On Friday May 7, Assemblyman Billy Jones (D- Chateaugay Lake) visited Tupper Lake to get an update of the new economic developments happening in the village since his last visit. Mayor Paul Maroun scheduled a tour for the assemblyman to see the newly renovated baseball field, the Oval Wood Dish factory, Amado’s, along with a walk down Park Avenue that included a meet and greet with the Village of Tupper Lake Board and Police Chief.

“The Village of Tupper Lake has a lot of big ideas for the future, and it is great to see the progress they have made so far,” Jones said. “Between the Lahinch Group plans to redevelop the Oval Wood Dish Factory into housing and commercial space, the outdoor seating renovations at Amado’s, and the recent changes to the baseball field, you can feel the excitement for what the future will bring to Tupper Lake. The Village is prepared to greet tourists who will be coming to the area in the near future especially with the new Adirondack Rail Trail that is currently under construction.”

“It was a pleasure showing Assemblyman Jones around Tupper Lake to see some of the economic and development projects happening in the Village,” Mayor Maroun added. “He has always been supportive of our work and is always willing to help move our projects forward.”

Before the Mayor’s tour, Jones also visited the Adirondack Store, which was fitting for National Tourism Day. He also stopped by Birch Boys, Inc. for a behind the scenes tour. Birch Boys is a local business that forages mushrooms found locally in the Adirondacks to create healthy teas and was started by Garrett Kopp when he was in his teens. During the pandemic, Birch Boys offered tea for free to local residents when there was an uptick in COVID-19 cases in the community.

Jones was also able to surprise the librarian of the Goff-Nelson Memorial Library, Ben Gocker, with a New York State Citation in recognition of winning the Outstanding Librarian Award through the Senate Library Committee. Gocker was nominated by one of his patrons for his dedication throughout the pandemic to help the community including providing homeschooling materials and curbside pickup.

“It was a great day visiting various businesses and economic development projects in Tupper Lake,” Jones stated. “The innovative ideas that are coming from small businesses and local governments is what attracts people to the Adirondack region, and there is no doubt that the people of Tupper Lake are passionate about revitalizing their community.