The dad of "Karate Kid" actor Ralph Macchio hopes to build a 3,500-foot-long zip line ride that would stretch from French Mountain to his tourist ranch in Lake George, says a Jan. 19 Yahoo! report.
The Bear Pond Zip-Flyer, if approved, would be the first commercial zip line of its kind in the Adirondack Park. The Adirondack Park Agency is now reviewing the proposal from Ralph Macchio Sr. According to Glen Falls attorney Jonathan Lapper, the approval process has been going on for a few months.
A launch platform and a 34-foot tower are included in the construction of the zip line. The tower will be near the highest point of French Mountain, which Macchio owns. There will also be a landing area and the tower will be located on his ranch property near the mountain's base with four cables connecting the towers. Trees at the top of the mountain will have to be cleared in order for people to safely ride the zip line.
Riders will get transported to the launch platform on an existing road. Upon arriving at their destination, riders would then be suited with a harness that's hooked to the cables. After being properly fitted, the rider would zip across the treetops at very fast speed with an estimated vertical drop of 700 feet.
Although the Karate Kid dad wants this zip line, the project has raised some red flags among nearby landowners and others. Lake George Waterkeeper Chris Navitsky said,
"Land use activities from the property have already resulted in visual impacts to the community from the current notch in the ridgeline and would only increase from the proposed project."Navitsky wrote in a Dec. 3 letter to the planning board.
However, Lapper expects that the concerns expressed by neighbors "will work itself out," and they will be assessed as the review process continues.
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