Reclaiming the Lakefront, the Downtown, and the Truth:Talking with Ted on WGVA

Last Friday, we participated in our monthly exchange with Ted Baker on the Finger Lakes Morning News (1240AM WGVA). As many of his guests in recent weeks have done, we spoke about the Bergmann plan. Ted had our most recent post on the issue on his screen and we discussed some of the ways in which the plan could be brought back on track, after being almost driven into a ditch by the last minute addition (and front page illustration) of “Building 12.”

In discussing that fateful addition, it was noted that Bergmann claimed to be solving the ‘interconnectivity problem’ between downtown and the lakefront. But, as Augustine said again, this time on air, you’re unlikely to find “anybody in downtown Geneva who is confused as to where the lake is” which shows that the real problem that needs to be solved is how to make *downtown* the attraction that people on the lakefront want to find. Capraro went on to point out that this problem extends beyond just tourists and is instead the puzzle that needs to be solved for year round Geneva residents, as well.

So, with discussion of the plan appropriately refocused on the downtown elements, we highlighted a few of our recommendations, including the need to prioritize access to the upper floors of downtown buildings, an idea that was first raised publicly by Councilor Lou Cosentino, and air conditioning for the Smith Opera House. We hope that these changes can somehow find a home in the amended document that Council will consider adopting as its new Master Plan.

At the end of the day, the lingering criticisms of the Bergmann plan are centered on the last minute turn it took from a collaborative public visioning project to a product that couldn’t resist the heavy influence of ‘stakeholders’ who were “overdetermining” the outcome. Having laid out a way to remedy that, we turned our attention to other issues in the public interest. We previewed a few upcoming posts related to Freedom of Information requests, specifically our continued inquiry into the nature and content of the former Manager’s “proffer agreement” with the New York State Attorney General’s office. Listen for yourself by visiting the Finger Lakes Daily News on-demand radio page and we'll get the spot added to the NoStringsGeneva Radio Archive soon. Stay tuned!"