What Should Waddington Do With Leishman Point?
BY DICK STERLING
WADDINGTON - People like to see attractions. They'll come for miles to see something
interesting.
Attraction ideas including a mock ship wreck and a lighthouse on Leishman Point were
raised Wednesday evening when the Waddington Redevelopment Association (WRA) got together
with members of the community to brainstorm ideas for Leishman Point, the old St. Lawrence
Hotel, and the beautification of downtown Waddington.
The association heard a presentation by Tom Snider, who was named the facilitator of a
committee to research surplus land redevelopment. Snider raised some questions about what
to do with Leishman Point, a 45-acre peninsula that juts into the St. Lawrence River and
was given back to the town of Waddington by the New York Power Authority as part of their
relicensing settlement.
"Maybe we should put a 300-foot lighthouse on Leishman Point and find an old surplus
ship, maybe we can get an old Canadian vessel, and crash it into Ogden Island. People will
come for miles to see a shipwreck!"
Snider made his comments during the more than two-hour long meeting at St. Mary's Parish
Hall in Waddington. Over 30 people attended and, for the most part, were interested and
shared in exchanging ideas on several issues ranging from the NYPA lands to the possible
demolition of the old St. Lawrence Hotel.
Jim Thew, a member of the association, opened the meeting by asking members of the
audience to become part of six committees that will work towards the betterment of the
community. The committees, and their facilitators, are:
* Communications Committee, headed by Mark Scott, who was away on business and not present
at Wednesday's meeting. This committee will be responsible for sending mailings,
distributing flyers, conducting residence surveys and being a liaison between the WRA and
the community.
* Surplus Lands Redevelopment Committee, headed by Snider, will research ideas on what to
do with Leishman Point and Lighthouse Bay.
* Downtown Redevelopment Committee, headed by Paul Larkin, will work towards creating a
master plan for downtown Waddington. The group will attempt to work closely with the
village board and look for possible funding opportunities.
* St. Lawrence Hotel Committee, headed by Thew, the committee will look into the
feasibility of saving the hotel in downtown Waddington, which has been targeted for
demolition by the village.
* Events Committee, headed by Patty Van Patten, will work closely with the Chamber of
Commerce and attempt to organize various fund raising events such as flea markets, decoy
shows and artist shows.
* Grant Writing Committee, headed by Alisha Murphy, will seek funding and works toward
getting the WRA recognized as a not-for-profit group.
The group heard from Charlie Lashombe, who has been working for six years on refurbishing
the Morley Grist Mill. Lashombe said that the WRA would have to be patient and be ready to
"play the game," when applying for grants and looking for funding. "I
worked for three months just sending my application back and forth. They'd show me what to
fix and I'd fix it. You really have to make sure your I's are dotted and your T's are
crossed."
On Monday WRA requested, and was granted, a one month period to "feel out the
community," on the future of the St. Lawrence Hotel by the Waddington Village Board.
"They have given us a 30-day stay of execution," said Thew. "We're just
trying to find out what the feeling of the community is on the hotel." The matter was
discussed, but not many at the meeting felt strongly about saving the old structure. The
village has stated that they can demolish and remove the building for about $60,000. Cost
estimates for repairing the building are estimated at $470,000 just to stabilize the
structure and between $1.2 and $1.5 to completely restore it.
The only voice to speak out against WRA was from Hubert Tuthill. "What you people
have done is alienate the public officials. They think you're a joke, and I think you're a
joke. If you continue to alienate them you'll never get anything done." Murphy
responded to Tuthill's comments. "We are the officials. We put them there. We're
trying to work with them. They are invited to these meetings. They choose not to come.
This is your property, it's not the politicians'."
News 12-5 ras WRA
Publication: Ogdensburg Journal Category: LOCAL News
Pub. Date: 12/05/2002 Pub. Page: 9
Used with permission