SARANAC LAKE — The Saranac Lake Village Board is discussing the creation of a brand new allow system that will regulate meals vehicles and carts on Saranac Lake.
Meals vehicles are at the moment allowed within the village, however they principally function throughout massive occasions just like the Winter Carnival or CanAm rugby weekend. Trustee Tom Catillaz stated there have been meals vehicles in Saranac Lake earlier than, however they’ve by no means lasted lengthy as mainstream companies.
The city has some management over meals vehicles and carts now via its guidelines about how lengthy a car will be parked on the road.
The village’s mayor, Jimmy Williams, stated he has been approached by distributors asking methods to get a allow to arrange store on weekends or weekdays. Harrietstown Supervisor Jordanna Mallach additionally posed the query to him after receiving related questions.
There are not any such permits at the moment, however Trustee Matt Scollin stated the city ought to have them as a way to penalize meals vehicles in a “managed and honest method” — managed by way of requiring licenses from county well being departments for meals security, honest by way of competitors with conventional eating places.
A number of members of the village board have stated that they want to see extra meals vehicles within the metropolis as a result of they really feel it creates a “vibrant” central with totally different gastronomic choices. Some have additionally expressed doubts, questioning how these pop-up eating places would have an effect on on-site eating companies that personal property and pay native taxes.
Trustee Wealthy Shapiro stated meals truck homeowners do not pay taxes to run a enterprise within the city since they do not personal property within the city and puzzled how a lot the city ought to accommodate due to that.
Williams stated if the village charged for permits, it may very well be a method to make some cash from cellular companies.
Catillaz thought that given the circumstances within the restaurant trade, introducing meals vehicles won’t be a good suggestion. Catillaz stated the city first wants eating places in a wholesome place, and that is not the case proper now.
Williams, co-owner of Bitters and Bones restaurant and bar, stated that whereas throughout the off-seasons, enterprise is “painful” in the summertime, it’s booming.
“Final summer season we had been so busy and overwhelmed that almost all locations needed to wait an hour,” Williams stated. “Folks would do pinball at each place now we have in Saranac Lake and they might in all probability go for pizza.”
Shapiro stated they need to test with native eating places.
Scollin drafted pattern language for a meals truck allow regulation. He stated he principally took the language of the regulation from town of Plattsburgh, with elements from town of Ithaca, and made some edits. The Village Heart Advisory Board has additionally marked the identical regulation.
Scollin now stated his aim is to reconcile these two drafts. He hopes to have merged the 2 into one by the following board assembly on July 11. Williams stated that he expects some public dialogue of the problem at the moment.
Board members additionally stated they wish to ask restaurant homeowners how they really feel about avenue eating.
Scollin stated he needs “Do it properly” the primary time.
Williams stated the principle drawback is dictating acceptable places.
Scollin stated this might imply giving them authorized places and in all places else within the village being off limits, or the village may approve meals vehicles and carts to be anyplace however set restricted places. Scollin stated that he at the moment prefers the previous.
The language at the moment contains necessities comparable to insurance coverage, driver’s licenses, and county meals and alcohol permits.
Shapiro stated the village should assessment the language of the village attorneys to verify it could actually implement punishments for breaking the foundations: fines, jail time or revocation of permits. Scollin stated that this draft was only a “copy paste” to this point, so that they might want to regulate it to make it legally binding.
The draft contains guidelines about how far-off meals vehicles and carts will be from eating places, hours of operation and necessities for rubbish disposal.
The draft language will be discovered within the village agenda at https://bit.ly/3QTYXR2 beginning on web page 90.
