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;void(0)) A tree fell in the forest, and Bill Miller saw the possibilities. Don't scrap it, he told the work crew. Over the winter, he hand-peeled the bark off the 42-foot trunk, sanded it with care, and rubbed it with tung oil until a deep sheen came to the surface. Today, the maple rises through the circular staircase that leads from the ground floor, through the main floor and up into the owner's quarters in the demonstration model at Miller's ArrowHead Pointe condos, nature in the midst of woodsy elegance. Enter by a waterfall. To the right are copper sinks. To the left, a private elevator. Straight ahead, the beauties of Otsego Lake, including a view of James Fenimore Cooper's famed "Sleeping Lion" - Mount Wellington above Hyde Bay. But what's the first thing everyone remarks on? You guessed it. That attention to detail isn't new to Bill Miller. After a tool and die apprenticeship, he moved from his native Cooperstown to New Jersey, where he founded a vacuum-pump replacement parts company, Precision Plus. Not an ordinary vacuum-pump parts company, but one that met or exceeded OEM (original equipment manufacturer) standards and cost 25-50 percent less. Seven years ago, he sold Precision Plus to the $5 billion BOC Group Inc., and last year the subsidiary sold more than five million individual parts. Miller took a couple of years off and, among other things, built a log home in Middlefield - a showcase - but, as you can imagine, he got itchy. He wanted something new to do. "So many people came into my house and said, whoa, this is awesome," said the 40-something entrepreneur, which started him thinking. The result was ArrowHead Pointe, an eight-condo development just over the Otsego-Springfield town line on Route 80. He started thinking about the project after buying one of the last open five-acre tracts of land on Otsego Lake. Impressed by Harvey Kaiser's "Great Camps of the Adirondacks," he called Kaiser for advice, and was referred to Paul Soper, a Syracuse architect who converted Minnowbrook, the great camp - built in 1895 by Christian Bahnsen, a wealthy wool merchant from Passaic, N.J. - into a conference center for Syracuse University. Soper has also done contracts for Cornell and SUNY, and is doing restoration work at Paul Smith's College. There are no "mechanical fasteners" in the ArrowHead Pointe condos, according to the architect; the building is post and beam - Douglas fir and western cedar - and everything fits. "This is a structural system that is handcrafted," Soper said, "cut and peeled and handcrafted the way old buildings are." His son works for a modernist architect in Princeton, a much different muse. When the father brought him to see Miller's project, the best he could say was, "Well, Dad, at least it's an honest structure." Soper likes that characterization: Walk in, and "you can read the whole structure," you can see how it fits together. The condos were built to Soper's specifications by TreeHouse Log Homes of Lumby, B.C. The company - often owner Bruce Mooney himself on the backhoe - logged the trees and put the structure together, then dismantled it, numbering the pieces, which were then put back together alongside Glimmerglass. Snyder Construction Co. of Schenevus is putting together the condos, but you'll often find Miller working alongside Ed and Tom Snyder and the crews. Everything about the place fascinates him. The twig railings. The arrowhead motif on the glass lightshades. The sweep of the staircase, and the 20 strips of pine that made that sweeping beam possible. Mirrored walls, strategically placed to double the sense of airiness. "My view is, if you're going to do something, do the best you can," he said. That even applies to the four-step septic system. First, effluent is chewed up by microbes in an aerated septic tank, similar to what's done in municipal treatment plants. Then, it's run through peat biotanks. Finally, it goes through a phosphorus and nutrient removal tank before, "near potable," it flows into the lake. Starting at $1.3 million - pricey even by the ever-rising standards in the local real-estate market - Miller is undeterred. With tens of thousands of parents, many of them upscale, being drawn to the area annually by Dreams Park, "inevitably, some of those families are going to fall in love with the lake and want to build homes here." The payback on an investment of this type, in what will be a Kennedy-compound type of setting, would occur over generations, he said. Miller's attention to detail impresses Soper. One expression of it is individual waterfalls that flow past the door of each duplex, a Miller innnovation. "It takes away the road noise. It immediately creates a feeling you're in the wood," he said. "I think the whole concept is brilliant: Inventive, innovative, bold."  ;void(0)) By Tom Heitz ArrowHead Pointe developer Bill Miller, at left, stands at the building site with Matt Kane, center, and Rob Rumovitz, right, from KaneScapes, a Cooperstown firm that is working on the project. Photo copyright The Freeman's Journal. SPRINGFIELD - Motorists driving north from Cooperstown along State Highway 80 can't help but notice ArrowHead Pointe, an upscale, eight-unit condominium development currently under construction at a lakeshore site. It's the unique style of the building closest to the road that attracts attention. "This is Adirondack-style architecture," developer Bill Miller, a resident of Middlefield, explained. "It's a post and beam structure." The posts and beams, exposed on the building's exterior facing, are massive. The tree-trunk-sized finished logs are imported from western Canada, where trees of such girth can still be found. The first of four buildings, begun this past summer, is unfinished, but steady progress continues in spite of winter weather. Workmen from Miller's primary contractor, Snyder Builders of Schenevus, are inside the structure on a daily basis, finishing ceilings and walls. The Adirondack architectural theme will be evident in the building's interior, as well. Large tree trunks intersect the structure's three levels near a stairwell. Close by is an elevator shaft, empty for the time being, but a feature that should appeal to future residents of "boomer generation" vintage. "We plan to have a model unit open in April," Miller said. Miller will furnish and decorate the model condo, but early buyers will have a chance to influence how their units are completed and furnished. Construction on a boathouse and swimming pool will be started in 2006. The site will also have a state-of-the-art three-phase biological process septic system for wastewater. Miller could not say exactly what the price range for an ArrowHead Pointe unit might be, but he agreed that six figures might get you to the gate at the ballpark. In any case, everything about ArrowHead Pointe will be first-rate, as well as architecturally distinctive. To make certain of that, Miller has invested a lot of time as well as capital in the cause. "I bought the property in 2002 and we were in the planning stages nearly three years. We poured foundations last July and started work in August," Miller said. Miller expects to be in the construction phase for about two years, extending into 2007. "I've tried to choose contractors who are interested in doing something challenging and unique," Miller said. "I want people here who have some creativity and are willing to work on a project as long as it takes to get it right." One of those contractors is Matt Kane, of KaneScape LLC, based in Hartwick. Kane is overseeing the design and installation of stone walls and walkways and other landscaping at the site. Kane has already installed 26 white pine trees on the site, each 16 to 18 feet tall. The trees were trucked in from Ohio. Before winter weather interrupted his work, Kane and his associate, Rob Rumovicz, installed an ornamental stone walk and entranceway with adjoining stone walls and ramps that will provide mobility access for those on wheels. Kane and Rumovicz designed and installed the stonework with the architectural style of the building in mind. "The boulders match the scale of the logs," Kane explained. "There's probably 500 to 600 cubic feet of stone in place here already, about 200 to 250 tons altogether," he estimated. The boulders were selected from stock at the nearby Hanson Aggregates quarry site near Jordanville, in southern Herkimer County. The smaller slates were obtained from suppliers in Pennsylvania. "The walkway is less structured and more naturalistic, a hybrid between regular coursing and ornamental stone masonry," Kane said. "Next spring, we're going to add acoustical ambiance," he added. In masonry lingo, "acoustical ambiance" means a waterfall or water stream, Kane explained. One stone installed at the head of the walkway has special significance. It's shaped like a large arrowhead, a clear reference to ArrowHead Pointe. Miller said that archaeological surveys at the site in the planning phase had revealed evidence of prehistoric Indian stone working along the shore. For additional information about ArrowHead Pointe, interested parties are directed to www.ArrowHeadPointCondo.com in spring, six more coming By Mike Root SPRINGFIELD – The construction on the ArrowHead Pointe condominium project in Springfield is in full swing, with the first two condos expected to be completed in the spring. The site, located one mile south of the Glimmerglass Opera on Route 80, will house eight condominiums on the shore of Otsego Lake. Although