DAILY GAZETTE
Schenectady, NY
December 27, 2003

Chief of lake agency to quit

Loveless cites controversy over fee hikes

By JIM MCGUIRE Gazette Reporter

GLOVERSVILLE - Willard W. Loveless, executive director of the agency that regulates the Great Sacandaga Lake, is resigning.

A retired state trooper and former Northampton town supervisor, Loveless will step down Jan. 14 as head of the Hudson River-Black River Regulating District, a position which pays $89,610 a year.

Loveless has been at the eye of a storm of controversy over proposed fee increases for lakeside residents since last September, and he cited that controversy in the announcement of his retirement.

The district's Board of Directors will accept the resignation at its meeting at 9 a.m. Monday at the Johnstown Holiday Inn. The board of the regulating district proposed a new lake access fee schedule that would raise fees paid by some lakeside residents by more than 1,000 percent.

Loveless' retirement was announced by the regulating district in a news release issued on Friday. He has been in the position for four years.

Board Chairman Timothy J. Noonan could not be reached for comment. Loveless is extensively quoted in the news release, but he could not be reached Friday for comment.

Meanwhile, official sources close to the board said they expect Gov. George Pataki to announce a replacement for Loveless soon.

"After considerable thought, I have determined that it is in the best interest of the [agency] that I step down as executive director of the district," Loveless said in the announcement. "An error was made when the first proposed fee schedule for the permit fees . . . was released for the 2004-05 permit season. This proposal was immediately withdrawn, and has been given, and continues to be given, a thorough review," he said. "As a result, the district has received considerable negative feedback over the past months," he said.

Loveless said his successor "will be given a fair opportunity to review the district's actions and policies."

The board is expected to make an announcement Monday about the fees for the new season. One official close to the board said the agency may declare a moratorium on fee increases for another year and then implement a graduated increase over a three-year period.

Peter Van Avery, of the Batchellerville Bridge Action Committee and a critic of the regulating agency, issued a statement Friday calling for a permit fee freeze and a management consulting study of the agency.

The Batchellerville group "believes that public confidence in the regulating district has sunk so low that only drastic action can reinstate it. We are calling for a management consulting study of the complete district, including the activities of all 28 permanent full-time employees plus two permanent, half-time employees. We want that study to bulldoze the present organization and redesign it from scratch, as though the reservoir had been flooded only yesterday. We believe that a streamlined district, with fewer office sites and personnel, could do more with less, increasing its productivity while reducing the cost to all concerned."

Van Avery said this "is a rare opportunity to effect genuine reforms before the district slinks back into the shadows."

Van Avery said Loveless did not have the ideal credentials for the post of director. He said the new director should have what he called "strong business experience, someone capable of managing a sustained legal battle against multibillion-dollar energy companies," downstream beneficiaries of the lake that last year paid fees of more than $2.3 million. He said the downstream permittees are challenging their rates.

Loveless is credited in the agency news release with successfully negotiating a relicensing agreement with the EJ West power company and the Federal Regulating Commission. The agreement has established a new lake water level intended to benefit lake users and the regional economy. EJ West operates hydropower plants at the Conklingville Dam and downstream.

Loveless, the news release said, also "devised and enacted new fiscal and budgetary reform, along with creating a standardization of policies and procedures for [the agency]."

Loveless is a former chairman of the Fulton County Board of Supervisors.

LEADER-HERALD
Gloversville, NY
December 27, 2003

River district director quitting post

By OMAR AQUIJE The Leader-Herald

MAYFIELD - The executive director of the Hudson River-Black River Regulating District - which has been the target of public criticism in recent weeks over a proposal to dramatically increase Great Sacandaga Lake access fees - announced Friday he will resign.

Willard W. Loveless, who has served as executive director for four years, said he will present his letter of resignation at a Board of Directors meeting Monday at the Holiday Inn in Johnstown.

"After considerable thought, I have determined that it is in the best interest of the Hudson River-Black River Regulating District that I step down as executive director," Loveless said in a news release.

His resignation, which the news release also refers to as a retirement, will be effective Jan. 14.

"I anticipate that a successor will be named, and this person will be given a fair opportunity to review the district's actions and policies," Loveless said.

The district, which is a public-benefit corporation, has a five-member board appointed by the governor. The board is responsible for appointing an executive director.

Under Loveless, the district negotiated a settlement agreement with other beneficiaries to ensure higher water levels through Columbus Day for a better recreational season.

"It has been a privilege to work with Loveless, and the board will feel his loss," board member Jim Conkling said in the news release.

The public has criticized the district since it proposed a fee schedule for lakefront access to the Great Sacandaga Lake that included increases by as much as 1,000 percent. The district later withdrew the proposal and is working on a new proposal.

In the news release, Loveless, who is paid $89,610 a year, said the district erred when it first proposed the fee schedule. He said the district has continued to review the schedule thoroughly and will decide on a new one.

A revised fee schedule released to a committee in November included a 50 percent increase.

Since October, each meeting conducted by the district resulted in a large turnout. During an October meeting in Northville, Loveless was booed by the more than 600 people in attendance.

Over the months, the public outcry grew so fierce that the Governor's Office of Regulatory Reform was called in to act as a watchdog over the district's actions.

Peter VanAvery, co-founder of the Batchellerville Bridge Action Committee, said public confidence in the district has sunk so low that only drastic measures could restore it.

"Loveless' retirement opens up a key position that we believe ought to be filled by an individual with strong business experience," VanAvery said.

VanAvery said it's important the board fills the position with someone who can deal with the district's problems.

The district has been in litigation disputes with downstream beneficiaries refusing to pay for their share of assessments.

Along with the fee schedules, the district has been questioned for allowing the water levels of the lake to rise up to 15 feet above the average elevation of 754 feet.

Before joining the district, Loveless spent 20 years with the New York State Police and served as Northampton town supervisor for 10 years.

"While I regret leaving the post that I have enjoyed for the past four years, I look forward to retirement and the new opportunities and projects it will bring," Loveless said.