There’s something about water that draws people.
It’s probably primal, dating back to times when proximity to fresh water was essential to living. The development of boats and rafts turned waterways into highways, further cementing the importance of water in human lives.
These days, the water comes to us through pipes. Our transportation is less dependent on water, though ocean travel remains important to industry and commerce. But still, people flock to beaches and lake shores. Riverfronts have been developed into tourist attractions in many places.
It’s good that Oneonta officials are looking at taking advantage of the water that runs through the city and town.
As we reported last week, officials are gathering ideas from residents for developing local waterfronts.
The city and town, in partnership with the state Department of State, are developing a plan, exploring how to develop Oneonta’s waterfront resources sustainably.
The plan focuses on strengthening tourism and economic development while protecting natural resources and cultural assets, building upon previous planning and economic development efforts.
Locals gathered at Town Hall last week to share what developments they’d like to see as the project progresses.
Sometimes, it takes fresh eyes to see what was always in front of us.
Susan Caruvana, project manager and senior planner at consulting firm EDR, said her business began working with the city in 2016 to create its comprehensive plan.
“The first couple of times I came to Oneonta, I didn’t know there was water here,” she said. “So how do we make sure that people know that this asset is here? You’ve got something that other communities would kill for — you’ve got water.”
Caruvana said one of the recommendations was to prepare a waterfront revitalization plan, and city of Oneonta Community Development Director Judy Pangman wrote a successful grant application for the city and the town to do the joint project.
Because of the location of the river, recreational development is more likely that commercial development, though opportunities for the latter exist, especially on Southside.
Caruvana said potential public properties have been identified for development. She said planners now want to reach out to the public to ensure that their opinions are heard.
She said the hope is to finalize a list of projects soon and finish the draft this fall.
“The whole purpose of this is to foster economic development, to improve public access,” she said.
It’s good that planners are bringing the public into the process. The success of any development will depend upon people using it, so it’s important to give people what they want.
Some ideas for revitalization efforts included multi-use trails and ways to connect public places to the waterfront, making it more accessible.
For Neahwa Park, Caruvana suggested developments such as implementing the park’s original master plan, new trails, a pedestrian and cyclist bridge, a water feature, an amphitheater and a climbing wall.
That sounds like an excellent expansion of a park that is already among the city’s greatest assets.
Pangman called the project a “once in a lifetime opportunity” that residents should participate in.
“We applied three times to get this, that’s how important it was for the town and the city,” she said. “It’s incredibly important for us to recapture our identity as Susquehanna River communities”
I’ll echo that. Cities downstream have taken advantage of proximity to the very same river.
“What we don’t want to have is a year from now people saying, ‘you didn’t give us the opportunity to have input.’ We want their input,” Pangman said. “This is an exciting opportunity for us, the city and the town.”
That opportunity certainly exists. People should take advantage of this chance to shape the future. The next public meeting is scheduled for 4:30 to 7 p.m. Monday, June 24 at St. James’ Episcopal Church at 305 Main St. in Oneonta.