Archive: Opinions

Lansing is a terrific place to live.  Our roads, schools, and public services rank as the best in the state.  We are located just north of Ithaca a city that brings a diverse and unique brand of cultural activity usually found in larger cities.  Our region is home to several colleges and one university.  These institutions attract talented faculty, students, and researchers who bring knowledge, expertise, and ideas to our community. 

Perhaps our greatest asset is our natural beauty.  We possess some of the greatest gifts that nature could offer any region, and they include rolling hills, waterfalls, streams and Cayuga Lake.  Thus far, the residents of our region have proven to be good stewards of nature’s gifts.  For over two hundred years, the land had been farmed and logged by hard working and conscientious men and women who sent their raw materials to be processed in local mills.  These mills used the local falls and streams to power their lumber and grain operations.

They faced many challenges, but with hard work and common sense, they persevered and created a life and history in this region.  Our generation, long removed from the labor intensive communities that once dotted our region, now face a new challenge.  We have an opportunity to own a piece of land, some 500 acres, along the shore of Cayuga Lake.  This parcel of land represents a microcosm of our region and the wonders of nature.  It contains an old growth forest, a stream with a waterfall and shoreline along the lake.  It is nature’s Triple Crown. 

As with any issue in Lansing, there are many opinions.   All of them are valid and have merit.  Development is one idea.  We might find a builder who could design a very high end community and create homes that would rival any along the lake.  But the tax revenues that could be generated from such a development would never cover the initial costs of installing and maintaining basic services.  Over time, this development would be a liability rather than an asset to the community. 

We might explore the commercial possibilities and look into a luxury hotel complete with marina, restaurant and convention facilities.  It seems to be working in Watkins Glen with the Harbor Hotel.  But this idea would create problems associated with the idea of a housing development, and the costs would far outweigh any potential benefits to our town. 

I believe that Lansing ought to support the purchase of this property for use as a state forest.  It ought to be dedicated to the recreational use of its citizens who live here and the tourists who visit.  This parcel of land offers so much to our region and could be the third leg of a greater Stewart Park and Myers Park destination route for hikers, bikers, birders, those who fish or simply enjoy a walk in nature. 

Other towns in our region have successfully developed lands into state forests.   Issues of security and safety can be handled with existing laws that govern established state forests.  This is an excellent opportunity for Lansing to follow in the footsteps of those who founded and lived in this area over two hundred years.  I urge the Town Board to support State purchase of this land and build on the power of three.  And that is to the point.

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