Published: June 28, 2007 11:48 am      

GREENWAY: Oak Orchard River may take on new life with open space plan

There is a big project on the horizon, looming over Oak Orchard River from its beginning at on the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge to where the water slips out into Lake Ontario at Point Breeze.

But the proposed project, which would secure greenways along the creek, would start with small steps such as trails for walking, jogging and bicycling and securing safe access points to the water for visitors wanting to drop a canoe in to paddle or fish.

Brian Slack, a Medina native and senior planner with the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council, has had a vested interest in the well-being of the Oak Orchard River and the ways in which the waterway can be improved and utilized. Slack presented his ideas for a possible greenway on Wednesday as part of a Glenwood Lake Commission summit.

“Parks were designed to reconnect residents mainly in industrial cities with nature,” Slack said. “(Frederick Law Olmsted) had an extreme talent for creatively re-envisioned space by linking disjointed spaces into a unified system. His spaces provided the public with a place to relax and get out.”

As a landscape architect, Olmsted’s most famous work was Central Park in New York City, created in the 1800s, and was well known for coordinating a system of public parks in Buffalo.

“Today ‘greenway infrastructure’ is the new language of open space,” Slack said.

For Oak Orchard River, a greenway would help to encapsulate the diversity of activities and uses of the creek into one plan while improving public access and enriching tourist and destination opportunities by “putting it on the map,” he said.

“Brian’s going to lead us in that direction,” said Jim Watson, vice chairman of the Glenwood Lake Commission. “We’re very fortunate to have Brian with us.”

To get the project underway, though, there needs to be open communication between the towns the river runs through, those doing the planning and designing and the general public, Slack said.

“I want to emphasize the importance of public dialogue,” he said. “Recognize the resource that passes through all the municipalities.”

Glenwood Lake Commission Chairman Robert Waters said, in due time, each organization that was represented at the summit meeting would receive and invitation to be part of a steering committee to provide input for the project.

Without immediate plans for the project, though, people are already utilizing the creek and various access points along the waterway.

“Quite a bit is going on down at the Oak Orchard River,” Slack said. “The secret is out about the paddling.”

According to Slack, on Sunday he drove down to Wheelman’s Rest, a portion of the river that passes under Townline Road in the Town of Ridgeway, and witnessed approximately 20 vehicles equipped for carrying canoes. The spot is a well known area for paddlers to exit the water at the end of a trip due to its accessibility.

There are many other areas along the Oak Orchard River the have become attractions for fishermen, particularly the Point Breeze area, Lake Alice in Waterport and the Waterport Dam among others, Slack said.

“There’s a lot to be proud of right in our own back yard,” he said.

Contact reporter Miranda Vagg at 798-1400, ext. 2225.