Letter to the Editor: Waddington Survey
Sufficient information has appeared in your newspaper over a number of months to
familiarize your readers with the controversy over the disposition of Leishman Point in
the town of Waddington. At present the Waddington Town Board is conducting what has been
billed as an impartial survey by an independent consultant, to determine the wishes of
Town residents.
As part of this survey, I recently received a call which, rather than asking for an opinion, started with a lengthy statement which was biased, inaccurate, unsubstantiated and due to the speed of delivery largely unintelligible, and was then asked for a "yes" or "no" vote on this one option. The survey consultants are clearly not responsible for the content of this statement, as it simply repeats the stance taken by the Town Board, namely that the best option for this unusual piece of property is it's division into sixteen building lots and subsequent development.
While, if all goes well, this may increase the tax base, there is no
guarantee that it will reduce taxes, and in fact the experience of many communities is
that, due to increased demand for services, the opposite is true.
Leishman Point is a unique property, with a spectacular panoramic view of an historic
river, and a fairly unusual mix of wildlife, and it's value is enhanced by it's proximity
to an existing center of population. Surely the creation of jobs is more important to this
town than an illusory small decrease in the property tax.
Along the St. Lawrence one of the most important sources of jobs and
revenue, as waterfront becomes ever less accessible, will be recreation and tourism. I
believe that we would do better in the long run to save Leishman Point as a recreational
area with reversible, low impact uses, such as a hiking trail, picnic areas, and possibly
primitive camping, geared towards attracting tourists, and by putting the housing in a
less sensitive area. In this way we would avoid the risk of turning this asset into a
liability, and at the same time maintain the high quality of life we now enjoy.
Alison Charles Ph.D.
Town/Village of Waddington
Originally published 06/22/2003
Ogdensburg Journal
Used with permission