Congressman Brian Higgins, Assemblyman Mark J.F. Schroeder and New York Senator Tim Kennedy announced the latest project contributing to the transformation of Buffalo's waterfront. The Western New York elected officials released details on the current construction project at Gallagher Beach.
"In incremental steps we are building the waterfront that this community demanded and deserves," said Congressman Higgins. "These improvements will complement the new Parkway and give waterfront destination seekers a new outlet to visit and enjoy."
Senator Kennedy, ranking member of the Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business, said, "With each development and new attraction, we are building the growth potential of our waterfront and our region. As the waterfront revitalization progresses, it is bringing in more and more people to explore Western New York's shorelines. This influx of construction and new visitors is opening up new opportunities for private-sector investment and encouraging job creation."
"In just a few short years, Gallagher Beach and the Outer Harbor have seen significant improvements that have brought new life to the Buffalo's waterfront," said Schroeder. "The construction taking place now will take the waterfront to the next level, creating a top-notch destination on the water's edge."
Improvements to the Gallagher Beach area include a new pavilion which includes twin architectural steel structures adjacent to the Gallagher Beach Pier as well as seating areas, lighting and other landscape and streetscape features. The project is managed by the New York State Department of Transportation and funded with $650,000 in federal highway dollars. A West Seneca company, Man O'Trees Inc., is doing the construction work which is scheduled for completion this fall.
In 1998, then-Assemblyman Brian Higgins fought for funding to improve conditions at Gallagher Beach. The boardwalk, fishing pier, small watercraft launch and parking area which followed became the first waterfront development project undertaken in Buffalo in decades.
Entry Image:
John Stock, Man O'Trees (yellow construction vest), Brian Dooley, Man O'Trees (white hardhat, white shirt), Senator Tim Kennedy, Marge Ryan, Member of the Landscape Design Committee and President of South Buffalo Alive, Congressman Brian Higgins. Lorraine Pierro, Member of the Landscape Design Committee and President of the Industrial Heritage Committee, Assemblyman Mark Schroeder, and David Colligan, Member of the Landscape Design Committee and Chair of Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation's Outer Harbor Subcommittee.
Love this location for windsurfing and connectability to trails north and south. Gallagher is definitely another great project.
BTW, does anyone know if the new Parkway is ever going to lose those ugly, wooden electric poles that parallel the Parkway? I only hope an undergrounding project is on the way. They are a hideous visual blight on the area.