WRA Considering RV Park For Point
BY DICK STERLING
WADDINGTON - One of the more popular ideas to arise from recent meetings conducted by the
Waddington Redevelopment Association (WRA) and members of the community about what to do
with Leishman Point has been to build a recreational vehicle park on the site.
The site, a large peninsula that juts out into the St. Lawrence River, is land that was
recently returned to the Town of Waddington by the New York Power Authority as part of
NYPA's relicensing agreement.
It had been earmarked to be broken up into a 16-parcel sub-division for the development of
luxury homes by the Waddington Town Board, but the WRA surveyed the community and
discovered that many weren't in favor of the sub-division plan. The town board decided to
wait until spring before finalizing plans on Leishman Point.
The idea of a recreational vehicle park arose at a recent meeting. Many thought the idea
would be easy to bring to fruition, and could become a cash cow for the town. Lisbon
Recreation Committee Chairman Todd Miller attended a WRA meeting on Dec. 4 and described
how profitable the Lisbon Recreational Park is.
"Right now we're taking in $70,000 per season for Lisbon as a result of the RV park.
It helps to pay for our entire recreation department. That includes baseball and other
activities for the kids in Lisbon. The site consists of 33 units, 22 of which have
electricity and water, and an additional 11 sites for tents. At $16 per night we're pretty
much sold out for the season. We have people calling us now about renting space for next
season. The RV park makes a profit of about $30,000 per year after all the bills are paid.
That's pretty good money."
Miller added that the people who visit the park, especially since the Sept. 11, 2001
terrorist attack, are much more local than some would believe. "People don't like to
go very far anymore. Many of our rentals are people from the immediate area. They come and
have a real good time and come back. It's beautiful, easy to get to, and it doesn't break
you to spend the weekend. I don't know about Waddington, but it's been great for
Lisbon," said Miller.
The Lisbon Recreation chairman said that he would be willing to help out the WRA or the
Waddington town officials with any information he could.
WRA spokesman Mark Scott indicated to the crowd at the WRA meeting that he had spoken with
officials at Clarkson University about the possibility of having students in the MBA
program help with site work and plan development. "They're really excited about
giving us a hand. These are bright students, who know what they're doing. I don't know how
we could go wrong by letting them help us out," said Scott.
One of those named to one of six committees by the WRA at their recent meeting was a man
with a background in downtown development. Paul Larkin, who formerly worked for the city
of Huntington Beach, California handling real estate for the city, was named to the
committee on Waddington's downtown development.
"Our Main Street is the best indicator as to who or what our community is," said
Larkin. "We need a Main Street blazing into the 21st century. We can, and should, be
a showplace. We don't need naysayers or troublemakers. What we need is involved citizens
and involved government working together for the betterment of Waddington. We all need to
get out and talk with our neighbors. Lets better this community, not only for ourselves,
but for our children and generations to come."
John Turner was also named to the downtown redevelopment committee. "We need a great
number of people with a vested interest in Main Street to talk about ways to improve our
downtown. The people who already work there, and make a living there, are our most
important asset, and I'm sure they have some opinions to share. There will be a lot more
opportunities for Waddington if we fix a few things up. Not everything has to be a major
project, little things add up," said Turner.
The WRA has scheduled their next meeting for Jan. 8, at St. Mary's Parish Hall in
Waddington. The meeting get underway at 7 p.m. and the association welcomes any area
citizen with an idea, or a willingness to help, to attend.
SUNDAY 12/15 ras WRA-RV Pk.
Publication: Advance News Category: LOCAL News
Pub. Date: 12/15/2002 Pub. Page: 1 B
Used with permission