered facilities have great potential to be repurposed.

“Of the 44 prisons in the state, 11 are in the North Country, so when they closed based on population of the prisons, it does have an impact on the community … and that’s why, the ones that we’ve closed already, we’re working really hard with the local communities to reimagine those properties,” she said. “The problem we have right now is we also have a severe shortage of corrections officers. We have a workforce shortage. So every person whose home facility closes will absolutely find another facility. We commit to that.”

The state has closed 24 prisons since 2011, including Moriah Shock, in Essex County, in 2022. Moriah Shock closed despite fervent opposition within the community and remains vacant.

The state also closed Camp Gabriels in 2009, which has also been empty ever since. The state’s efforts to sell it hit a snag years ago when environmental groups pointed out it is protected by Article 14 — the “Forever Wild” clause of the state constitution.

The number of prisoners statewide has declined from 72,000 in 1999 to 32,766, the Auburn Citizen reported last week.

State Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay, said last week that he is “disappointed and concerned” about the idea of more correctional facilities being closed through the state budget process.

“It will negatively affect communities like the North Country who depend on them,” he said.

–

Environment

–

Her proposal also includes $400 million for the Environmental Protection Fund, no change from 2023-24, as well as $435 million for climate resiliency projects, $500 million for clean water projects, $100 million for superfund cleanup, $47 million to plant 25 million trees by 2033 and $250 million for a “voluntary buyout program” for owners of property in flood-prone areas.

This proposal includes $2.5 million for improving Tupper Lake’s water infrastructure and quality, a project Hochul said is “very important” to her.

“We are very, very committed to assuring that all of the state, particularly here in the North Country, that we protect these assets and keep our waters and streams and lakes pristine. That can never be compromised because that is the lifeblood of this region,” she said. “We owe it to mother nature to protect these, but also the surrounding communities that rely on the tourism and the fishing and the boating in the summertime in particular.”

Hochul lamented the number of natural disasters that have hit this state in recent years, including the air quality impacts of wildfire smoke from Quebec last year and recent major flooding.

“I wake up in the morning and say, ‘Are the locusts here yet?’ It just keeps coming,” she said. “We’re the first generation to really feel the effects of climate change … and we’re the last generation that can do anything about it.”

She noted that as part of her environmental proposals, she’s recommending that $75 million be earmarked to repair local roads and bridges and $8 million be put toward repairing potholes.

The Adirondack Loj Road in Lake Placid will be repaired with funding from the Environmental Protection Fund, Hochul said.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation would receive $95 million to rehabilitate high-risk dams in an effort to prevent flooding, upgrade recreational facilities and repair other public property.

DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said Tuesday that Hochul’s budget was “great” for both the environment and the Adirondacks.

“The governor has been a stalwart, a protector of the environment and also a supporter of DEC and our mission,” he said. “This budget continues that statewide and continues it here in the Adirondacks.”

–

ORDA

–

Hochul’s budget includes $82.5 million in new capital investments for the Lake Placid-based Olympic Regional Development Authority, which, if approved by the state Legislature, would be $2.5 million more in state funding than ORDA anticipated in its 2024 budget.

Hochul noted Tuesday that there were 1.1 million visits last year to winter sports venues managed by ORDA and expressed her hope that, with further improvements to and maintenance of the venues, Lake Placid may someday host its third Olympic Winter Games.

“I believe that someday we can even bring the Winter Olympics back to Lake Placid, and we have to start preparing for that moment,” she said. “The North Country is the most desirable winter sports destination in the entire world. I’m excited to write the next chapter for Lake Placid and American sports right here.”

The state has already spent more than $550 million on rehabilitating or rebuilding ORDA venues and the Saranac Lake Civic Center, she said. The $82 million in this year’s budget would fund “new upgrades to ski resorts,” Hochul said, including at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington.

Lake Placid may get its opportunity to host the Winter Olympic Games sooner than anticipated. New York state and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee officials are hoping to partner with New York City to host the sliding events for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano-Cortina, Italy.

“I check on the status of that decision all the time,” Hochul said. “I believe we’re ready.”

The location of the sliding events is expected to be decided within the next few days, the Associated Press reported last week.

–

School aid

–

One of the more controversial pieces of Hochul’s executive budget is her proposal to set aside $35 billion in school aid, 33% more compared to 2021. In the North Country region, school aid would increase from $30 million to $1 billion, according to Hochul.

This measure was controversial because she’s also calling for the state to revise how it calculates and distributes its school aid.

Roger Catania, a retired superintendent of Lake Placid Central School who represents the 4th Judicial District on the New York State Board of Regents, wrote in a guest commentary in the Enterprise last week that he believes “20 districts would see foundation aid cuts of 10% or more, and some would be looking at cuts in excess of 20% or even 30%.” He wrote that this could mean “significant cuts to teachers and programs at a time when our children are in need of increased academic, behavioral and emotional support — especially those children who have struggled the most to recover from the shock of the pandemic.”

Hochul answered criticism of this proposal by saying that she believes that without the additional pandemic-era federal funding support, the state cannot keep increasing school aid at the same rate it has over the past few years. She said her goal was always to increase school aid short-term, to “make up lost time” after years of lagging school aid, then “stabilize” funding.

“Those who are now saying these are all cuts, I say it’s not a cut, it’s just not the same increase you had before,” she said.

–

Mental health, opioid epidemic and crime prevention

–

Hochul’s budget also includes packages that aim to promote crime prevention, eliminate barriers to treatment for mental illness, address the youth mental health crisis and deficiencies in the broader health care system. She highlighted funding in her budget proposal for $4.8 billion to improve mental health services, including $13 million for programs that connect first responders to mental health services.

She noted that in Essex County, there’s one mental health care provider for every 600 residents. She thanked groups like Citizen Advocates in Malone for their work, but said the state needs to continue to focus on addressing mental health access.

“The number here in the North Country is paltry, we need to keep focusing on this,” Hochul said. “It’s nobody’s fault, but we have to focus on these areas that need the most help.”

A pillar of her budget is increasing mental health services for minors, whom Hochul said still have not recovered from the isolating effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

“If we don’t invest in young people’s mental health now, we’ll be paying for them to get services the rest of their lives,” she said.

Hochul’s budget also includes $67 million to combat the opioid epidemic, $25 million of that for the North Country specifically.

“This area has been underserved for too long and that has to stop right now,” Hochul said, garnering cheers from the crowd of local officials at Mount Van Hoevenberg.

She is also proposing to spend more than $878 million on crime prevention and public safety programs, including $35 million to support investigations into hate crimes.

Hochul spoke about instances within recent years of pride flags being torn down or vandalized in Saranac Lake and racist graffiti being written on a Saranac Lake bridge in 2020, which prompted the former head of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative to move out of the village.

Hochul’s executive budget is only a proposal; the state Legislature still needs to review and approve a state budget. The budget deadline is April 1.

— — —

Staff Writer Oliver Reil contributed reporting. This is a breaking news story. More details will be added as they become available.