The proposed local law would make two changes to the village’s policy for boats on Mirror Lake and Mill Pond. It would instate a 5 mph speed limit for motor boats and prohibit the use of electric hydrofoil surfboards on both Mirror Lake and Mill Pond.

The village board will hold a public hearing on the proposed law at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 5 at the North Elba Town Hall, ahead of the village’s regular board meeting at 5 p.m. People can also attend the hearing online via GoToMeeting; the village plans to post a GoToMeeting link for the hearing by July 1, according to the village’s public hearing notice.

Hydrofoil surfboards have an electric motor with an attached surfboard that’s elevated just above the water’s surface. The boards can travel up to 30 mph, according to electric hydrofoil surfboard-makers Lift Foils, which developed the first commercially-produced electric hydrofoil boards in 2017.

Mayor Art Devlin said June 27 that the apparent popularity of the boards created the impetus for the proposed speed limit. He said the village board wants to keep Mirror Lake and Mill Pond peaceful, “family-friendly” places to swim, kayak and recreate.

While people need a permit to take a fuel-powered motor boat on Mirror Lake and Mill Pond, Devlin said people don’t currently need a permit to take an electric boat on those lakes.