A Sly Foxman

I really enjoyed the talk by Phil Terrie this past Friday.  I especially thought he made some very valid points about the Tupper Lake development.  From this class we have looked at this potential development through the lens of the environment.  The condos would interrupt a wilderness area and disrupt the species living there.  Although this is true, these are probably not the arguments that will alter the opinions of the Tupper Lake residents.  As we have learned, many environmental issues in the Adirondacks are actually economic issues.  If the people of Tupper Lake can be convinced that Foxman’s development plan will not benefit Tupper Lake economically, they may change their minds.  There are three main reasons that these condos are a bad idea for the residents of Tupper Lake.  First, as Terrie mentioned, Foxman has a shady past and it is not clear whether or not Tupper Lake would really ever get the tax revenue that it is expecting from this development.  Second, it is unclear whether or not anyone would buy these houses.  Although Foxman says that he has people lined up, he refuses to disclose any names, and if thought about logically, why would anyone buy a house in the woods, when there are perfectly wonderful lake houses for only a portion of the price that Foxman is asking?  Finally, as Terrie mentioned, if by some miracle Tupper Lake does turn into some mini-resort town, it would become massively expensive to live there, and many of the current residents, those who truly love Tupper Lake and understand its unique and special character, would be forced to move out.  For these reasons it is in the best interest of Tupper Lake to negotiate with Foxman and thoroughly vet him, to ensure that this proposed development is really in their best interest, before going ahead with the current proposal.