Ti Comprehensive Plan update public workshop to be held

TICONDEROGA | Ticonderoga is deep in its DRI projects, the downtown is making a comeback, Agway is coming down, the old florist shop finally sold, and a BESS facility is aching to worm its way into the Lord Howe Valley. It's a wild and historic time to be in town, and the course it's charting needs a targeted vision to ensure it stays on what residents believe to be the right track. It's been 20 years since the Town of Ticonderoga's Comprehensive Plan has been updated, and this month residents are invited to join in on the process as a new plan is under development. On Thursday, Sept, 24 at 6 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus on Montcalm Street, a public workshop will be held seeking community members' input on their desired vision for the town. A comprehensive plan is not a law. Rather, it is a guiding document and blueprint for how to achieve a long-term vision for a town. It covers everything from economic development, historic preservation, land use, infrastructure, housing, parks and rec, etc. LaBella Associates out of Glens Falls was selected as the Town consultant to the Comprehensive Planning Committee. "The Comprehensive Plan is for the future of what we would like to see the town be," explained Ti Town Supervisor Jim O'Bryan. "It covers a whole host of different topics for the town, anything you can think of in running and living in a town like this you can build into your comprehensive plan. It's a road map to the future; it gets you thinking about where we are headed before we get there. It's the plan for us to follow as we grow Ticonderoga." A lot can happen and a lot can change in twenty years, and Ticonderoga was no exception. Comprehensive Plan Committee member, Margaret Woods Lauman, said that many of the goals of the 2006 plan have been achieved, and that now the plan-in-progress will reflect new ideas and ambitions. "Many of the things that we are seeing in response to surveys and committee members is that we would like to see population retention and livable wage employment opportunities," Lauman revealed. "If that is in the plan, it would suggest that the Town would follow those guidelines." O'Bryan noted that in the past two decades, the major push has been in the downstreet area. "Since 2006, we have realized the need to increase housing, and we have also recognized the vulnerability that was our downtown businesses," he reflected. "They are starting to thrive, the ones down there seem to be doing well. That is a testament to everyone who has worked on that, not just from my office but all the business owners and others who have really worked to bring things to Ticonderoga we didn't have 20 years ago. I applaud them for that." However, despite the downtown working to make a strong comeback and progress being made, O'Bryan did acknowledge that the class sizes in Ticonderoga Central Schools continue to shrink, which means Ticonderoga is actively suffering from the plague known as decreasing population. "I know that there is a push by some groups to really look at what it will take to get young people to want to relocate back here or to stay here and either own a business or work at an existing business," O'Bryan said. "That will be a big piece, housing, and getting enough people to work the industries that we have around us." Lauman concurred. "There is some employment here but we could use other employment to keep our population here," she emphasized. "If we don't create something for our youth to come back to, it will be just another area with abandoned homes that just gets poorer and poorer." The Comprehensive Plan may also offer an opportunity to address the current Zoning Laws (the very ones that allowed BESS to get a foot in the door). The zoning law will also heavily determine the direction and future of Ticonderoga, and Lauman said it is imperative that people are informed of those laws and that they reflect their wishes. "If a recommendation in the plan becomes to update the zoning law, whether it be big or a couple items, people need to pay attention and make sure those changes are what they want," she emphasized. "Our folks need to make sure they go to the public hearing and they read the proposed changes, that is very important." In O'Bryan's opinion, it is critical that community members become active and engaged in the process. "The more voices we have, I think the stronger the product will be. Public input will be a huge part of the product- it basically is the product," the supervisor said. "We have big issues and need to come to a community consensus. That being said, community members are invited and encouraged to attend September's meeting. The format for the meeting on the 24th will first be a presentation, followed by an open house. An online survey will be available for at least two weeks following the workshop. "As citizens, we are not normally consulted," Lauman said. "We elect officials of like-minds and trust they will do and enact our wishes. We are very rarely asked for our opinions. This gives you the opportunity to express your opinions- what you think is the best thing, the worst thing, the thing you would like to see the most. The more numbers that reply to these surveys or come to the open house and share their thoughts, the better. Take the opportunity to express your opinions about future plans for Ticonderoga." The current 2006 Comprehensive Plan may be viewed at https://townofticonderoga.gov/comp-plan/. Please follow the Town of Ticonderoga Facebook page for further comprehensive plan updates.

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Ti Comprehensive Plan update public workshop to be held

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