Plateau a 'no-go' for development
Guest Editorial by Tim Henderson
The Village of Lewiston's plan to move Kiwanis' annual Peach Festival to the plateau raises a lot more questions than answers at this time. Kiwanis has been presenting their annual festival for almost 60 years and knows better than anyone the logistics and huge amount of time and coordination that goes into the planning. Their thoughts should be respected and given priority before weighing any decisions. Kiwanis has a long history of giving back to the village and being an integral part of our community.
I read through The Sentinel's
article twice and at no point was the existing wildlife refuge mentioned. It occupies over half of the plateau and its huge footprint cannot be ignored. The preserve has been a wildly successful creation that has been responsible for a NYS endangered species of sparrows returning to this important migratory area to nest and raise their young. More importantly, its very existence depends on peace and tranquility to sustain wildlife in their natural habitat.
Thousands of family-packed cars being channeled into the area to enjoy a raucous weekend of Ferris wheels, rollercoasters, and noisy generators is at the very least incompatible to the refuge and could create a permanent detriment to the wildlife that have chosen to inhabit it.
Plans to develop the area with "a pavilion and other amenities" would also fall under the category of incompatible. I would remind the Village Board that the whole idea of creating the wildlife refuge and its mission, which is fully supported by the Greenway Commission and NYS State Parks Department, is to keep it green and natural, environmentally friendly, forever wild and free from development.
Perhaps focus could be better directed to saving the Frontier House by its 200th birthday in 2024.
