Tinman poised to grow with new blood

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The
Tupper Lake
Free
Press
and Tupper Lake Herald
Volume No. 120 Number 25 USPS 644-140
Tupper Lake, New York
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Home delivery price: $1.00 per copy
Tupper Lake Herald established 1895
Tupper Lake Free Press established 1931
Price:
$.75 per copy
ESB still on budget, almost on schedule
Shauni and Judy Shumway sell shirts and baked
goods during the second annual James Person
Memorial Softball Tournament on Saturday at
the municipal park. The event generated lots of
lively athletic action and fun for all the
participants. (Rich Rosentreter photo)
by Mary Peryea
Chris Alcocer, project
manager at the building site
of the emergency services
building, presented his
monthly update on the
status of the project to the
village board on Monday.
In short, the project is still
on budget and within days
of being on schedule.
The three segments
of the budget are all still
in the black, with a total
of $137,794.55 available
to complete the project.
The furniture, fixture and
equipment (FFE) segment
has the largest balance.
Mayor Paul Maroun, Police
Chief Eric Proulx, and Fire
Chief Carl Steffen will
meet in the near future to
determine if any of the
items included in that
budget can possibly be
deferred in order to transfer
some of the FFE funds,
currently at $112,182, to the
construction contingency
budget, which is currently
at $12,722.55.
There was much
discussion about the pros
and cons of door hardware
that would allow access
to the building via an
electronic key fob.
Chief Proulx was
concerned that this would
restrict access to police
officers by the public.
Suggestions to overcome
that
issue
included
scheduling the front door to
be unlocked at certain time
periods or installing a call
box or doorbell there.
The APA permit for
the radio tower has been
completed, but that part of
the project is now about two
weeks behind schedule.
The concrete slab for
the fire department side
of the building was to be
poured yesterday.
Work on the metal
framing continues, with the
police side of the building
almost done.
Green
exterior-rated
fiberglass
sheet rock is being installed
there. It will eventually
be covered by the metal
panels that will comprise
the outside of the building.
Mr. Alcocer is still
waiting for a delivery date
for the metal panels and the
additional steel for the main
entrance to the building.
Connector trail under construction
train station.
Code
Enforcement
Officer Pete Edwards asked
if the village will allow
dirt bikes and ATVs on the
connector trail.
Village Clerk Mary
Casagrain said motorized
vehicles are not allowed on
the trail, with the exception
of motorized wheelchairs.
The trail is for pedestrians
and bicyclists.
She
suggested that a local law
incorporating steep fines
be put in place to control
violations.
Police Chief Eric
Proulx said that designing a
law would not be a problem,
Continued on page 2
by Mary Peryea
The
multi-use
connector trail permit has
been issued and filed, and
work has started on the
project, DPW Foreman
Bob Degrace informed the
village board on Monday.
Sidewalk work is being
done to replace damaged
sections. The trail will
run along the sidewalks
from Boyer Avenue to Park
Street to Chaney Avenue to
the Wild Center. Also to
be done are the Americans
with
Disabilities
Act
required cuts at street
crossings. The village has
90 days to complete the
project.
The trail begins at the
He added that the project
is within days of being on
schedule.
Bids were received
for a kitchen hood in the
fire department side of the
building, with the low bid
being $2,437. Installation
was not included. After
some discussion, the board
decided to leave that item
for the discussion of the
FFE budget.
“The
contingency
budget burned up quick,”
Mr. Alcocer said, “but all
that’s left is minor change
orders.” He said he would
actively
manage
the
remaining budget.
Timeline needed to relocate
fire department equipment
by Mary Peryea
Fire Chief Carl Steffen
told the village board
on Monday that village
departments should be able
to relocate his department’s
gear washer and dryer
and air compressor to the
new emergency services
building, but the move
must be coordinated so that
the compressor is not out
of service for an extended
period of time.
