BY MICHAEL CONSUELO, CHME
Before I share my thoughts of what may
lie ahead for us in 2015, let me first extend,
from the board of directors, staff and our
most valued Lake George Chamber of Commerce
members, our very best wishes for a
most successful New Year. We here at the
Lake George Chamber believe it will be
another good one.
I read an article the other day where
Lake George Village Mayor Bob Blais said,
“We don’t use those (parking meter figures)
as a barometer of a good or bad season – we
use the flow of water consumption – but if
the meters are at what they were last year,
that’s a good sign.”
Well, I guess we had a pretty good 2014 as
parking meter revenues on the side streets
were up, which indicates that main street
and parking lots were full, thus a bustling
season. Let’s hope more coins are collected
in 2015.
While optimism abounds, what I truly see
taking place this year is more of a catalyst for future years. This coming spring, work
will begin on the Route 9 Corridor Project
that will transform the road (Route 9)
from Exit 21 to West Brook Road leading
into the village. This project aims to bring
a “complete streets” plan to this busy corridor,
thus giving our thousands of visitors
a “sense of arrival”.
Land has been cleared and sometime this
spring construction will begin on the new
Marriott Hotel project, along with renovation
of the Surfside on the Lake.
These projects and the current expansion
of the Adirondack Pub & Brewery, the
Lake George Lanes & Games, and the much
talked about zip line at the Wild West Ranch
are just a few of the privately owned businesses
that truly have a vision for growth
and improvement. Add to these, the newly
constructed shops and annexes at the Outlet
Centers and you can see that the future
is bright for us here in the Adirondacks.
A few other shining stars that have or
will be dotting the landscape are the Beach
Road renovations and the Million Dollar
Beach parking lot (currently in construction).
Motorists, pedestrians and cyclists
will enjoy a much-improved road at the
southern end of the lake with wonderful
access to the soon to-be-completed Festival
Space and Environmental Park, both part
of the Charles R. Wood Park. It includes a
recently constructed wetland system designed
to treat storm water before it enters
West Brook and Lake George and also is a
pedestrian-friendly park for visitors to stroll
and learn more about our beautiful lake.
The Festival Space is an ideal location
for special events. Whether it be large or
small, this multi-purpose, modern event
facility was designed to host performing
arts, theatre/dance/music, re-enactments,
craft/flea/farmers markets, car/bike/boat
shows, festivals of all kinds and more.
As we enter 2015, there have already
been 14 events booked into the festival
grounds. These events will not only bring
visitors to the region but will show to other
event planners that something unique and
special is taking place at the southern end
of lake. We will have a venue that can be
marketed to event planners not only on
a regional level, but on a national scale
as well. Event planners will see a one-ofa-
kind venue with a setting that may be
matched by only a handful in competing
destinations.
As a chamber that touts itself as a promotional
one, we now have much more to
promote when we start our travel and trade
show schedules at the end of January. At
sales missions to New York City, Boston,
Philadelphia, Montreal, and Ottawa, we will
be speaking about all of these wonderful
new ventures that are taking place here in
the Lake George region.
Of course, we will continue to encourage
visitations for 2015. Regardless what the
future holds, Lake George is still a must
see destination.
At our recently held annual dinner,
Gavin Landry, executive director for Empire
State Development’s Tourism Division,
was the keynote speaker and his words
regarding tourism in New York state were
robust and very positive, with a good deal of
emphasis on more international travelers
not only visiting New York City, but the rest
of the state as well. And we in Lake George
believe that once out of the city, there is
no better place to visit than Lake George
and the Adirondacks.
Lower gas prices, a population of
some 55 million within a 4-6 hour drive,
increased international travelers and a
brand that is recognized throughout the
country all point to a successful 2015. We at
the Chamber are certainly looking forward
to this year.