An impressive slate of speakers addressed a crowd of about 150 people at a ceremony Wednesday, August 24, to celebrate the opening of the Village of Lake George’s new wastewater treatment plant. Federal, state and local officials, along with representatives from businesses and local environmental groups; village employees, the public and the press attended the ribbon cutting, which was held at the facility located just south of Prospect Mountain Veteran’s Memorial Highway.
Common themes emerged from the speeches — the necessity of the new plant to protect Lake George and the local economy and the cooperation the project required between all levels of government and the private sector to complete the plant.
The new Village of Lake George Wastewater Treatment Plant, which went online this May, replaces a failing 1930s-era facility that threatened the waters of Lake George.
Speakers at the Village of Lake George Wastewater Treatment Plant Ceremony
Mayor Robert Blais, Village of Lake George Mayor
“We began our journey to protect Lake George on May 6, 2016. That’s when this all began. Construction began in October of 2019, and here we are today to celebrate the joy and give thanks that we’re finally here and this great project is completed…
I believe that this day will go down in history as an important step forward in not only protecting our great lake but protecting the economy we’ve come to enjoy because of the lake that we have.”
While the year-round community is small, the Lake George area welcomes about six million visitors each year, according to Gina Mintzer of the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce. The biggest challenge for the village was funding. The original cost estimate of $16 million ballooned to $24 million. Mayor Blais says the office of U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik called and asked how they could help.
Elise Stefanik, Representative U.S. 21st Congressional District:
“When the Mayor reached out about this important priority, I was glad to go to work to deliver this result and was proud to deliver $500,000 of Federal funding through the Northern Border Regional Commission”
According to Blais, the federal grant was the first but $14.9 million from New York State followed.
Basil Seggos, Commissioner NY DEC:
“There was a time when there was little money available for environmental spending. There was frankly decades of desert for spending, and I think we saw the infrastructure around us falling apart…We now have record funding for the environment in New York State…
We’re so proud to have this alignment — federal, state and local and the non-profits that are always pushing us to do better and to do more…
We can’t have robust economies, we can’t have robust tourism, without protecting the environment and that’s just a fundamental thing. The folks in this region know it the best, whether it’s the Adirondacks, or this incredible lake here, Lake George, which is the anchor, as the mayor always talks about, an anchor to the region’s economy.”
New York State Senator Dan Stec and State Assemblyman Matt Simpson also spoke at the ceremony:.
Senator Dan Stec:
“The plant needed replacing and it was too much on the small community to bear by itself and yet this community is unique because it welcomes, doubles and triples in size, in the summertime so there is a public interest, a statewide interest, so it’s absolutely critical to do this.”
Representative Matt Simpson:
“It is so important that we invest and protect Lake George and the quality of the water and our surroundings for future generations. That’s what’s been done here so I really want to thank all of the local, state, county officials, all the different agencies that had made this happen. It was a partnership and a lot of collaboration. We all had the prize in mind, and that is the Queen of American Lakes, Lake George.”
The Village procured a zero-interest loan from the state Environmental Facilities Corporation to make up the difference between total grants and cost. Maureen Coleman, President and CEO of the Environmental Facilities Corporation said her agency’s purpose was to help with projects such as the Lake George Wastewater Treatment plant. She noted that new federal funding from the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill will allow more communities to address water and sewage problems.
Maureen Coleman, President and CEO, Environmental Facilities Corporation:
“Under the leadership of Governor Hochul, EFC has been working to ensure that small communities like the Village of Lake George receive the support they need to undertake projects that are vital to the resident’s public health and the quality of life, protect the environment and natural resources, and for Lake George and many other communities like it, are necessary to support economic development and tourism.”
The Village and Town share many services and the new plant will allow the town to expand its own sewer district. Dennis Dickenson, Supervisor, Town of Lake George, says the town “has plans on the board” to run sewer lines along the west side of the lake from the Village to Hearthstone Campground. “The key to that is, we have the plant; we have the capacity. We can do that, and that’s only the beginning of what we can do now that we have a new sewage treatment plant.”
Chris Navitsky, Lake George Water Keeper
“We are excited to say that the initial results for the first five months speak for themselves. Nitrate levels are down over 50 percent in the monitoring wells, and we are sure that things will only get better from there. This is only part of the success story. We need much more for a complete wastewater treatment plant… you need a dedicated and competent operator who is part scientist, part biologist, part engineer and the Village is very fortunate to have (plant operator) Tim Shudt. Tim held together this plant and band-aided it, this antiquated plant, through all these years … I will close my remarks with his words, “I want to make sure it’s done right. It’s Lake George, it deserves the best technology and design.”
