ELIZABETHTOWN -- Essex County lawmakers have agreed pay a $1,000 fine to the Adirondack Park Agency for putting antennas on the new County Public Safety Building without a permit.

"I find it ironic a government agency is fining another government agency," Supervisor Thomas Scozzafava (R-Moriah) said. "It's all coming out of the taxpayers' pocket."

The fine started at much more, County Attorney Daniel Manning III said.

"We negotiated it down, actually."

The fine started out at $2,500, Supervisor Joyce Morency (R-St. Armand) said.

Manning said five antennas were placed on the roof for public-safety communications, and he's submitted an application for an amended permit."

Manning said APA administrators wanted a high fine and were uncooperative.

"They're being more rigid than they have in the past."

RESPONSIBILITY

Scozzafava said he wants to find out if it was a contractor or county workers who put up the antennas found by the APA during an inspection.

Manning said the permit for the Public Safety Building said any communications towers would require a permit.

"I'm guessing someone at the jail put the antennas up there. Whether they knew that clause was in the permit I have no idea."

Crandell Associates and Architects of Glens Falls, the county's jail consultant, was supposed to oversee the project, Scozzafava said.

"I have no idea whether this was part of what they were supposed to do," Manning said. "I don't know how you'd find out."

Supervisor Ronald Jackson (R-Essex) said the APA told them putting the antennas in the original permit application would delay the process, so they left them out.