Letter to the Editor: Leishman Point
On Tuesday October 14th, residents of the town and village of Waddington will go to the
polls to decide the future of Leishman Point.
As we all know many of the residents on River Road have spoken out against residential
development. Their leader Mark Scott who himself resides on River Road has suggested
several alternatives for development. It appears that the most popular idea is to leave it
in public hands for recreational use.
There is criticism by the WRA of the Town Board for its lack of vision and planning. I
will not get into the details here, but suffice to say if you have lived in this community
for more than 5 years you should be fully aware of the negotiations that have taken place
with NYPA to get this land back and on the tax rolls. Leaving the "beach hill"
in public hands is a slap in the face to all current and past elected officials who, on
behalf of their community worked tirelessly to insure that NYPA give us back what was
taken nearly fifty years ago.
Many of the critics have lived in this community for no more than 5 years and seem to
believe that they are personally being excluded in this process. I will invite you to take
a moment and look at this recreational opportunity from the WRA perspective. If we are
true visionaries, would it not make sense to place a bike path from the village to the
beach that would protect folks from motor vehicle traffic? All of the bike paths currently
in the village run along the beautiful St. Lawrence River. Thereis a reason for that....
It removes the risk of being hit by oncoming traffic in the form of a car or truck.
Following the relicensing of the NYPA, a minimum 25 foot buffer will remain in public
hands behind all of the houses up to the beach. I believe that our government, if forced
to create a recreational facility at Leishman Point, has a responsibility to provide easy
access without risking human life on the current walkway. What will happen when the land
on the south side of River Road is developed in the years ahead and traffic increases into
and out of driveways? Certainly those folks currently supporting recreational development
would be in favor of a safe path to the beach and amphitheater.
My friends, I do not support any of this. In fact I have an ad in today's Advance showing
just how much revenue can be collected with residential development. Waddington is a
residential community. I like it that way. Over the next 50 years the NYPA will be
investing millions of dollars into our parks and recreational facilities. The "Crown
Jewel" of the North Country is not at the top of Leishman Point, on the contrary,
Waddington itself is the crown jewel and I am proud to be one of its life long residents.
Please vote YES to residential development on Tuesday. Let your elected officials of the
past and present know that their efforts were not in vain.
Roger Sharlow
Originally published 10/12/2003
Ogdensburg Journal
Used with permission