Kenneth W. Parker, Chairman, Lake George Park Commission
“Today marks a significant change for the Lake George Park, its municipalities and its residents. The development of this facility has helped increase public awareness of the importance of this subject. Obviously, this technically advanced wastewater treatment plant creates wonderful new opportunities for our region and beyond all due to the perseverance of Bob Blais, everyone who listened to his needs and suggestions and requests. The Lake George Park Commission has also been working on legislation that would require mandatory inspections of private and commercial septic systems within the park that are within 500 feet of shoreline, 100 feet of any tributary, once every five years.” All these improvements “complement each other for the betterment of Lake George and everyone is now involved, including the most important segment, our citizens and property owners… I believe that we now successfully have the entire Lake George Park moving towards a better tomorrow.”
Kevin Geraghty, Chair, Warren County Board of Supervisors:
“When I was a child growing up (a few years ago) my aunt had a camp up in Baldwin next to the steamboat dock. They drew their water from Lake George, and we drank it each summer. So, anytime Lake George is mentioned, I always remember my days up there in Baldwin when we went up there summers on vacation to remember that a lot of people still draw their water from the lake. That’s why it’s so important.”
Additional funding came from Warren County. For the next 10 years, the county agreed to give the village the county share of Beach Road parking lot revenues, $75,000 per year, to pay down the WWTP bond.
Craig Leggett, Warren County Administrator:
“As responsible agents for the people, we take care of what we have, and we do the best with what we have to work with. The ability to figure out how to do that and do it smoothly and well is certainly a talent. Lake George, Lake George Village, certainly have a lot to be proud of.”
Mike Horn, Executive Director, Lake George Land Conservancy:
“Our work is only relevant to the extent that people are here to enjoy it, and the local community and visitors who visit Lake George from around the world, they love this place because of the scenic beauty and everything it offers, recreation opportunities that I’ve mentioned, but with those folks, we’re going to have a built environment. We’re going to have homes. We’re going to have hotels. We’re going to have businesses that are thriving, and people are going to go to the bathroom. We can only be successful in our work of protecting Lake George to the extent that the built environment that people are enjoying in between getting out on the lake or getting out for a hike or what have you, to the extent that that built environment is complementing our work, that it leverages the best technology, that it’s modernized, and that it’s kept up with…The Village of Lake George Wastewater Treatment Plant is a perfect example of that technology and that type of investment we need in order to protect Lake George forever.”
Eric Siy, Executive Director, Lake George Association
Siy recalls in early 2019 co-testifying at the State Legislative Budget hearing with Ed Bartholomew, who at the time was President of the Warren County EDC:
“Side-by-side, literally shoulder-to-shoulder, at the testifying table, Ed and I advocated for the funds needed to replace the old, decrepit plant that was polluting our beloved Lake George…
We were there mindful of Teddy Roosevelt’s words when he said, ‘The environment and economy are opposite sides of the same coin. When I first heard that … it stuck, and it helps to guide me on this path. In any case, in our case, the coin, our coin I should say, is Lake George. It’s an ecological wonder, a masterpiece and it is the lifeblood, the living, breathing heart of our regional economy. Yet, it’s threatened as never before…
Cited by many, these words seem to be made for this moment, ‘We did not inherit our future from our ancestors; we have borrowed it from our children.’ Think about that. Today’s historic action puts this vital principle to practice and that’s what we all need to do, inspiring all of us to do whatever it takes to keep Lake George clear and clean — A wellspring of hope, our living legacy.”
Last year, the Village initiated a poetry contest inviting Lake George students to submit entries with a Lake George theme. Sophomore Taylor Syvertsen’s poem “The Life of Lake George” was selected and the Opening Ceremonies concluded with Syvertsen reading her work.
“A large ecosystem does our lake serve
Only perfect care does our queen deserve” — from “The life of Lake George” by Taylor Syvertsen
The text of Syvertsen’s poem will be framed and on display at the Wastewater Treatment Plant office.
Mayor Blais announced the Village has changed the name of the road leading to the Wastewater Treatment plant:
“We know when this project was underway, people would go into this office where (plant operator) Tim Shudt was, and he’d be there from 3:30 in the morning, 12 O’clock at night, he’d be here every single minute, and when they went in there, they had to make damn sure that the thing was done Tim’s way. Tim’s way was the only way. Tim’s way was to the specs, not to the left, not to the right. So, we are renaming this street coming into the Treatment Plant, and the sign will be up when you leave. It will be called Tim’s Way.”
Following the ceremony Operator Tim Shudt, Sr. and Assistant Tim Shudt, Jr. lead tours of the new plant.
