The head of the Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board supports the constitutional amendment Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed in her executive budget which, if passed, would remove three closed prisons from the forest preserve.
At the same time, Jerry Delaney, executive director of the board, tells Capital Tonight he’s hoping the state soon recognizes the need for a less burdensome method to deal with time-sensitive land use issues.
Delaney argues the constitutional amendment process, which includes the passage of legislation by two separately elected legislatures followed by a public vote, takes too long.
“I want to say up front that the governor has put out these three bills. We absolutely agree these three communities want to have something done with these facilities, especially Moriah since that was the most recently closed,” Delaney said.
The prisons, which would be removed from the forest preserve in order to sell them, include the former Mount McGregor Correctional Facility in Saratoga County, Camp Gabriels Correctional Facility in Franklin County and Moriah Shock Incarceration Facility in Essex County.
The deal the governor is proposing, and which needs statewide approval from voters, would authorize the redevelopment of the prison sites, in exchange for more land in the forest preserve.
Gabriels, which has been closed for 17 years, isn’t the first project that Delaney says has “languished” because of the burdensome constitutional amendment process.
In 2017, a constitutional amendment that would have ultimately allowed Warren County to replace a defunct bridge passed, but the process took so long that the county lost the funding needed to begin construction. The Middleton bridge over the Schroon River was torn down, but there is still no replacement.
Delaney also questions the need to “swap” state land.
“A lot of us in the park don’t really think that state land ought to be traded for more than what state land is there,” he said. “We believe timely sale of the properties would bring far more dollars than a facility that’s been vacant for 17 years.”
Delaney’s perspective is at odds with multiple environmental organizations, including Protect the Adirondacks, which is pushing for a more favorable deal on the land swap.
Hochul’s office responded to Capital Tonight with an excerpt from Hochul’s 2026 State of the State policy book:
“New York’s commitment to our forest preserves, including the Adirondack Park, is defined by the “Forever Wild” clause, which is a constitutional promise that our Forest Preserve will remain a pristine legacy for generations. However, today, several former correctional facilities—Camp Gabriels, Moriah Shock, and Mount McGregor—sit dormant. These crumbling sites are more than just eyesores; they are environmental hazards and lost opportunities for the people who call the North Country home.
To address this, Governor Hochul will propose a constitutional amendment to return these underutilized sites to productive and critically needed uses, such as for housing development, while also securing a win for conservation. By authorizing the redevelopment of these specific locations, Governor Hochul will at the same time propose adding even more land into the Forest Preserve.”