The reality of a Canadarago Lake District may very well be put on
hold until 2007, with the proposed legislation necessary for creating
the district bouncing between town and state officials for the second
consecutive year.
For 44 years, residents have been pooling together their energy and
resources to maintain and oversee the lake their properties border,
which is located in three townships, Richfield, Otsego and Exeter.
Beginning in 1964, with a fundraising effort that resulted in the
construction of the dam by the Canadarago Lake Improvement Association
(CLIA), to acquiring grant monies totalling $80,000 in 2000 by the
Department of Environmental Conservation for repairs, the association
has worked hard to upkeep and maintain the publicly owned property.
However, the funding for silt removal and dam repairs was never
received because, according to information provided by past CLIA
president Sally Zahniser, the towns refused to match the funding as
required, before addressing liability concerns.
In 2004, Senator James Seward suggested the formation of a lake
district, which would require state legislative approval and the
consent of each of the towns involved.
This would provide, through taxation, the funding necessary to maintain and upkeep the lake.
Modelling the proposed bill on similar legislation adopted for
Saratoga Lake in Saratoga County, Seward and Assemblyman Bill Magee
introduced respective bills in April 2005.
By June 2005, the Senate passed the legislation. However, the same month, Magee’s bill was sent to committee for discussion.
By August, CLIA decided to take action, and CLIA member and
Political Action Committee chairman Rod Sluyter said he addressed
Magee’s office.
He was told the bill would be resubmitted in January 2006.
In November 2005, Sluyter said CLIA board members asked for slight word changes to the approved bill.
The towns and the Senate approved the changes, but by April 2006,
the Assembly once again referred the bill to committee, as “the bill
could be written and its goals accomplished in an easier way,” Sluyter
said.
“We have serious questions,” Sluyter said.
“If any of the three towns decide not to participate, we’re back to where we were in 2004.
“We’ll miss the 2006 session which ends around June 22.”
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