Leishman Point Referendum Oct. 14
BY KRESTIA DeGEORGE
The voters in the Town of Waddington will have an opportunity to decide the future of
Leishman Point at the polls on Oct. 14. On that day the town is holding a referendum on
whether to approve the resolution passed by the town board to move forward with
residential development of about 16 one-acre lots on the point. In all, the town has
received about 22 acres of land on Leishman Point from its joint the settlement with the
New York State Power Authority, and the town board hopes to put that property back onto
the tax rolls by selling it as residential parcels.
That plan, however, has generated a backlash among some residents in the town who believe
that the land can be better used in other ways. Mark Scott, independent candidate for
Waddington Town Supervisor, and a member of the Waddington Redevelopment Association (WRA)
says that he and others in the organization are disappointed in the level of response
they've received from local government.
"The people I've talked to want to be able to provide more input [in this process].
That's what a 'no' vote will do," he said. According to Scott, he and other members
of the WRA have put forth several alternative development possibilities including a hotel
and mixed, residential and recreational plans. He said that the group would like to see
something there that contributes to developing a vibrant and sustainable economy
throughout the village by attracting tourists.
"Leishman Point is our anchor; it could be what brings people to our main street.
What you do with Leishman Point affects the rest of the village," he said.
Town Supervisor Bill Dalton, who is also running in November for the supervisor post,
disagrees with Scott, believing that Leishman Point's location and relatively small size
make it more suitable to the residential plan the board approved. "Leishman Point
only represents about five percent of the land the town received from the power
authority," he said.
The town still has to decide what to do with about 450 acres in the Whitehouse Bay and
Iroquois Dam area. He said that the board favors commercial development in that area both
because it is far larger and because some of it stretches nearer to State Highway 37.
According to Dalton, some of the money which the town receives annually from NYPA as part
of the settlement agreement, has been set aside specifically to pay for the initial
construction of infrastructure, including roads and a sewer district, at Leishman Point,
should the referendum pass. Dalton said that estimates provided by Bernier, Carr and
Associates of Watertown, the engineering firm the town has retained for the project, show
that it should cost a few hundred thousand dollars to make the infrastructure
improvements. Dalton said that since the lots are being appraised at $80,000 to $100,000,
the town would only need to sell a few of these lots to recoup its investment.
Scott however believes that the financial picture may be more complicated than that. He
said that he and other WRA members have wondered why the power authority money, about
$140,000, was not used for tax abatements, since lowering taxes was an original goal of
the town's proposals concerning the point. He is also skeptical about whether the board
has adequately planned for unforeseeable contingencies that might drive up the cost of
developing Leishman Point. "If the board has [these contingency plans], they haven't
articulated them very well," which he and members of the WRA see as "a lack of
foresight and patience," he said. The town would be better off developing long range
goals with the input of the community. "There's no need to rush," he said.
Meanwhile, Dalton said the town is anxious to see that land come back on to the tax rolls,
and believes that the town has planned in advance for unexpected costs. "Every time
the engineers have given us a dollar figure the board has consistently budgeted
more," he said.
The decision whether to proceed with plans for residential lots or go back to the drawing
board ultimately comes down to the voters, who have their say Oct. 14.
Originally published 09/23/2003
Ogdensburg Journal
Used with permission