Community reacts positively to potential sale of Hotel Saranac

adirondackdailyenterprise.com

By CHRIS KNIGHT , Adirondack Daily Enterprise

SARANAC LAKE - Reaction to this week's announcement that New Hampshire-based Roedel Companies plans to buy and renovate the Hotel Saranac has been nothing but positive.

Downtown business owners, local residents and other people with ties to the area are all voicing strong support for the deal, which is still being finalized.

"Anything that is a revitalization to the community, that's going to help in a positive way, is a benefit," said Craig Waters, who runs the Community Store in Saranac Lake, across the street from the hotel. "It would be welcoming to see a little more in the storefronts there that would draw people up this way. It's totally irrelevant who does it as much as if it was done."

"I'm very enthusiastic about it," said Tom Finnigan, owner of T.F. Finnigan men's clothing store on Main Street. "I think it's going to help us revitalize or stimulate activity downtown, and provide a good number of jobs."

Tim Fortune, who owns an art gallery a few doors down from the hotel, said his business prospered in the days the hotel was run by Paul Smith's College.

"When we had the downturn in terms of people staying at the hotel and the restaurant being closed; it did have an impact on my business and I would assume just about all the retail businesses in Saranac Lake," Fortune said. "When Mr. (Fred) Roedel (III) and his family expressed an interest and I read about his personal connections to Saranac Lake, that raised my hopes and got me very excited."

While some visitors may be attracted to more modern hotels that may have more amenities, Fortune believes there's still a strong market for places like the Hotel Saranac.

"I think a certain aspect of the traveling public loves these old hotels and want to stay in a unique, historic setting in a unique, historic town like Saranac Lake where they can walk to everything," he said.

Many local residents have fond memories of the hotel in its heyday. Harrietstown Councilman Ron Keough, who's lived down the block from the hotel on Academy Street since 1944, had his high school prom there as did generations of Saranac Lake High Schoolers. Several of his family members had wedding receptions in the hotel's ballroom, he said.

"Anybody that I've talked to who's grown up here, that's been an important part of their lives for a lot of reasons," Keough said. "The Hotel Saranac has been a key part of our culture, history and downtown for a long time. It's an economic driver. It's our hope and our prayer that it turns around and comes back."

Reaction to the Roedel Companies plan to buy the hotel also drew dozens of "likes" after it was posted on the Enterprise Facebook page this week.

"Great news," posted Barbara Touby.

"Glad to hear this," wrote Donna Wilcox. "It will be nice to see it up and running again!"

Several people tied the news about the Hotel Saranac to Malone developer Chris LaBarge's plan to build a 90-room hotel on Lake Flower.

"Saranac Lake may soon have two new, nice hotels to entice visitors to experience the rebirth of a wonderful town," wrote Mark Mitchell.

In a letter to the Enterprise editor, published Friday, Dan Reilly of Saranac Lake said the Roedell family "will be heroes.

"I personally look forward to buying them all a drink when the Hotel Saranac bar reopens," Reilly wrote.

Contact Chris Knight at 891-2600 ext. 24 or cknight@adirondack

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