AdkAction to Transfer DRI Grant to the Village of Saranac Lake

AdkAction and the Village of Saranac Lake announce that AdkAction is transferring its $411,000 Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant awarded in 2018 for a new Whitewater Park in downtown Saranac Lake to the Village of Saranac Lake.

The transfer comes following several years of work by AdkAction on the Whitewater Park project. After suspending work on the project in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the project team–Steve Maikowski of AdkAction, former AdkAction Board member Scott McKim, Tyler Merriam of the Ausable River Association, and past AdkAction Executive Director Brittany Christenson–resumed work on the project in 2021. A Request for Proposals for Design and Permitting of the Whitewater Park was issued, and a company with extensive experience in whitewater park design and construction was selected for the project.

With the assistance of outside legal counsel, AdkAction conducted due diligence on the contract with that firm and the DRI contract with NYS Department of State. The project team also researched various operational and permitting challenges, analyzed increases in the costs of materials and construction management capacity, and explored potential partners for ongoing operation of the Whitewater Park. “Ultimately, AdkAction decided that we did not have the necessary staff capacity, construction management expertise, or insurance coverage necessary to continue as the sponsor of the project,” stated AdkAction’s Board Chair Steve Maikowski.