The compressor is
used to fill air tanks for
both the Tupper Lake
and the Piercefield fire
departments.
It is crucial, he said, to
develop a plan for the move.
Trustee Rick Donah will
work with Chief Steffen to
develop a timeline for the
move.
Mr. Donah asked the
chief about the status of
the fire department’s boat.
Chief Steffen said that the
motor wouldn’t start and
Dick Rule has ordered
spark plugs for it, but he
hasn’t heard anything
further.
Chief Steffen also
said that a protocol and
operating procedures must
be established in case of T1
line malfunction. The line,
which links to emergency
services
in
Malone,
malfunctioned recently and
took two days to get back
on line, according to Police
Chief Eric Proulx.
It seems the decoder
board is outdated and a
refurbished one had to be
sent. Mayor Maroun asked
Continued on page 5
Parking restricted for Tinman
Police Chief Eric Proulx reminds the public that
parking will be restricted for this weekend’s Tinman.
Affected streets are Boyer Avenue, Pleasant Avenue,
Santa Clara Avenue, and Main Street.
Also, the public is reminded that the route of the
Woodsmen’s Day parade will be changed this year. Santa
Clara Avenue will be closed. Traffic will be detoured at
the corner of Main and Pine streets to direct the flow up to
McLaughlin Avenue.
Welcome triathletes to Saturday’s event
Tinman poised to grow with new blood
by Rich Rosentreter
Free Press Sports
Correspondent
It started more than
30 years ago and ready to
go for another 30 years.
The Tupper Lake Tinman
Triathlon takes place this
weekend, complete with
a new race director and
a sense of tradition and
community pride that
will keep the annual race
not only going strong but
growing as well.
For those who do
not know, the Tinman
triathlon is composed of
a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile
bike ride capped off by
a 13.1 mile run. These
distances are half that of
an Ironman triathlon. It’s
been a mainstay event
here in Tupper Lake and
organizers plan on keeping
it alive and increasing its
popularity despite several
challenges.
Now at the helm
as the new race director
is Maynard Peroza, who
has been on the job since
November when he
replaced long-time director
Ted Merrihew, who retired
from the post after 30
years off and on in the
leadership role. But Peroza
is not new to Tinman as
he has previously served
as the assistant director
for as long as the race has
existed. He said one of
the main reasons he took
the job is because of the
old guard’s assistance and
support.
“I couldn’t have done
it, or even thought about
taking the job, if it wasn’t
for Ted and his staff,”
Peroza told the Free Press.
“I was filling the shoes
of a lot of people I have
known for many years
and helped in different
roles. I would not have
had the confidence without
them. They built a sturdy
framework and it was easy
to step into the job because
of them.”
Peroza said his one
of his main goals from
the get-go has been to not
only build the race, but
also recruit a supply of
new blood in the form of
younger managers who
will help keep the race
going strong.
“Part of my
motivation in doing this
job was to build toward the
future and to recruit from
the next generation,” he
said. “I think we’ve done
it, and we hope to keep the
race going for another 30
years.”
One of the new
leadership role members
is the run captain, Brian
Bennett, who Peroza said
is in his 20s and eager to
be part of the race team.
The previous run captain,
Carol Nye, had expressed
an interest in retiring, so
according to Peroza, he
recruited Bennett, who
brings his own familiarity
to the event. In recent
years he organized the
Tupper Lake Marathon
and Half Marathon and
has a wealth of experience
organizing and running
that venue.
“He is eager to go, he
has youth and enthusiasm,”
Peroza said. “We are trying
to get a balance between
youth and us old guys.
He brings knowledge and
enthusiasm to the table.
He is a perfect fit for us.
The run portion is in good
hands.”
Also new to the
Tinman team is Maynard’s
daughter-in-law Wendy
Peroza, who is the new
assistant race director.
According to Maynard,
she became interested
in learning the trade and
has worked the transition
portion of the triathlon
with him, along with riding
in a kayak for the swim
portion of the race.
