As part of local governments' attempt to beautify the Buffalo waterfront area, Erie County Executive Chris Collins, Buffalo Public Works Commissioner Steve Stepniak and Noelle Kardos, the Niagara Regional Grants Officer of the State Parks Department, cut the ribbon on Tow Path Park off of Hertel Avenue in Buffalo on Tuesday, June 9th.
The five-acre park was transferred from the care of the City to that of the Erie County Parks system in 1999. This ceremony was in celebration of the completion of phase 2 of the County's project to enhance and the park and its surroundings. This project was one of the waterfront development action items listed on County Executive Collins' "Road to a Bright Future".
Thanks to this development initiative, Tow Path Park has undergone improvements to its lighting, parking, and picnic facilities, as well as an access road to the park. The Park also now features some historic signage, old photographs, maps and a narrative describing the area's history.
County Executive Chris Collins said, "The completion of the upgrades at this historic park mark another significant step in our efforts to develop our waterfront. This site offers scenic views of the Canadian shoreline, Squaw Island, and Grand Island. It's another example of our agenda to set Erie County on the Road to a Bright Future. I'd like to thank the State Parks Department for helping to make this project a reality."
The project cost totaled $623,398. The New York State Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act of 1996 provided $300,000, and the rest of the bill was footed by the County through the 2004 Capital Budget.
To learn more about County Executive Collins' Road to a Bright Future, visit http://www.erie.gov.
Photo by Sean Brodfuehrer
Where is the requisite picture of Byron and his ribbon cutting scissors?