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Onondaga Lake Trail Extension Looks to Restore Tourism and Recreation Onondaga Lake Trail Extension Looks to Restore Tourism and Recreation

By Sean Scott

In Central New York’s harsh winters, there aren’t many people hanging out around the lake. However, Onondaga County’s latest project around Onondaga Lake is hoping to change that. The county and Honeywell are extending trails around the lake to connect the two sections. Honeywell is paying for most of the 11-million dollar cost as part of their settlement with the federal government to clean up the lake. For Liverpool resident Laura Harrington, she sees the need to connect the lake trails.

“Onondaga Lake used to be a big tourism place 100 years ago and certainly I’ve used both trails and I’ve liked it and at times wished it was connected.”

Residents in Liverpool are concerned about environmental impact, especially given Honeywell’s history and concerns over the eagle population at the site of another nearby trail extension. However, other residents like Dave Bliss don’t see much changing in town with the extension.

“The whole lake park has influenced Liverpool for decades, so it shouldn’t change anything if they connect the loop around the lake.”

Harrington says tourism may not rebound to older levels when people from New York City visited, but she thinks it will add some recreational options outside the lake.

“You know certainly it will become a recreational area, circle the lake. They will do bike things, maybe even runs, stuff like that I see. I still wouldn’t swim in it.”

Onondaga County and a local company tasked with cleaning up the lake are expanding the trails at Onondaga Lake with an $11 million extension project.

The county secured the money for the project from a federal grant. The federal government is also forcing Honeywell to pay for more than half of the project’s cost as part of a settlement with Honeywell  to clean up the lake. The project will extend current trails until it connects and loops around the lake completely.

On the east side of the lake in Liverpool, few residents were aware of the ongoing trail extension plan. Those who were aware had mixed reactions.

Dave Bliss, a local resident, said the trail extensions would not matter to him and the lake already influences Liverpool’s business regardless.

“The whole lake park has influenced Liverpool for decades, so it shouldn’t change anything if they connect the loop around the lake,” Bliss said.

However, other residents, such as Laura Harrington see the project as a benefit for potentially reviving the village’s tourism, even if it’s only to a fraction of Liverpool’s former tourism industry.

“Onondaga Lake used to be a big tourism place 100 years ago and certainly I’ve used both trails and I’ve liked it and at times wished it was connected,” Harrington said.

Harrington and many others in Liverpool are also concerned about the trail extension’s potential environmental impact. Many see future construction as a deterrent to bald eagle populations that frequently nest in the area. Another Onondaga County trail extension project at Murphy’s Island is near roosting spots for bald eagles.

In addition to tourism, Harrington thinks the soon-to-be connected trails at Onondaga Lake will boost recreational activities in the area, such as biking and running, though she is still hesitant about the quality of the water in the lake.

“You know certainly it will become a recreational area, circle the lake. They will do bike things, maybe even runs, stuff like that I see. I still wouldn’t swim in it,” Harrington said.

The trail extension project is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.

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