BALLSTON SPA — A settlement with the state that was authorized last week by the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors could lead to the re-opening of the Spruce Mountain fire tower in Corinth.
Supervisors agreed to transfer county-owned land atop the mountain to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation as part of an agreement supervisors hope will satisfy a dispute over discharge violations at the county-run sewer plant.
State environmental officials could have fined the county as much as $250,000 because discharge limits were found to have been exceeded each of the last five years at the county-run sewer plant.
Instead, the county has agreed to pay the state $100,000 — subtracting a yet-to-be-determined value for the land — and to address issues at the sewer plant that led to the discharge.
State officials said the details of the agreement are still being worked out, but that they expect the deal to be finalized in the coming weeks.
Residents who have sought to restore and re-open the 81-year-old fire tower atop Spruce Mountain, one of 34 that still stands within the Adirondack Park, are hopeful the land swap will lead to the tower’s re-opening.
Access to the site, located off Fire Tower Road west of Route 9N, has been restricted for nearly 20 years because the county had placed emergency communications equipment on the land. That equipment has been removed as the county implements a new communications system.
DEC officials could not say for certain that they would re-open the tower if the land was given to the state but suggested they intend to work with local stakeholders who want to see public access restored.
David Winchell, a DEC spokesman, said even if the state gets the county-owned property, access to the tower would be impeded because a private timber company owns land that would be used by hikers to reach the structure.
The land is leased to a private hunting club that holds exclusive access and recreation rights on the parcel, but officials are working to "resolve that situation," he said.
"Public access to the summit cannot be established until access through this parcel is developed," Winchell said.
If the timber company relinquishes its ownership of the adjacent land, the state could begin to work with local volunteers and the land trust Saratoga P.L.A.N.., which also owns part of the trail, to clear and mark the roughly one-mile path to the tower.
Volunteers could also help play a role in repairing the tower itself, officials said.
New stairs, footings and windows for the observation deck are all likely needed, said Jack Freeman, a Glens Falls resident who has long sought to re-open the tower.
Freeman said he is hoping to get a group of residents who have expressed interest in the tower together to create a formal friends group that could help raise money to support the effort.
Material and labor costs are unlikely to exceed $10,000, he said.
Freeman, the author of "Views from on High: Fire Tower Trails in the Adirondacks and Catskills," said the tower has the potential to become a draw for local hikers.
He and other supporters have said they believe the tower could attract as many as 35,000 a year. An estimated 25,000 hikers visit nearby Hadley Mountain, which also has a fire tower, every year.
The tower provides a view of the Adirondack High Peaks and is attractive because it is so close to Glens Falls and Saratoga Springs and is a relatively moderate hike, Freeman said.
"It’s a good hike for people who like to climb mountains without much work," he said.
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