Letter to the Editor: Leishman Point
A referendum to approve the Waddington Town Board's resolution to sell your; Leishman
Point land for an all-residential development will be on October 14th at the Waddington
Municipal Building. I, and other taxpayers, have many concerns, a few of which are
addressed below.
We believe it would be prudent to slow down and plan all of the surplus lands correctly -
with input from all of the community. Remember, there is a finite amount of waterfront
available - once it's developed, it's gone forever.
What the Town Board's resolution did not say, and many people do not know, is that the
town plans to act as its own developer. Waddington taxpayers would pay for infrastructure
costs, (sewer, roads, utilities, engineering, etc.) and the Town Board would be
responsible for managing the project. The costs associated with this development could be
hundreds of thousands of dollars. By the town's own admission, they do not know how much
it will cost Waddington taxpayers in the end; and if the lots do not sell as quickly as
they hope, Waddington taxpayers will be left holding the bill.
The Town Board talks about needing to develop Leishman immediately to save taxpayers
money, but it may have already cost taxpayers money. Ironically, this same Board voted to
increase our town taxes nearly 40% in 2003. Why did they do this when there was more than
enough money in the bank that could have been used to offset any increase? This town tax
increase cost the average taxpayer much more than they could ever save if Leishman were
fully developed with residential housing. (Town officials know and admit, in their recent
survey, the tax benefit of residential housing is "small").
By law, the Town is supposed to perform a State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR), and
follow various other NYS Dept. of Health procedures before any action is taken. The
process is designed to protect, not only the environment, but also to address social,
recreational and economic impacts n the local citizenry. The SEQR should have, but has not
yet been performed.
Some citizens are concerned that a town-built, and financed, self-contained sewage system
on Leishman could contaminate the nearby beach and surrounding muskie spawning area. What
is being done to mitigate this potential threat?
Others are disappointed that they would not be able to take their families for walks
around Leishman, or go fishing (like dozens of people do every year at the children's
fishing derby held at Leishman Point), if it were developed with all housing. Housing is
the only development option that discourages public uses along the shoreline.
I have heard some residents say that they think development should happen very
deliberately. I agree. In fact, WRA's mission has always been to help create and implement
a comprehensive master plan for all of Waddington, including Leishman Point. Only with the
community's input, and cooperation by our elected officials, can we come up with a
well-thought-out plan that we can all be proud of. A good plan increases our chance of
success and reduces the risk that we become another poorly planned town like Alex Bay.
A yes vote would mean one of the most valuable pieces of property in St. Lawrence County
would be sold and developed for strictly residential uses, despite these and many other
concerns. The healthy debate would be over and the well-planned community we are trying to
create would be in jeopardy with the first shovel to gouge the Earth.
A no vote would allow citizens more time to explore all of the development options in more
detail, give the Town Board time to folly answer citizens concerns, and allow for a
community planning process that welcomes input from everyone that is interested.
A no vote does not necessarily mean that there cannot be some housing on Leishman, or any
of the other 600+ acres of land now owned by the people of Waddington; it simply gives us
more time to work together on a plan that fulfills four important objectives:
stabilization of the tax rates, increase of economic development/job creation, increased
recreational opportunities and protection of the environment. When considering any
development option, for any of our land, we must evaluate what the impacts would be on
these objectives.
Do the right thing for your children and grandchildren on Oct. 14. Vote no on the
referendum, to sell Leishman Point for residential housing only. More information on this
topic can be found at http://www.waddingtonredev.com or call 388-4990 to request a copy of
a report regarding Leishman Point.
Mark Scott
Waddington
Originally published 09/28/2003
Ogdensburg Journal
Used with permission