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The Town of Lansing is getting closer to realizing its dream of developing Salt Point to its full potential as a plan develops to clean up the area, create walking trails and make it what Town Supervisor Steve Farkas calls "a quiet place" where residents can enjoy its natural beauty.  The Town has signed a lease with the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) that permits Lansing to manage the area.  "The DEC has been working very closely with us," says Farkas.  "Everybody can come out looking good.  DEC didn't have the manpower and dollars to do what they envisioned doing.  We've got the volunteers and a lot of community interest, not just in Lansing, but in the surrounding areas, to make it what it can be."


The Town has submitted a draft management plan for DEC's approval that outlines improvements to the property including traffic management, the creation of nature trails, bringing back natural resources,  boat launches for "quite" craft and other proposals.  The plan will encourage activities such as canoeing/kayaking, walking, cross country skiing, fishing, hunting, photography and nature study.  Once the DEC approves the plan it can be finalized and work will begin.  "It's going to be a lot of work, but we've got a lot of interest from a lot of people," Farkas says.  "That interest will have to be transformed into shovels and wheelbarrows."


Darby Kiley, who develops grants for the Town, is working with officials and residents to develop the plan.  "We  have about $40,000 to do this work," she says.  "That will pay for the materials, and the Highway Department will do the actual work.  Hopefully we'll have volunteers to make the trail."

As the agreement with the DEC came closer to being signed a committee was formed to come up with ideas about how the area might be improved.  Kiley worked with Bob Maguire and others to develop the management plan.  They are also working with Kate Neal, a Cornell student who is getting her masters degree in landscape architecture, who is doing some of this planning.  "We'll be working with her and one of her committee members, Tom Whitlow," says Kiley.  "He has some ideas on how we can do some revegetation on the tracks that already exist."

One of the main elements of the plan is to control traffic and develop walking trails.  The proposed improvements include enhancing the entrance road and create an established parking area with about 20 parking spaces.  "We'll be limiting access, as you cross the tracks, to one road that will loop around," Kiley says.  "We'll have a parking area on the bluff area."  The plan is to put boat launches for quiet craft such as canoes and kayaks at both parking areas, thus promoting fishing as an activity.

The Town also wants to control activities on the property better than in the past, preventing dumping and illegal activities that have been a problem.  "The constable, I hope, is going to have some presence," says Kiley, "and it will be mostly educational."

The road would go along the North part of the area, and existing roads closed off to create nature trails along the southern section.  In the longer term Farkas says he would like to link Salt Point to Myers Park with a bridge.  "We still have a dream to get a walking bridge across Salmon Creek to connect the two parks," he says.  "The Erie Canal folks are looking for stopover points for canoes and kayakers, so we're hoping to hook up with those folks and do more on the actual lake shore part of the project, to provide a stop-over and rest area."

Town officials are hoping to be able to turn the plan into reality this summer.  "The work plan has to be approved and the Department of State grant funding has to be ready to go, and it also depends on the Highway Department's schedule," Kiley says.  But the first step is to get the management plan approved.  "Since DEC still owns the land we have to submit this management plan with them," she says.  "There will be a public comment period some time in the Spring."

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