construction started in the spring, selling prices cannot be established until the attorney general gives approval. Bill Miller, who owns LLIB, Inc., the company sponsoring the project, hopes to be able to have a selling price in January. “Based on the features and level of quality of features, initial pricing would start around $900,000,” Miller said. “We’re anticipating being purchased by people seeking an upscale lake location and don’t want to worry about maintenance.” Each condo will contain about 3,200 square feet of living space on three levels with views of Otsego Lake and Mount Wellington. They will be post and beam log homes made of Douglas fir and Western red cedar, with some massive logs measuring 16 to 22 inches in diameter and 50 feet in length. According to the website for ArrowHead Pointe, “ArrowHead Pointe will provide an unusually inviting and comfortable atmosphere in which to enjoy lake side living, entertaining and vacationing.” The website also boasts of the artistry of the construction of the condos. “These homes will be unrivaled in their design, materials, craftsmanship and setting on Otsego Lake and will make truly magnificent year-round residences or spectacular family vacation homes.” Perhaps the biggest feature of the homes will be the lake side amenities. Complimenting the homes will be a lake side boathouse, also made of huge logs. The lake house will provide entertainment space both inside and out, including the opportunity for four separate simultaneous functions, each with its own fireplace and view of the lake. The upper level will feature multiple sets of French doors leading to balconies overhanging the water and a fully functional kitchen. The lower level will have a billiards room and game area. There will also be storage space for water skis, fishing gear, canoes and kayaks, while all home owners will have their own boat slip on the property’s private dock. In addition to the boat house there will be a sandy beach, swimming platform and a heated in-ground pool. There will also be a lake side log gazebo with a huge stone fireplace. Adding to the feeling of a vacation retreat, homeowners will not have to worry about landscaping or snow plowing. Also, in the winter, firewood will be stacked at the gazebo, the boathouse and even on the home owner’s front porch. Treehouse By DAN HOWLEY, Staff writer Albany Times Union Click byline for more stories by writer. First published: Sunday, October 7, 2007 Natural wood the cornerstone of ArrowHead Pointe on Otsego Lake Bill Miller fell in love with Otsego Lake as a 6-year-old when his family moved up there from New Jersey. He found himself living out a little boy's dream, a Huck Finn adventure in boating, fishing, swimming and exploring the shoreline at the base of Sleeping Lion Mountain. He spent his boyhood and teenage summers on the shimmering lake that nudges Route 80, which gently ushers motorists into historic Cooperstown, a Norman Rockwell village and home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Now 48, Miller sold his metal-parts manufacturing business in New Jersey in 2000 when he was lured back to the lake and built a summer home. His 14-year-old son, William, has become a reflection in the water of his father's boyhood summers. "He got his license to drive a boat when he was 10, and now he thinks he's king of the lake," said Miller, who used to drive his own father's boat there when he was that age. And Miller's older sister, Linda, ended up marrying a man from Cooperstown, where the couple raised two sons, and Miller was a willing uncle when it came to visiting his nephews on the lake. So it was family ties and his passion for Otsego that inspired Miller to purchase a 2.5-acre waterfront enclave and begin development in 2005 of ArrowHead Pointe, a log-and-stone condominium project. One of the four planned palaces of Douglas fir, cedar, glass and stone is completed, and a second one under construction will be finished in the spring. Eventually, the site will be graced by two more of the hulking beauties. They are designed to contain two condominium units of more than 3,000 square feet each that sell for $1.5 million. Change of plans One of the two condominiums in the model is sold, and when Tom and Alison Novack of Norwood, N.J., got a look at the place, a surprising departure from the original project plan arose. They loved it so much they wanted an entire 6,300-square-foot edifice built as a single family home, agreeing to pay close to $3 million. The Novacks weren't necessarily looking, but knew they wanted it soon as they saw it. They had purchased a home in Cooperstown three years ago to use during frequent visits to see their 23-year-old son, Brett, who has Down syndrome and lives at Pathfinder Village in the nearby town