Re. Golf Cart Transport Device, Newcomb Lake Road/Carriage Trail, Camp
Barbara Rice, Executive Director
NYS Adirondack Park Agency
P.O. Box 99
Ray Brook, NY 12977
Re. Golf Cart Transport Device, Newcomb Lake Road/Carriage Trail, Camp
Santanoni Historic Area
Dear Barbara,
We write in response to the Wheelchair Accessible Transport Device/Modified Electric Golf Cart program that DEC has just authorized for seasonal, by-reservation transport of people with disabilities to Camp Santanoni. We can appreciate and applaud the additional access opportunity initiated this fall, but only on a short-term and temporary basis.
A more permanent change authorizing a motor vehicle, known here as a Transport Device, but in essence a modified, electric golf cart, on the Santanoni carriage trail represents a material modification in unit management which has restricted the trail to non-motorized means of transportation over many years.
The Department (DEC) states it is relying upon an Adirondack Park Agency (APA) staff opinion that no Unit Management Plan (UMP) amendment is necessary to accommodate this change. Adirondack Wild disagrees with the Agency. The Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan (APSLMP) clearly states that “any material modification in adopted unit management plans will be made following the procedure for original unit plan preparation.” However conditioned the Transport Device/Golf Cart may be (electric motor only, number of mechanized trips per day, etc.) without placing these and other permit conditions in a UMP they constitute arbitrary, administrative decisions lacking APSLMP-required oversight and assessment of actual and potential impacts.
Nothing in the current 2016 Camp Santanoni Historic Area UMP authorizes public motorized use on the Santanoni carriage trail. In fact, the UMP states that DEC “will continue to provide access for qualified persons with disabilities to the Great Camp by contract or procurement of similar services,” those services referring to horse and wagon transport provided since 2001 – not motorized transport. The same UMP paragraph refers to management actions for improving accessibility, all of which refer to horse and wagon transport and access ramp standards to Santanoni’s structures. None of the management actions authorize motor vehicle transport.
To the contrary, the 2016 UMP, approved by the APA as APSLMP compliant, states
that:
“The Department cannot support the use of motor vehicles by the public on the Newcomb Lake Road. The road was built and is maintained as a one lane carriage road and simply could not sustain this use without major improvements and modifications that would completely change its character. Part of the visitor experience of the site is the sense of remoteness created by the time and effort required to access the site. Motor vehicle access would eliminate this valuable part of that experience.”
The 2016 prohibition on motorized access echoes earlier APA-approved SantanoniUMPs dating to 2000. In fact, the 2001 Federal Consent Order (Galusha) specified access to the Camp by horse-drawn wagon adapted for people with disabilities.
DEC now states that it “made unsuccessful efforts in 2023 and 2024 to procure horse and wagon services that would accommodate all potential users, including those in electric wheelchairs.” Those unsuccessful efforts, DEC argues, make it necessary now to procure motorized transport known as a Transport Device, or electric golf cart.
It is our understanding that the DEC designed horse-drawn wagon dimension and weight proved unsafe for the teamster and horses to operate on the carriage road and to provide services for people with disabilities in 2024. The breakdown in consultation about the wagon’s design resulted in the loss of the wagon contract and non-motorized access for persons with disabilities specified in the UMP. DEC bears responsibility for this. DEC ought to re-start consultation with the vendor to build a safe, practicable, wheel-chair accessible wagon for horse and wagon transport to Santanoni in 2027.
The purpose of the UMP process stipulated in the APSLMP is to avoid poorly assessed decisions that can result in mismanagement of the Adirondack Forest Preserve. To permanently authorize administrative personnel to operate a modified golf cart – be itgas-powered or electric – in order to drive members of the public to Camp Santanoni constitutes a substantial alteration of the existing UMP and therefore requires a UMP amendment and the related public process and comment in 2027.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
David Gibson, Managing Partner
Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve
Cc: Megan Phillips, APA Planning
Matthew Robinson-Loffler, APA Counsel
Amanda Lefton, DEC Commissioner
Joe Zalewski, DEC Region 5
Katie Petronis, DEC Deputy Commissioner
McCrea Burnham, DEC Lands and Forests
Josh Clague, DEC Lands and Forests
APA State Land Committee
Erin Tobin, AARCH