|
Article Audio:
|
NORTH ELBA — Plans to re-landscape a longtime summer attraction in Broadalbin recently cleared a regulatory hurdle.
A proposal to re-vegetate and repurpose the sandy shoreline of the former Broadalbin beach aligns with the Adirondack Park Agency’s master plan, park board members declared in a resolution late last week.
The project was first drafted by the state Department of Environmental Conservation in 2022. DEC staffers are expected to prepare a memo for Commissioner Basil Seggos recommending its final approval, according to an agency spokesperson.
“The proposed changes were a result of carefully considering all the comments received during the public comment period and public information meeting,” said DEC spokesperson Lori Severino in an email.
While there have been some modifications to the final design — including a new pedestrian pathway, a remodeled boat washing station and parking lot reconfigurations — the framework remains.
A new car-top boat dock is designed to “provide better access for hand-launch vessels,” said Meg Phillips, chairwoman of the APA land management committee. Meanwhile, shoreline plants are intended to hinder erosion, prevent littering and halt nefarious activity.
Beach advocate Mark Bohne has argued that criminal activity is more centered around the 25-year-old adjacent boat launch area. Two years worth of law enforcement records obtained by Bohne show three disorderly conduct sightings — one of which resulted in an arrest, several parking complaints and “suspicious” activity.
Bohne wasn’t alone in his defense of the beach. Community advocates earlier this year scrambled for a solution to halt the state proposal and potentially resurrect the beloved beach, which was eliminated last year after town officials opted against renewing a user agreement with DEC over additional expenses requested to secure the area.
Local hotel operator Brittani Thompson collected more than 880 signatures in a petition to “Save The Broadalbin Beach From Closing.”
DEC Region 5 Fisheries Manager Rob Fiorentino acknowledged the petition and negative feedback while speaking before the APA’s land management committee Thursday morning.
“Majority of the comments were very specific to ‘do not close the beach,'” said Fiorentino.
The comment period was extended after Bohne told DEC that community members weren’t properly informed. The agency, Fiorentino reported, apparently had sent out a legal notice of the draft management proposal to an outdated newspaper contact.
Public comments were last accepted during an April information meeting at Broadalbin-Perth High School.
The town did not submit any feedback, but were “fully aware” of the proposed changes, according to Fiorentino.
Since 2010, the town has struggled to keep the beach open. The area was only open once, in 2019, through a renewed deal with DEC. However, the change was short-lived as Broadalbin officials closed it again during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At its height, Broadalbin beach was the only public-use beach on the southeast shore of the Great Sacandaga Lake when it was last operational in 2019.
The only other public beaches on the lake include town-operated Mayfield Beach and DEC-run Northampton Beach. A number of beaches are privately run, including Day Center Beach, Driftwood Park Beach and Sport Island Pub Beach.
Tyler A. McNeil can be reached at 518-395-3047 or [email protected]. Follow him on Facebook at Tyler A. McNeil, Daily Gazette or X @TylerAMcNeil.