of Edmeston. They were driving around one afternoon when they spotted the log home of their dreams. "When we saw it, we said 'Whoa, what is that?' said Alison, whose husband is a managing director with J.P Morgan Chase in New York. "It's always been our dream to have a log home, and we got ourselves a beauty." Their home, which will feature 25 tons of handcrafted Douglas fir posts and beams cut by loggers in British Columbia, will be ready to occupy in May. "It will be our family compound, a place where our children and grandchildren can congregate," said Alison, who also has two daughters and a first grandchild on the way. "Even back when we dated, we were drawn to log homes." Warmth and comfort It's impossible not to be drawn to the architecture and meticulous craftsmanship that's going into what will surely be the most magnificent homes on the 10-milelong lake. The cavernous dwellings emit a sense of warmth, a soothing comfort that comes from the natural wood and stone and breathtaking views of the glimmering water and the mountain of trees on the other side. The project includes an elaborate waterfall system that cascades over stones from the front of the homes down to a kidney-shaped pool and gazebo. Just beyond the pool at the water's edge is a $1-million boathouse with private rooms, fireplaces, lounge, wine cellar, kitchen and wood decks leading to private docks. Details, details The design details are rich and intricate. Some attention-grabbing features include 18-inch-wide plank floors; remote controlled skylights; and ornate, carved cedar doors and birch bark wallpaper. Then, there is the trademark 42-foot, 9,000-pound cedar tree that runs up the center of the three-story structures and is used to anchor the spiral wood staircase. The one in the model home was taken right off the property, peeled, polished to a high gloss and lowered into the home on a 100-foot crane. The cedar stairway handrails were painstakingly crafted and shaped to follow the spiraling ascent. Diamond-shaped cedar frames make interesting accents on door frames and elsewhere. One door has a canoe and sunset carved in it. "It gave a lot of our guys an outlet for their creative expression," Miller said. But it's the 15- to 24-inch-thick posts and beams, the bones on which everything else is hung, that confer an unmistakable aura of timeless strength, durability and natural beauty. They were all cut and pieced together by Treehouse Log Homes in Vernon, B.C., nestled amid a rich vein of Canadian forests. "We've done some big stuff in the past, but nothing like this, nothing so grand," said Treehouse owner Bruce Mooney. "It's been an ongoing fascination for us. It's something the crew is always talking about." The timber skeleton is cut from giant blocks of Douglas fir and assembled in the open air. Then it's disassembled, marked and trucked the 2,832 miles to Cooperstown. "Some people questioned whether we could sell property on the lake with units going for a million and half, and how it's never been done before," Miller said. "Well, the reason it's never been done before is because there haven't been any $1.5-million and $2-million homes on the lake for sale. There certainly are some around the lake that would sell for that much or more, but they just don't change hands very often." Future generations Miller said there is no timetable for the construction of the project's two other, two-unit log mansions and that work on them would begin only after contracts are signed. Meanwhile, along with a profound sense of accomplishment, Miller said his project could have an impact that will be felt by future generations of families just like his. "Through the efforts of the engineers and in conjunction with the town, I think we have collectively created a new model for future building around the lake, as far as its environmental and aesthetic impact," he said. Miller's manufacturing business involved making intricate metal components for semiconductor equipment. His late father was a facilities manager with AT&T, but he had other talents. "I inherited a lot of mechanical skills and carpentry skills from my father, so doing this kind of work kind of comes naturally to me," Miller said. Miller's family home is in Chester, N.J., but he comes up to the lake every week to monitor the job. Sometimes, he thinks about his dad and wishes he could have seen what his son is building by the lake. "I think about him a lot when I'm working on it," he said. | General Information | Design Features | Display Advertising | Newspaper Articles | Highlighted Features | | Return Home | Photo Gallery | The Boathouse | About Cooperstown | Who is AHP? | Contact Us | Great Links | Local Realtors | The Gazebo | New Properties | |
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