Newsday Opinion urges 'Yes' vote on Proposal 1, Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex
American Heidi Preuss during the women's downhill skiing during the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. Credit: Bettmann Archive/Bettmann
Lake Placid has been a world-famous destination for winter sports since 1932 when the Olympic Games were first held in the area. This Adirondacks locale maintained its status especially as an important training facility after the Winter Olympics were held there again in 1980.
Proposal 1 on the New York State ballot will, if approved, set key terms for present and future land use in and around what's formally known as the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex, which is near Lake Placid in the Town of North Elba. Tourists visit for hiking, biking, bobsledding and downhill and cross-country skiing among other attractions.
This amendment would fix a major legal problem. The sports facilities were expanded in the years preceding the 1980 games without voter approval. Such approval should have been decided on long ago because the sports complex exists in what is supposed to be protected Forest Preserve land. Article 14, Section 1 of the New York State Constitution mandates that such land remain "forever wild," with no building permitted.
At stake here is not just retroactive permission for the status quo, but an apparently logical land swap. Under its terms, the state Olympic Regional Development Authority will be allowed to construct new Nordic skiing and biathlon trails on 323 acres of Forest Preserve to enhance the Mount Van Hoevenberg complex. In exchange, the state will add at least 2,500 acres to the Adirondack Park Forest Preserve.
The State Legislature voted twice as required, in 2023 and 2025, to place the proposal on the ballot. Of 213 total members of the Assembly and State Senate, only one Assembly member voted against. If the amendment is approved by voters, the new facilities would still be subject to action by the legislature.
A smattering of opposition has been voiced by critics concerned that the amendment could serve as a precedent for future carve-outs from land protections. But such well-known nonprofit environmental groups as the Adirondack Council and the New York League of Conservation Voters are supporting the proposal.
Also to consider: Other ski resorts in the state, including Whiteface Mountain, Belleayre Mountain and Gore Mountain, have been built on protected forest land. Those projects received voters' approval and also included assurances of future protections for surrounding acreage.
Proponents are convincing when they say this amendment reflects the requirements of state law, recreational needs, and a commitment to conserving forests. Newsday Opinion recommends a "Yes" vote.
MEMBERS OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD are experienced journalists who offer reasoned opinions, based on facts, to encourage informed debate about the issues facing our community.
