BY JIMMY LAWTON

North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG – Despite some debate over ensuring the need for adequate public review and assurances it would not replace the Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan, Ogdensburg City Council agreed to accept a draft Community Development Plan.

Deputy Mayor John Rishe with some help from fellow councilors drafted a 30-page plan.

Despite frequent disagreements between factions of the city council, the plan passed 6-0. Councilor Nichole Kennedy was not present.

Councilor Daniel Skamperle said while he has some ideas that differ from the draft, he believes it's a good place to start.

One concern raised by Skamperle was that the plan would not supersede the existing Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan, which is a much larger document that has helped secure funding for various projects in the past.

Rishe indicated it would not.

Councilor Skamperle also said he’d like to see the public review and offer opinions and ideas that could be incorporated into the plan. Rishe said that would likely occur as the planning board reviewed the document.

The document addresses economic development and job creation, waterfront redevelopment, downtown redevelopment, tourism, housing, historic preservation, recreation, transportation, education, arts and culture, state facilities and the tax rate.

It explores options to develop the waterfront, foster partnerships with colleges, improve streetscapes, change traffic patterns, preserve historic buildings and ensure the future of state-owned facilities among many other ideas.

A breakdown of the plan follows:

Economic Development

The economic development section of the plan calls on the city to hire a business developer, which is budgeted for in the 2021 budget. The person would work with businesses to assist in expansions and implement a marketing strategy to attract new businesses to the city.

It also discusses a need to develop and market the former Newell Building and work with the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority to attract businesses to the industrial park.

Additionally, it discusses the need to bolster the city’s Growth Fund and work to get representation on the Regional Economic Development Council.

Waterfront Development

The St. Lawrence River is often touted as the city’s greatest asset, but the city has struggled to capitalize on its waterfront properties due to contamination.

The plan calls for development of private waterfront sites, the Shade Roller property, the former Diamond National property, the former Mobil Tank Farm property, and the former Augsbury Tank farm property.

The plan also calls for bolstering of the Fort de La Presentation and the Greenbelt Area, and acquisition of surplus St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center properties among others.

Additionally, the report calls on the city to work with the state and OBPA to remediate the Port of Ogdensburg dredge disposal site as well as development of port lands on Proctor Avenue and the Bridge Approach.

Also related to the waterfront is a call to study options for selling the historical Oswegatchie River pump house and securing a new lease for the Oswegatchie River Dam.

Downtown Development        

Here the plan focuses on securing grants to create a master plan for downtown redevelopment on both sides of the Oswegatchie River. It calls for the removal of federal restrictions on the core downtown area which were imposed as part of a previous federal grant.

The plan calls for studying the benefits of a single bridge to replace the twin bridges, finding funding to improve the appearance of streetscapes, seeking to win the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, restoring facades and selling off parking areas near the Ogdensburg mall area to promote business development.

Tourism          

The plan calls for a natural amphitheater to hold musical events and band concerts and the creation of an open pavilion next to the Dobisky Center.

It also calls for a beach on the St. Lawrence River near the city’s Greenbelt. Here the plan circles back to the need to develop the city’s waterfront site.

The plan calls for the city to foster more events including fishing tournaments, fairs, parades, bands barbecues and more. The plan provides support for bringing a hotel and new marina to the river and encourages assisting in the development of Fort de La Presentation.

Housing          

“The city staff needs to focus its attention on federal and state programs that promote and encourage better housing conditions for low and moderate income families,” the report says.

The plan calls for a full court press on securing grants to assist in that matter and working with the city’s Land Bank and BOCES.

Additionally it calls for exploring the idea of creating a Neighborhood and Rural Preservation Corporation in conjunction with the towns of Lisbon and Oswegatchie.

Historic Preservation 

“Unfortunately, much of the city’s glory, history and heritage was destroyed during Urban Renewal when many of the city’s historic downtown buildings were demolished. However, the city still has numerous historic and architecturally beautiful buildings that can be saved and restored,” the plan says.

The plan calls for getting some of the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center buildings that have been left to deteriorate by the state on the historic registry.

It also calls for upgrades and improvements to City Hall.

“The city’s engineer should review the historical plans for the building and determine if an historic restoration project could be undertaken to restore the original grandeur of the council chambers by removing drop ceiling and restoring the balcony and stage area,” it says.

Additionally it calls for getting the Bridge Administration Building on the historic register.

Recreation     

Although the city recently dissolved its recreation department, the plan calls for the establishment of a community beach.

