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Ogdensburg City Council will relinquish paper streets, allowing Fort la Presentation to move forward with trail project

Posted 7/21/15

By JIMMY LAWTON OGDENSBURG -- Ogdensburg City Council agreed to relinquish paper streets located at the Fort la Presentation site allowing the organization to move forward with a $350,000 grant to …

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Ogdensburg City Council will relinquish paper streets, allowing Fort la Presentation to move forward with trail project

Posted

By JIMMY LAWTON

OGDENSBURG -- Ogdensburg City Council agreed to relinquish paper streets located at the Fort la Presentation site allowing the organization to move forward with a $350,000 grant to establish a walking trail.

The action was tabled at a June meeting after the city raised concerns regarding the Rothel family’s access to their property, which is adjacent to the site.

Fort la Presentation presented to the board prior to the vote.

Barbara O’Keefe said failure to act on the grant could cost the fort not only the $350,000 grant, but would likely ruin any future grant opportunities for the association as well.

The grant was submitted by city council on behalf of the fort association in 2013, but city councilors in June had reservations after they discovered they would need to relinquish titles to paper streets that exist on property owned by the fort.

The existence of the paper streets made it legally impossible to build the trail.

During the meeting the council again broke for executive session to discuss the matter with its attorney Andrew Silver. Councilor William Hosmer suggested the discussion take place in open session, however all other board members opted for the closed-door meeting.

Silver said advised the board to move forward with the resolution with a few clarifications including an assurance that access be maintained for the Rothel’s and that the roadway would be large enough for emergency vehicles.

The city eventually approved the resolution following a public hearing after hearing from fort members, historians and a business owner.

Tim McCabe, owner of the Freight House Restaurant, located across the road from the property, said the economic impact of the Fort Association’s work is already being felt throughout the city. He said his business swells when events are held at the fort and suggested the same is true for many local businesses. McCabe said the fort’s development will be a boon for a city that has few attractions to offer to tourists.

“We’ve got the Remington,” he said. “Unless you want to call Walmart a historic site, we’ve got the Remington.”

O’Keefe said the proposed trail would be linked to the Maple City Trail and would remain public. She also said anglers would not be impacted by the proposed changes.

Councilors agreed that the benefits to the city would be huge if the association is able to successfully construct the trail and eventually a physical fort.

The resolution was passed and met with applause from those in attendance.

Assemblywoman Addie Russell, who had a representative at the meeting, also supported the passage of the resolution.

“Ogdensburg has a lot to gain with this exciting project that will bring tourists to the city and instill a sense of pride in its residents. I've been a supporter of the Fort la Presentation project all through my time in office, and I look forward to continued support going forward," Assemblywoman Addie Russell said in a prepared statement.

Work on the trail was originally intended to begin this month, but has been delayed due to delays associated with the paper streets.