TO: Batchellerville Bridge Action Committee Members
FROM: Peter VanAvery
DATE: July 7, 2004

Here's a summary of the Regulating District's June 15 board meeting in Colonie:

  • The board approved a $5,951,935 budget for fiscal year 2004/05, which began on July 1. This marked a sizable $808,030, or 12%, reduction in the budget the board originally proposed last October for this fiscal year.

  • Barring a miracle, this will be the final year of the freeze on access permit fees. However, the board's plan to base those fees on the results of an "independent performance audit" of the access permit system is off to a flying stop. After the board advertised for bids, six audit firms sought additional information. But the deadline passed without any of them submitting a proposal. Executive Director Richard Lefebvre said their excuse was that it was a busy time of the year. The board is now going to try again.

  • Two staff changes were announced. Attorney Timothy Foley has resigned to spend more time on his private practice. Secretary/Treasurer George Scaringe has retired.

  • The board has hired Attorney Shari Calnero to replace Mr. Foley. She will be a full-time employee. Starting salary: $75,000. Mr. Scaringe's successor will be announced at the July 12 board meeting. The title of that position will be changed to Chief Financial Officer.

  • During the segment of the board meeting set aside for public comments, I read a letter from me to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in response to its ruling that the District's operation of the reservoir last fall was in compliance with the Federal license. My letter details the numerous lies that both FERC and the District persist in telling us about the license. A copy of my letter is posted on our web site.

  • Since Mr. Lefebvre did not mention the status of the NYS Comptroller's Office's "examination" of the Regulating District, which began March 1, I asked and was told that a final report is imminent. This expanded audit covered accounting, budgeting, and governance. I have invoked the Freedom of Information Law to obtain a copy of the report when it becomes available. As I have noted before, Comptroller Alan Hevesi is no fan of "shadow agencies" like the Regulating District that operate outside the state budget process.

    In other news: This spring, the lake's level exceeded 768, the point at which it is considered full, for 23 days in a row, further contributing to shoreline erosion. The lake is currently at 766.06 -- about one foot below the target water level. For the first six months of this year, precipitation at Northville and Conklingville has been 4.86 inches and 6.99 inches, respectively, below historic average.

    We continue to collect cost data on high-water damage to private property (docks, ramps, stairways, boats, etc.) last spring and fall/winter. Please tell your neighbors about the survey form on our web site: www.nybbac.org. The Regulating District has shown no interest in amending the reservoir's 2002 Federal license, which dictates when it can or cannot release water. A high damage total will allow us to take our case directly to the Governor, who wields executive control over the agency, and to other elected officials.

    Now that the snow birds are back, the Regulating District is making its board meetings tough to attend. The next meeting will be held at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, July 12, at Watertown Savings Bank, 111 Clinton Street, Training Room, 2nd Floor, Watertown, NY. There will be no meeting in August. The September meeting will be held on September 13 at Big Moose Inn on Big Moose Lake, 1510 Big Moose Road, Eagle Bay, NY.

    I'll end with a letter that appeared in the Daily Gazette, Leader-Herald, and Post-Star:

    Dear Editor:

    Property owners on Great Sacandaga Lake will rue the day when sailboaters persuaded the New York State Department of Transportation to replace the Batchellerville Bridge with a high, arched span.

    The old bridge, which is flat and low, has done more than just keep sailboats from passing underneath. Located at the lake's midpoint, it has also blocked big cruise boats, making them uneconomical to operate on Great Sacandaga. However, the new bridge will have a maximum vertical clearance underneath of 42 feet when the lake is full. This will open all of the 29-mile-long lake for cruise boats. Some could be well over 100 feet long and potentially as tall as a four-story building.

    As property owners on Lake George can confirm, cruise boats are trailed by large wakes that can erode shorelines and disrupt docks. Sacandaga campers can expect increased noise pollution (both motor and human) and more litter tossed overboard by passengers. Some Lake George cruise boats entertain their passengers with music, which you can hear for miles on a quiet evening. And some anchor in bays for several days at a time. I hope Sacandaga campers enjoy their new waterborne neighbors.

    Another environmental challenge will be posed by the clean-out facilities needed to transfer sewage from the cruise boats to tanks on the shore. There will always be the possibility of a spill into the waters of our wonderful lake. It's ironic that sailboaters, who love to brag that their boats are propelled by the wind, not smelly gas engines, will be responsible for this dramatic change for the worse in the lake's environment.

    Ronald M. Prusko
    Day