“Ogdensburg is located on one of the cleanest and most-beautiful rivers in the entire world. Unfortunately, it has been without a community recreation beach for over 20 years. The city should strive to reopen a community beach as soon as it is practical. The cost of opening a beach can be minimal. Costs can be kept to a minimum by utilizing existing lifeguards and alternating this staff between the pool and beach,” the plan says.

The plan also calls for additional events to be held at the Lockwood Arena and a private restaurant and bar to operate at the center.

The plan also calls for more recreational programs for children and youth.

The plan discusses improving and maintaining trails and adding amenities in a public-private partnership.

It also calls on the state to further improve the St. Lawrence State Park Golf Course, which is located outside the city limits.

Transportation

Here the plan discusses the Route 37 and State Highway 68 entrance to the city, which it says is unattractive and potentially unsafe.

“An emphasis should be placed on making the intersection safer, but also more appealing as an entrance to the community,” the plan says.

In this section, the plan addresses the idea of one-bridge to replace the twin bridges.

“The present arterial circumvents the downtown and waterfront areas, bringing one-way traffic around rather than through the downtown corridor. It would be better if the master planning reversed this traffic pattern so that one bridge brought traffic through downtown, connecting Main and Ford Streets with a two-way traffic pattern,” he said.

Additionally the plan discusses opportunities related to the port, the airport, the short line railroad and the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge.

Education       

The plan discusses the city’s educational institutions and the need to ensure that they must meet a high standard.

“It is critical to maintain excellent schools with educational programs that rival any other in New York State and across the country. When people look to relocate to a community, one of their primary concerns is the quality of the educational system,” the plan says.

It also encourages working with area colleges about using the former Mater Dei College or other buildings as an annex for college classes that would benefit the greater Ogdensburg region.

Additionally, it calls for pitching the establishment of the “St. Lawrence River Institute or Research Center” on the shores of the St. Lawrence River.

“This facility could be operated by a consortium of existing universities, and would provide waterfront access and research facilities for professors and students to study the river ecosystem,” the plan says.

Arts and Culture        

This section of the plan focuses on working with existing organizations to bolster their offerings.

It calls on working with Ogdensburg Command Performance to expand their offerings to include musical bands or working with other organizations that can assist with such events.

It also addresses the Frederic Remington Museum and says every effort should be made to support the museum while transitioning former city positions over to the corporation running the museum.

“While the museum has become much more independent in recent decades, the city should work with the museum to reaffirm in legal documents that the collection belongs to the residents of the city of Ogdensburg,” the plan says.

Although the city plans to end financial support for the library, the plan says the Ogdensburg Public Library is “a treasure to the city and residents in the adjoining townships.”

It says the city and library board should work together to create an Ogdensburg History Museum on the second floor of the library, and officially designate the museum with proper signage on the front of the building. This can act as an additional tourism draw for the community,” the plan says.

Additionally it says the city should ensure the continued vitality of the library by working with adjoining townships to create a cost-sharing arrangement for monetary support based on population and patronage.

New York State facilities      

The plan acknowledges the city’s dependence on public sector jobs.

“Since the early 1980s, Ogdensburg offered assistance to the state when it was looking for additional locations for the correctional facilities. Ogdensburg Correctional Facility was built utilizing vacant buildings of the SLPC. Riverview  Correctional Facility was built in 1988 to house New York City’s and the State’s rising inmate population,” the plan says.  “In recent years, the state’s inmate population has decreased by over 50 percent necessitating that some facilities throughout the state be closed. To date, Ogdensburg’s facilities have been spared closure.”

The plan says leaders will need to continue to work with state officials to convince them of the value and importance of the facilities in terms of “care and cost.”

“As philosophies shift toward policies of treatment vs. incarceration, Ogdensburg should work with state officials to encourage the state to set up additional treatment programs, such as those in Hamilton Hall on the grounds of SLPC,” the plan says.

Tax Rate         

The plan points out that property taxes can be an impediment to growth.

“If the tax rate gets too high, and is not comparable to other tax rates in the county, state or even nationally, it will serve as a major deterrent when trying to attract new residents and businesses,” the plan says.

The plan says a reasonable rate would be in the $10-$12 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The current rate is $17.87.

Here the plan trumpets efforts currently underway by council such as consolidating services with the county and reducing the rate. It also suggests the city should encourage the school district to reduce the school tax rate.

Rishe said the plan is very much a draft at this point but is hopeful the city will move forward on shaping it into a final document by summer with help from council, planners and community members.

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