LETTER: Why not explore other funding for spray park?

Editor’s note: This letter appeared in the May 2 print edition of the Messenger. It was omitted from the online stories that week, so we have posted it today (June 7). We regret the error.

To the editor:

On May 4 Lysander residents will have the opportunity to vote on “the funding mechanism for the spray park.” While I believe the spray park will enhance our community and could be a revenue stream for the town, we are not voting to approve this project. Rather the vote will decide if the town should bond for a large amount of money and spread the cost to each taxpayer in Lysander. While I support the project in general, I disagree with having the Lysander taxpayers foot the bill. As someone who continues to advocate for the best interests of our citizens, I believe the taxpayers should not be considered the first responders to this funding issue.

There are almost unlimited money streams that could be pursued to lower the cost of the Lysander Spray Park for taxpayers and still provide a safe and fun experience for our children. First, we need to identify the possibilities:

Corporate sponsorships — Anheuser Busch, McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Subway, Pizza Hut, etc.
Local business sponsorships — Restaurants, family farms, Byrne Dairy, Fastrac, etc.
Private donations — citizens interested in the project can make donations
Season passes — up front preferential pricing will lead to bulk registrations and a pool of funds
Entrance fees — those coming from out of town can pay a small fee to enjoy our park
On-site advertising possibilities — name on the building, sponsoring a water feature, etc.

At a recent event, I had the opportunity to speak to our town supervisor, Joe Saraceni, and asked him directly about these alternate funding sources and if they’d been investigated. He stated that discussion and small inroads on a few possibilities had been made on each subject but not much time was spent exploring these avenues. I wonder why they haven’t spent more time finding funding sources for the spray park and instead have eagerly pursued pushing the payment for the park onto us, the taxpayers of Lysander? This is a question all residents should be asking themselves because it leads to other obvious questions about how they handle the rest of our tax dollars. How fiscally responsible is the board we have in place now?

While the tourism generated by this park will benefit our local businesses and Baldwinsville proper, and the project itself will enhance the lives of our children, I strongly believe that our town board should come up with more options to fund this project before turning to the taxpayer. The cavalier attitude about the small tax increase makes me wonder if the rest of my taxes are being responsibly managed. I’d like to know my town board is working with fiscal responsibility. Because of these issues, I will be voting against passing the financial burden of this park onto the backs of the taxpayers.