“Things are working
out; these people really are
good,” Maynard said.
But the effort to
instill new blood isn’t
the only thing that will
continue to keep Tinman
thriving. The backbone
of the event has been
the steady stream of
volunteers, who are
composed mainly of locals
full of community pride
and eager to keep the
tradition of the triathlon
strong.
“The thing I am
most happy about is that
this year more than 300
volunteers have signed
up to help with the race,”
he said. “We can’t do
it without that kind of
support.”
“We are finding out
now that it’s been a real
source of community
pride. It has also become
a tradition, passed down
from each generation,”
Peroza said, adding that
volunteering is something
one’s children and
grandchildren step up to
do. “To help is a common
thing for the community. I
think it’s a matter of pride
right now. It’s generational.
People are willing to do
the volunteering on race
day, and some have been
doing it for so long.”
Keeping the Tinman
prosperous and growing
is no easy task as the
local event must contend
with other similar races
sprouting up throughout
the country. One step the
Tupper Lake triathlon and
Tupper Lake Chamber of
Commerce, which plays
a large role in publicizing
and organizing the local
event, have taken is team
up with a popular national
race entity, the Toughman
Half Iron Series.
“It’s been tough.
There’s been an explosion
of people putting on
triathlons and we have to
scrape for all the people
we can get,” Peroza said.
“One thing the chamber
has done to get national
exposure is establish a link
with the Toughman Half
Iron Series, and we are
part of that now. We are
all working to get more
exposure. If you stand still,
everyone is running by
you. We are also hoping to
get more publicity online.”
He added that
representatives from the
Toughman race will be in
Tupper Lake.
“You can call it
a grassroots effort to
maintain the integrity of
the small races compared
to big guys. We call
ourselves the mom and pop
race,” Peroza said.
According to the
new race director, it was
the Tupper Lake Tinman’s
early success that helped
it become a model for all
the other similar races to
follow, adding that in the
heyday of the race, people
came from all over the
country to take part. The
biggest year for the race
was in 2007 when nearly
1,000 athletes took part
in the event. There were
some huge numbers too in
the 1980s, shortly after it
started.
“People saw the
success and they went out
and did it too, but they
got corporate sponsors
that we could not get,” he
explained.
One sponsor Tinman
did get, and that has been
a primary sponsor since
Tinman’s inception, is
the Coca-Cola Company,
which has been part of
the local race for all the
33 years of its existence.
One of the reasons for
the long connection is a
pretty strong historical
connection, going back
to when Charles Frenette
and his heirs ran a bottling
operation for the soft drink
manufacturer in the Tip
Top city. Tupper Lake
Coca Cola was a solid
business here for over a
half century.
“Going back to the
50s, Tupper Lake has been
associated with Coca-Cola,
and we are happy to have
them as our sponsor.”
Although it’s a
competitive market to
attract athletes and big-
name sponsors, Peroza said
the “brand” that Tupper
Lake brings to the table
helps it to continually
bring people in.
“We’ve been lucky
here in the Northeast.
We are well known,” he
said. “We have a large
contingent of people who
come from Canada. They
come down and spend
the weekend here. People
come back after 10 years
to check on the race to see
how it is going.”
“Tinman has a great
reputation. We know
that it’s a battle to keep
numbers up,” Peroza said.
“People keep coming back
because this is the type of
race they want to come to.
It’s in the Adirondacks.
It’s not overwhelmed with
commercialism. If you do
not want to be crowded on
in a race, this is the one for
you.”
One of the athletes
who keeps returning for
the Tupper Lake race is
Jim Adams from Altona,
who has participated in all
33 years of the triathlon.
“That is pretty
astonishing. He’s a great
guy and we are very
happy for him,” Peroza
said, adding that Adams
is qualified to go to the
world championships
in Hawaii as part of the
legacy program. “He is one
Continued on page 7