Life jacket loan station opens in Northampton

CRANBERRY CREEK — A well-fitted life jacket can save a life.

That’s the rationale behind Hudson River-Black River Regulating District’s new self-serve life jacket loaner program, which was unveiled Tuesday.

Available until late October are about 50 vests, sized for lake goers ranging from ranging from toddlers to large adults, at HRBRRD’s Great Sacandaga Lake field office in Northampton.

“It matters a lot,” said authority Executive Director John Callaghan. “That’s one of the things that we’re trying to emphasize through this initiative is that people — especially small children — should always wear a correctly fitted personal floatation device.”

The first life jacket loaner system in the area was established last year at Wally’s Driftwood Park about eight miles away in Mayfield.

The effort was part of the broader Safe Lake Initiative, a five-year-old campaign in the Great Sacandaga Lake area. Along with HRBRRD, regional emergency responder agencies, environmental regulators and the Great Sacandaga Lake Association are also part of the initiative.

Safety concerns were put front and center following the accidental deaths of 18-year-old Sean Craig and 24-year-old Henry Ross on the Great Sacandaga Lake in 2016. Under respective non-profit arms, both families since then have been actively involved in promoting accident prevention programs, as well as funding rescue infrastructure for local emergency agencies.

“The Board is proud of the staff for undertaking this initiative, and we are all immensely grateful for, and inspired by, the work of the Henry D. Ross III Memorial Fund and the Sean Craig Memorial Fund,” said HRBRRD Chairman Mark Finkle in a statement.

Life jackets were donated to HRBRRD by the BoatUS Foundation, a national boating advocacy group. The station was created in-house for under $1,000, according to Callaghan.

HRBRRD manages five reservoirs in New York, including Indian Lake in Hamilton County, and Stillwater Reservoir, First Lake and Sixth Lake in Herkimer County. More life jacket stations could possibly be added around the Great Sacandaga Lake — the largest reservoir in New York — and elsewhere in the century-old authority’s coverage area, Callaghan said.

“I think it’s I think it’s something that can be expanded elsewhere,” he said. “We’re focused on trying to be an active member in the Safe Lake community, doing our part to help keep residents and boaters in this and other bodies of water as safe as possible.”

Where: 737 Bunker Hill Road, Northampton.

Availability: Early May to late October.

What to do: Fill out a sign out sheet. Each life jacket is listed by number. 

How much: It’s free. Each life jacket is available for temporary use under an honor system. 

Tyler A. McNeil can be reached at 518-395-3047 or [email protected] Follow him on Facebook at Tyler A. McNeil, Daily Gazette or Twitter @TylerAMcNeil