A List
10/22/07

Sign the petition to support preserving historic Main Street

SLU TRUSTEES SUPPORT CANTON'S HISTORIC MAIN STREET

CANTON - The St. Lawrence University Board of Trustees, meeting on campus on Saturday, October 20, passed a resolution in support of efforts by local citizens to maintain the integrity of the Village of Canton's historic Main Street.

New York State's Department of Transportation has proposed a plan to improve infrastructure and traffic congestion that would result in a widening of Canton's Main Street and the loss of trees and other landscaping, thereby changing the character of the street, part of which is a border for the University's campus. A citizens' group, Save Historic Canton, has collected signatures on a petition requesting alternatives to the proposal, and the resolution by the Board of Trustees supports the group's request.

The full resolution follows:

"Whereas, St. Lawrence University joins with local citizens in its understanding of the need for the Village of Canton to repair and upgrade the deteriorating water and sewer lines beneath Main Street and the Village's cooperation with the Department of Transportation to maintain the road also known as U.S. Route 11; and

"Whereas, St. Lawrence University shares with local residents and visitors the appreciation of the quality of life and physical beauty that exists in the Village of Canton - sweeping lawns, neighborhood sidewalks, preserved historic homes and businesses along Main Street, antique Victorian street lights that were donated by organizations and families of Canton; and century-old heritage trees that line both sides of East Main Street; and

"Whereas, St. Lawrence University supports the safety of all motorists and pedestrians, especially children, as they attempt to cross Main Street and of the cyclists, Amish carriages and other non-motorized vehicles that regularly use the shoulders of our road, and

"Whereas University employees and leadership are working with local citizens to urge the Department of Transportation to design the reconstruction of Main Street in such a way as to incorporate features that were unanimously approved by the stakeholder groups, the membership of Save Historic Canton and the over 1,000 citizens who have expressed their support in the form of signing a petition;

"Therefore the Board of Trustees of St. Lawrence University adds its voice to those who have taken their responsibilities as citizens seriously and have spoken eloquently, urging Governor Eliot Spitzer and elected officials to support a DOT plan for the project that does not widen East Main Street in such a way as to eliminate historic trees and encroach on historic properties."

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