Thew: Leishman Point Study Only Includes Village Opinions
What is the sense of a study that does not include any choices other than that the
existing elected officials want to be the outcome? That is the opinion expressed by
Waddington Redevelopment Association President Jim Thew in a letter released recently.
Thew said residents should have been given more than one option on which to comment for
development at the point. According to Thew, Waddington residents are being
surveyed, in a survey paid for with tax dollars, concerning their opinion on options for
the best use of Leishman Point. The only question being asked in a survey about land
use is one concerning 16 expensive building lots.
Thew's letter to Waddington Supervisor Bill Dalton asks why options proposed by Clarkson
University in a study completed this spring were not even mentioned in the survey to
residents.
"If you are going to take a survey and want results that reflect the publics choice,
you have to give the public more than one choice. The Waddington Recreation
Commission has recently issued a survey for potention development of the Donald Martin
Civic Center (Waddington Arena). This survey included six possible alternatives and
a comment section that was sent to all residents of Waddington. The Town Board should
follow the Recreation Committee's lead.
The WRA will again ask the town to institute a public planning process," said Thew.
The Clarkson study resulted in several options for development on Leishman Point,
including a marina, an adult home, Recreational Vehicle Park and a hotel and convention
center.
Original Pub Date: 07/13/2003
Advance News
Used with permission