Recently, the legislature was asked to approve funding for the Lakeview Amphitheater. Over the past several months, I have raised numerous concerns regarding the impact on local residents with regard to sound and traffic, the economic viability of an outdoor amphitheater in Central New York, the uncertainty of the revenue from Turning Stone and the risks and additional costs associated with building on the waste beds.
To begin the process, the legislature followed all of the requirements with regard to the state environmental review process, we held public hearings and we discussed, at length, the voluminous information in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The review and discussion on this project culminated with a vote on Nov. 3 in favor of bonding $49.5 million for the engineering, design and construction costs to build the Lakeview Amphitheater. Respectfully, I voted against the bonding authorization.
Each year, the Solvay, Geddes and Lakeland area residents contend with the sound and traffic impact of the New York State Fair. With the addition of the amphitheater, those sound and traffic impacts would now span five months or more. Without a sensible plan on how to manage the thousands of cars descending on this area every week from May through September, there is the potential to negatively affect the residents in these neighborhoods. Additionally, sound and decibel-level studies were conducted that show more residents will be within audible range of the new amphitheater than the current site at the State Fairgrounds.
Currently, there are several outdoor concert options within a short driving distance of Onondaga County, including Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), Darien Lake’s amphitheater and CMAC in Canandaigua. I feel that a fourth amphitheater in an already saturated region will struggle to be sustainable. I am not convinced there is enough demand to yield a return on the county taxpayers’ $50 million investment.
There is a proposed revenue stream from the Turning Stone Casino’s payments to the county, but this revenue is far from a guarantee and will vary from year to year because it is based on a percentage of the revenues from slot machines. The debt service on the bond authorization is $2.4 million for the next 30 years. The addition of state-authorized casinos over the next five to 10 years could affect this revenue stream negatively. If the payments from Turning Stone diminish, the county will have no choice but to increase property taxes to address this shortfall.
Lastly, while I welcome the jobs that the construction of the amphitheater would generate for a brief period of time, I believe that there are better and more sustainable options available to us. The casino revenues could, for example, be earmarked for economic development projects, which would be an indefinite source for construction jobs. The monies could also be accumulated and be a source for incentives to attract a large employer to Central New York.
Alternatively, the monies could be used to supplant monies customarily budgeted for economic development and reduce residents’ real property taxes by $2.4 million or more each year. With more money in their pockets, people spend and save more, thereby energizing the economy.
In weighing all of the options and considerations, I did not believe that the construction of the amphitheater was a wise investment of taxpayers’ dollars. That is why I voted “no” on the Lakeview Amphitheater project.
Casey Jordan represents the 14th district, which includes the eastern portion of the town of Clay and the village of North Syracuse. Casey welcomes constituent feedback and can be contacted at 474-2644 or by email at [email protected].
