LEADER-HERALD
Gloversville, NY
January 13, 2004
Former APA chief to lead lake agency
By OMAR AQUIJE, The Leader-Herald
COLONIE - Richard H. Lefebvre, the former chairman of the Adirondack Park Agency, was named executive director of the Hudson River-Black River Regulating District on Monday.
Lefebvre, 64, will be leading an agency that has come under heavy fire from permit holders along the Great Sacandaga Lake.
The district has been under heavy scrutiny after releasing a proposed fee schedule in 2003 that included increases of up to 1,000 percent for access permits to the Great Sacandaga Lake. That proposal was soon withdrawn and considered an error by former Executive Director Willard W. Loveless, who announced his retirement in December.
"The board has admitted that they made an error," Lefebvre said. "I kind of feel that's history. We have to move forward. We have to make the system work. I think it can be fair and balanced."
The district issues nearly 5,000 permits each year. Over the last few months, permit holders have voiced their displeasure of the district through countless inquiries and attending each monthly meeting.
Although the district announced last month that it would postpone any fee proposal for another year, it has been criticized by the public for maintaining high water levels at the lake late into the recreational season.
"It's going to be a challenge," said Lefebvre from his Canada Lake home. "I'm ready to go."
Lefebvre said the reservoir and permit system will not go away, therefore he sees it as a major goal to bring all parties together. With public outreach and meetings with all constituents, Lefebvre said he hopes to restore public confidence in the district. He said it is his intent to be a communicator.
Lefebvre said he will be faced with a steep learning curve in familiarize himself with the system. One of his immediate goals is to meet with staff, permit holders and constituents.
Pete VanAvery, co-founder of the Batchellerville Bridge Action Committee, a group that has been vocal in its opposition to the fee increases, said the hiring of Lefebvre is a good step for the district.
"He has a lot of difficult challenges on his plate," VanAvery said. "This is the beginning of a long path. We wish him the best, and we'll do what we can to help."
Lefebvre spent 27 years at the Gloversville Enlarged School District as a speech pathologist. For four years, he was chairman at the APA and retired in 2002 so he could spend more time with his family. He has lived in Fulton County since 1963.
As executive director, he will earn an annual salary of $80,000.
DAILY GAZETTE
Schenectady, NY
January 13, 2004
Regulating district gets new leader
By JOE MAHER Gazette Reporter
COLONIE — Richard H. "Dick" Lefebvre, of Canada Lake, a former chairman of the Adirondack Park Agency, was appointed Monday as executive director of the Hudson River Black River Regulating District.
Lefebvre takes over an agency that has been the subject of considerable public controversy after its proposal last year to increase Great Sacandaga Lake access permit fees by as much as 1,000 percent.
The proposal has since been withdrawn. But the public outcry did lead Executive Director Willard Loveless of Northville to admit that a mistake was made and to resign, effective today. Anne B. McDonald, who was elected chairwoman of the regulating district board on Monday, said Lefebvre will be a good fit at the district thanks to his years of service with the APA.
Wally Hart, the president of the Fulton County Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also praised the choice.
The chamber organized a steering committee to monitor the regulating district's actions after the fee increase was proposed.
And the steering committee has been calling on the regulating district to conduct an independent audit of its permit system so that the permits pay for the operation of the system and nothing more.
Along with hiring Lefebvre, the regulating district board on Monday also agreed to conduct such an audit.
" We're thrilled," Hart said. "It's part of the plan that we had hoped they would bring somebody in to help them straighten this whole thing out. They also addressed our issues as a steering committee for the independent audit. I have every confidence in Dick Lefebvre and what he'll be able to do for this organization, so I think we're on the right road."
Lefebvre vowed to work hard to restore public confidence in the regulating district.
" I just promise that every energy that I have will be used in trying to resolve issues that are before us and trying to avoid issues in the future," he said.
"This is very, very early in the learning curve," he said in an interview after the meeting.
That said, Lefebvre said he already has some ideas on how to improve the district's rocky public relations record.
He said he would like to involve staff in meetings and conduct information sessions to better educate the board and public about district operations.
Lefebvre also said he'd like to organize constituency groups to serve the district in an advisory capacity "so that we subject ourselves to peer review, or review by our constituents."
He said that he's confident that he will be able to bring about a positive change even if it doesn't happen overnight.
"Democracy has order. We have to find a way of establishing that order," he said. "You have to remember, the agency that I just came from, the Adirondack Park Agency, was profoundly controversial. I do think over a period of time, with openness, being fair, balanced and establishing communication channels and procedures, that we brought some sense to what was chaos at one time."
Lefebvre, 64, a retired speech pathologist and educator with the Gloversville Enlarged School District, lives in Canada Lake in Fulton County. He will be paid an annual salary of $80,000. Loveless, a retired state trooper and former Northampton town supervisor, was earning $89,610 a year.
LEADER-HERALD
Gloversville, NY
January 16, 2004
EDITORIAL
Will director meet challenge?
The Hudson River-Black River Regulating District has a new executive director, Richard Lefebvre. Curiously, the regulating district board chose a familiar face for the $80,000-a-year job, someone who stepped down from his leadership position with the Adirondack Park Agency to spend more time with his family. We're anxiously waiting to see whether he'll bring positive change.
We're encouraged by the district's decision, made the same day the agency announced Lefebvre's appointment, to seek an independent audit of the district's permit system. It's a start, but Lefebvre - a Canada Lake resident who formerly chaired the APA and worked for 27 years as a speech pathologist for the Gloversville Enlarged School District - has a lot of work ahead of him.
Lefebvre, 64, on Monday replaced Willard Loveless, who resigned in December amid harsh public criticism for the district's previous proposal to increase permit fees dramatically for Great Sacandaga Lake property owners. Lake residents also have expressed grave concerns about high water levels eroding the shores.
Lefebvre will have to be an effective liaison between the people and the district, which is responsible for regulating Hudson River water levels with the Great Sacandaga. He'll have to ensure the district balances the interests of residents, permit holders, downstate beneficiaries and the hydroelectric companies. He'll have to invite public opinion and show the district's willingness to communicate and operate in the open. As he studies the district, he'll have to determine whether it's wasting money, allowing politics to undermine its intentions and getting adequate revenue from the proper sources.
Then, he must focus on fixing the problems. Perhaps the state should create a commission to review the agency's role. Perhaps the district requires wholesale changes.
The district no longer can overlook the lake's significance as a tourism attraction and a home to many individuals and small businesses. If Lefebvre plans to succeed in his new role, he'll have to give considerable weight to these interests.