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ALBANY---Legislation was unveiled Monday that would establish a new independent State Canal Corporation and Erie Canal Greenway that will revitalize and transform the Canal System into a world-class recreational destination. The legislation would also make possible statewide reductions in Thruway commuter tolls by $110 million over the next six years.
"Over the last 11 years, we've made significant investments in the Canal System which are working to attract visitors, spur economic development and revitalize our communities," Governor George Pataki said. "Just as Governor Dewitt Clinton's vision for the Canal more than 180 years ago helped shape the future of our State and Nation, our efforts today to create an independent State Canal Corporation and Erie Canal Greenway for this remarkable waterway will enable us to once again fully realize its potential as an engine for economic revitalization and renewal."
"Our Canal Revitalization legislation will not only encourage new development across the entire Canal System, but also allow us to provide Thruway commuters statewide with $110 million in savings on tolls, and make new capital investments to our State highway system, further encouraging travel, tourism, commerce and trade across New York," the Governor added.
The Canal Revitalization legislation unveiled by the Governor would:
Establish the New York State Canal Corporation (NYSCC) as an independent public benefit corporation with a Board of seven members, and transfer all assets and liabilities of the Canal System from the Thruway Authority to the new Canal Corporation.
Phase out Thruway Authority funding for the Canal System over a three-year period through April 1, 2010.
Establish the Erie Canal Greenway Council as an advisory board to the Canal Corporation Board, consisting of thirty-nine members, with representatives of each of the twenty-five counties along the system, nine state agency commissioners and five appointees of the Governor, Senate Majority Leader and Assembly Speaker.
In addition, the Governor's proposed legislation would establish the Empire State Greenway Alliance, linking the three state-level greenway programs - the Hudson River Valley Greenway, the Niagara River Greenway, and the Erie Canal Greenway -- which together will create the largest statewide greenway network in the nation.
The Empire State Greenway Alliance will have the ability to connect to and promote other related planning efforts and projects, such as the public/private Genesee Valley Greenway and the federally-established Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor championed by Congressman James T. Walsh.
The phase out of Thruway Authority funding for the Canal Corporation will enable the agency to realize a savings of $305 million which will be used to provide $110 million in statewide toll relief for commuters, $144 million for capital investments and customer service improvements, and $51 million for the elimination of Thruway Authority debt related to the Canal system.
In 1992, State law established the Canal Corporation as a public benefit corporation and a subsidiary of the Thruway Authority. As a result, the Canal Corporation and the Thruway Authority share the same board members, as well as certain staff, technology and resources.
In his 2006-07 Executive Budget, the Governor proposed, and the Legislature enacted, $10 million in new funding to support the creation of the Erie Canal Greenway. The new funding, along with a number of new initiatives, will enhance tourism, recreation and economic revitalization along the New York State Canal System. The funding will be administered by the Canal Corporation to support priority projects consistent with the new direction outlined in a comprehensive Report on the Future of New York State Canals.
The Governor recently directed the Canal Corporation to waive fees for recreational boaters during the 2006 navigation season as part of a program to improve boater access and tourism on the Canals. This pilot program is being subsidized with $200,000 from the Vessel Access Fund administered by the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to offset any lost Canal toll revenue.
A geographic sampling of three of the Canal System's traditionally busiest locks located in the Town of Waterford, Saratoga County (Lock E-2), the Village of Brewerton, Onondaga County (Lock E-23), and the Village of Cayuga, Cayuga County (Lock CS-1) showed an average increase in boater traffic of more than 30 percent over 2005 numbers for the same period.
The New York State Canal System is comprised of four historic waterways, the Erie, the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca canals. Spanning 524 miles across New York State, the waterway links the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes and the Niagara River with communities rich in history and culture. The Erie Canal Greenway will incorporate a regional approach to land-use planning, tourism, recreational trail development and other collaborative initiatives while strengthening ties across the Canal Corridor and helping local communities enhance and protect their natural and cultural resources.
The Canal Corporation and an Interagency Task Force conducted an extensive outreach campaign during the summer and fall of 2005 to gather input and ideas and develop a comprehensive set of recommendations to create the new Erie Canal Greenway and the Empire State Greenway, and to examine the roles and responsibilities currently assigned to the Canal Corporation. The recommendations were delivered in a report to the Governor in December 2005. The complete report is available on the Canal Corporation's website at www.canals.state.ny.us 5-22-06
© 2006 North
Country Gazette
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