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BORODINO
LANDING: IN THE NEWS
Frank Moran said March 24th, that Bob Brown is researching the actual ownership of the property. If it is
true that the Town legally owns 48-1/2' of frontage, Moran says he'll push to
have the town put a marker to delineate the area for public use.
Who owns land along the lake? Spafford studies improving Borodino
Landing lake access," brought to Town Board's attention by resident Frank Moran.
Read Neighbors
West 3/18/04 article by Sara Errington.
Borodino Landing circa 1880, when it was one of the
regular steamboat stops. (Click on photo to enlarge view.) Photo
supplied by Frank Moran.
From the Editor: The Citizens
for Spafford meet the third Saturday of every month in the Spafford
Town Hall community room, at 10 am. Meetings are open to the public.
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Printed in Post-Standard/Neighbors West, Thursday, April 8, 2004
Borodino Landing proposal opposed
To the Editor:
I am writing to take issue with the remarks and proposal of Frank Moran concerning
development of Borodino Landing, as reported in West Neighbors March 18.Neighbors
West, 3/18/04
My family has owned a cottage on Bockes Road for more than 40 years.
As near as I can recall, the location of the Denslow southern property line has been
debated, on and off, since the mid-'60s.
I believe the "common knowledge" that Moran referred to is that neither the town nor the
property owner wanted to incur legal expense necessary to resolve the issue.
My recollection is that the amount of frontage in question was five feet or less.
Yesterday, I paced off the distance between the white building at the water's edge and the
stop sign on the northern side of the landing.
The frontage is much closer to 35 feet than the 20 to 22 feet cited by Moran.
It ahs been my experience that during summer months, the landing is very much utilized
by families. Presumably most of them Spafford residents.
The primary limitation to how many people can use the property is not the size of the
beach area. It is the availability of parking. How does Moran plan to address that issue?
From a practical standpoint, I also have a problem with Moran's suggestion to remove
the boulders from the south and north ends of the landing.
I believe those boulders serve to help preserve the beach area by reducing erosion caused
by wave action.
Substitute crushed stone and sand? Only if you're prepared to bring in more material after
every storm.
Some other questions to consider: How are you going to insure that only Spafford
residents will be using the landing? Are you going to limit the hours the beach is open?
Will there be a lifeguard on duty?
Who will be responsible for cleaning trash and debris? Who will be responsible for traffic
control and enforcement?
What impact will all this have on the town's liability insurance? Who is going to pay for
all of this?
Last but not least, the families that live on and just off Bockes Road also are Spafford
residents and taxpayers.
Frank Moran is not going to be impacted by the increase of traffic, trash, noise, etc., if his
proposal becomes reality.
His view of the lake is not going to include a pair of portable toilets. Frank Moran says he
doesn't want to turn the landing into Coney Island?
Why would he care if he did? He hasn't used that landing, other than to launch his boat,
in the last 15 years.
Spafford residents have been parking on the road, walking down the hill, sitting on the
shale beach and swimming in the lake for generations.
The only cost to the town has been maintenance of the road, a necessity for fire
protection anyway.
The local property owners pick up the inevitable trash that accumulates on busy
weekends, and serves as an informal neighborhood watch.
A wise man once said: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Martin F. Kelley
Borodino property owner
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APRIL
- Vol. 24- 
