Village of Lake Placid and Town of North Elba officials present state Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay Lake, with a plaque recognizing his public service and dedication to the area in Lake Placid on Monday, Aug. 25. Jones is set to resign at the end of August to take a position with Clinton Community College and spend more time with his family. From left, village of Lake Placid Deputy Mayor Jackie Kelly, village Mayor Art Devlin, Jones, North Elba town Supervisor Derek Doty and town Councilman Rick Preston. (News photo — Chris Gaige)

LAKE PLACID — Local leaders and community members gathered on the southern tip of Mirror Lake on Monday, Aug. 25 to cut the ribbon and formally open an accessible kayak and canoe boat launch, which was installed in mid-August.

The ribbon was cut by state Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay Lake, who lined up $125,000 in state funding for the dock and several other components of the Mirror Lake waterfront and adjacent Peakcock Park revitalization effort.

Lake Placid Mayor Art Devlin spoke at the ceremony, noting that Jones’ persistent support in the state Legislature was instrumental for the dock and the revitalization more broadly to come to fruition.

“This project was put on the books a long time ago, and without Billy’s help and support and money, it would still probably be in the planning stages for years to come,” he said. “So we’re very, very thankful there.”

The new dock provides several lines of hand railing and a gently inclined ramp down into the water that makes it easier to launch and get out of a canoe or kayak than it would be from an uneven natural shoreline, while also mitigating erosion from not having to drag the boats down the bank when entering or exiting the water.

Local leaders and community members look on as state Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay Lake, cuts the ribbon at a ceremony for a newly installed handicap-accessible public dock on Mirror Lake. (News photo — Chris Gaige)

The dock is one of a small handful in the area, at least when it comes to publicly accessible infrastructure. Adirondack Park Agency Public Information Officer Keith McKeever reviewed the agency’s permit database and only found one other file for a similar type of dock. That was from The Wild Center museum in Tupper Lake on the Raquette River, which runs alongside its property.

Devlin said the overall revitalization plan has been in motion — albeit sometimes a grinding one — since 2014, when the latest North Elba/Lake Placid Comprehensive Plan was adopted.

“Everything takes much longer in municipal (projects) than it would in the private sector,” he said.

Significant aspects of the project that have been completed in that time include the replacement of the long dock near the Mirror Lake Beach House, beach house renovations, fencing installation along Parkside Drive and around the Mirror Lake outlet area, refreshing the beach sand and, most recently, the accessible kayak and canoe launch.

Some components that were still left in the multi-stage project included the continuation of Mirror Lake shoreline restoration, purchase and installation of a mobility mat to allow wheelchair access to Mirror Lake shoreline, installation of black paver stones from the Peacock Park entrance on Parkside Drive to the entrance on Mirror Lake Drive, a blacktop walkway through the beach, replacing worn benches and picnic tables and playground equipment near the public tennis courts.

Adirondack Watershed Institute steward Erik Van Yserloo inspects a kayak for invasive species on the newly installed handicap-accessible public dock on Mirror Lake in the village of Lake Placid on Monday, Aug. 25, shortly after a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the dock. (News photo — Chris Gaige)

Devlin added that the work up to this point and going forward could not be completed without a significant volunteer effort from the community. He credited the Appearances Committee of Lori Fitzgerald, Val Rogers, Denise Bujold, Judy Shea, Pat Hoffbauer, Jamie Rogers, Catherine Ericson, Erin Perkins and Dean Dietrich for a lot of the legwork that comes with developing a revitalization plan that’s both structurally sound, easy to use, inviting and aesthetically pleasing.

Devlin lauded village DPW Superintendent Brad Hathaway for ensuring that the revitalization plans were in compliance with the immense regulatory framework that comes with waterfront construction, working with engineers, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Adirondack Park Agency.

He added that village Deputy Mayor Jackie Kelly spearheaded the project from the village government’s standpoint, and was scrupulous in reaching out to Jones and other grant sources to ensure the funding was in place as the project moved along. Jones said Kelly was “consistent and persistent” in her outreach, which drew smiles from the crowd.

The ribbon cutting was also a farewell, of sorts, for Jones, who announced on July 29 that he will be resigning from the state Assembly at the end of August to take a position with Clinton Community College and spend more time with his family.

“That (dock) enough would be a great accomplishment, but we’d be remiss to not mention all of the things that Billy’s done around the area,” Devlin said.

He thanked Jones for his efforts to successfully put the Mount Van Hoevenberg land use amendments to voters this November, something that required approvals from the state Assembly and Senate in two separate consecutive legislative sessions. A News report on that is available at tinyurl.com/329k3y7d.

Devlin noted Jones’s longtime support for the state investment in the Olympic venues, Lake Placid Food Pantry & Thrift Shop and volunteer fire department training support. While Devlin said he will be missed, he acknowledged that public office can be taxing on family time, and wished Jones all the best in his next career.

For his part, Jones said it was bittersweet, but the right decision to make for his family. His daughter, Ella, who frequently accompanies Jones at public events, was in attendance for the ribbon cutting.

“It’s time to just, not relax, but just spend a little more time doing the things that we need to do as a family,” Jones said. “Thank you, all of you, you’ve been so wonderful to work with. … As a community, you’ve always been welcoming, open and willing to partner and work on getting things done.”

Jones, who was first elected to the state Assembly in 2016, said Lake Placid bucks an unfortunate trend he’s seen in politics in general.

“We all know politics can be nasty,” he said. “It just seems more and more it’s getting to the point where it’s beating somebody down instead of lifting your community up — but not here. I’ve never felt that way here. You guys have been great. It’s been a pleasure to work with you. It’s been an honor to serve you, and I want to thank all of you for everything that you’ve done.”