Saranac Lake housing board to research using $10,000 community fund for housing work, eyes assessment survey

At its July 16 meeting the Village of Saranac Lake Housing Advisory Board discussed the Community Fund Enhancement Program (CFEP) and resolved to research potential uses of CFEP funds for housing initiatives.

The transcript records that the village has $10,000 in the CFEP budget and that current CFEP disbursements are going to the DAB, PTAB and Arts & Culture programs, while the Housing Advisory Board and Climate Action have not been receiving CFEP funding. The HAB decided that members will individually research how CFEP funds could be used by the advisory board and will come to the next meeting prepared to narrow ideas into a resolution requesting access to funds, including examples of proposed uses.

The board also discussed a set of future goals: identifying how the HAB can best support Village housing initiatives (the minutes reference an item described as 'Sand Pit'), establishing a closer liaison relationship with the Village Board representative so advisory efforts align with Village priorities, continuing to build a database of available properties for housing development, and gathering more information about how new housing properties (cited as 'Lofts') will be managed going forward. Members additionally noted the potential to seek funding for a housing assessment survey to generate data on community housing needs and financial capacity.

The meeting was called to order at 5:05 p.m. and adjourned at 6:07 p.m. The transcript does not record specific dollar allocations or a formal vote on a CFEP resolution; the recorded next step is member-led research and drafting of a resolution to bring back to the board.