There have been additions and renovations to the agency’s headquarters over the last 50 years, but APA Executive Director Barbara Rice said the building is not in great shape.

“There are gaps in the logs, which leads to loss of heat and energy problems, but we also have this lovely situation where we have mice and insects and bats getting into the building.”

According to Rice, there is also rot in some of the logs, windows that don’t fully shut, and poor ventilation throughout the building. A few years ago, New York State set aside $29 million for the APA to build a brand new, energy-efficient headquarters. It’s taken time to find the right fit, but Rice said they’ve finally settled on a spot in downtown Saranac Lake.

“It wasn’t necessarily a pinpoint in time where it was like, ‘Tada!’ It was more like, it evolved while talking through with the team here, it became the one property and location that really stood out to us.”

The location is 1-3 Main St., home to the historic Paul Smith’s Electric Light and Power Building, constructed in 1927. There’s a small powerhouse behind the building for the Lake Flower Dam. Both structures are owned by the village of Saranac Lake.

Mayor Jimmy Williams said he’s excited about the APA potentially investing nearly $30 million into the property.

“The honest truth is 1 and 3 Main are beautiful, historical landmarks that need a lot of work that the village really can’t afford,” said Williams. “To see that building completely restored I think would be nice for the community and also removes a significant liability from our balance sheet.”

The details of the deal between the village and the APA haven’t been ironed out and the move isn’t certain. The APA still needs to inspect the building and its foundation and settle on a lease agreement with the village. But the agency has already mocked up what the property could become.

The APA would renovate the interior of the Electric Power and Light Building and add a stairwell and elevator to make the building ADA-compliant.

The powerhouse behind it would also be renovated and potentially turned into the agency’s boardroom. The two historic buildings would be more public-facing, serving as a kind of visitor interpretive center.

“So the new construction will be along the Lake Street hillside,” Rice explained, “and that will be a three-story building with an attached garage and that will be approximately 19,000 square feet.”

In all, with the historic buildings in the front, the APA would have an office complex of about 28,000 square feet. That’s compared to the agency’s current space in Ray Brook, which is between 21-23,000 square feet for its staff of about 50 people.

The APA would also build a 72-space parking lot, which could be used by the public on nights, weekends, and holidays.

Rice said she’s excited about being in a more central location. “This gives us the opportunity to kind of come out of the shadows a little bit, and I mean that figuratively we’re kind of pushed back here in Ray Brock, not highly visible.”

If the agency moves to downtown Saranac Lake, it would be in the heart of one of the park’s most populated places, which is in line with one of the APA’s missions — to push development into hamlet areas, to concentrate it into a downtown area rather than contributing to a kind of sprawl that now exists Ray Brook.

Mayor Williams also thinks there could be a kind of generational impact on the village.

“I love the idea of young folks passing by that place and seeing a potential career opportunity — keep kids in the area with an avenue that’s not the school, the prison, or the hospital.”

There’s a lot of work left to do before this move is finalized, including within the APA, where some staff are not thrilled about the agency leaving its longtime headquarters. There’s a lot of history in that building and on that property.

If the APA’s move to downtown Saranac Lake is finalized, it likely wouldn’t happen until 2026.