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Office of the Village Manager
What We’re Working on for Saranac Lake
Working for the people who live here, every day. Our job is to take care of what we have, make sure the services you rely on are working, and plan ahead so Saranac Lake is ready for what comes next.
That means getting the fundamentals right. Providing reliable water and sewer, safe streets and sidewalks, responsive services, well-maintained public infrastructure, and responsible use of taxpayer dollars. Planning ahead, coordinating projects, securing outside funding, and making smart investments that solve today’s needs without creating tomorrow’s problems.
When the fundamentals are strong, we can continue investing thoughtfully in the parks, recreation, public spaces, and amenities that make Saranac Lake an exceptional place to call home.
August 2026 | Manager's Update
August was a month of getting work done while continuing to strengthen how we manage the work ahead.
Our crews were out paving streets and improving sidewalks, water and wastewater staff continued maintaining the systems we depend on every day, Parks began preparing Mt. Pisgah for winter, and Police responded to 271 calls for service. Behind the scenes, we continued working through financial closeout, coordinating a substantial number of infrastructure projects and grants, and putting better systems in place to track the Village's work and resources.
Getting the Basics Right
Roads and sidewalks were a major focus this month. DPW advanced work on Ampersand Avenue, John Munn Road, Grove Street and Franklin Avenue, with additional paving planned as time and weather allow. Water and sewer staff worked alongside the highway crew while continuing their regular responsibilities maintaining Village system
The Village also continued routine water and wastewater maintenance, including tank maintenance and coordination of upcoming infrastructure work with our engineers.
“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
This month we continued financial closeout and reconciliation while beginning to look ahead at future labor, infrastructure, debt and operating costs. We are also reviewing our CHIPS and PAVE-NY road funding against Village road expenditures to make sure we are taking advantage of the State reimbursement available to us.
We're also changing how we look at grants. Winning a grant is only the beginning. We need to know what has been spent, what has been reimbursed, what the Village is responsible for, and what a project will cost us to maintain after the grant is gone. That same approach is being built into our grant tracking across departments. The Board discussed this publicly in August as part of the Police Youth Program grant.
Wastewater improvements, Boothe River Park, Baldwin Park, Dorsey Street, Lake Colby, the Riverwalk, APA headquarters work, streets and other projects can affect the same properties, infrastructure, funding and construction schedules.
Planning the Work Before We Build
We're beginning to manage those projects as one Village portfolio rather than as individual projects. Planning work in the right order, understanding the full cost before we commit, and avoiding paying twice to disturb something we just finished.
Taking Care of the Places We Enjoy
The fundamentals come first, but August was also a good reminder of how much quality of life matters here.
Music on the Green was a highlight of the summer, bringing residents together for great music and summer evenings in Riverside Park.
Lake Colby Beach wrapped up another summer season, our Community Ride series continued through August, and Music on the Green brought people together at Riverside Park. Meanwhile, Village staff we're already working ahead on Mt. Pisgah, including lift-shack improvements and planning around the mountain's snowmaking and electrical needs.
These are the things that go beyond basic municipal services, but they're also a big part of what makes Saranac Lake home. Our responsibility is to take care of them thoughtfully and make sure the investments we make in quality of life are ones we can sustain.
Celebrating Years of Service
August also gave us the opportunity to recognize two longtime Village employees as they begin a well-earned retirement: Darrell Hough and Sergeant Reyanin Brown.
There is a lot of experience behind the services residents rely on every day, and that experience comes from people who have spent years showing up, doing the work, solving problems, and serving this community.
Darrell's years of service to the Village and Reyanin's career serving and protecting Saranac Lake are part of that story.
We are incredibly grateful to both of them for everything they have given to Saranac Lake and wish them nothing but the best in whatever comes next.
Their retirements are also an important reminder of our responsibility as a Village: to recognize the people who have built and maintained our services, pass along their knowledge, and make sure the next generation of Village employees is ready to carry that work forward.
What We're Working on Next
As we head into September, we're already preparing for winter while continuing the work in front of us now.
Financial forecasting, fall paving and infrastructure work, winter equipment and staffing readiness, continuity, road reimbursement reconciliation, and coordination of our major capital projects and grants are among the priorities ahead. We'll keep sharing that work here, not just the finished projects, but what we're working on, what challenges we're solving, and what's coming next.
