Today I discovered a few new things about Broderick Park. My wife and I decided to take the dog for a walk out along Bird Island Pier, which is officially named Nowak Pier after Congressman Henry Nowak (we learned that after coming across a bronze wayfinding plaque at the entranceway to the pier).
After walking halfway to the Peace Bridge, we ran into a fisherman who had caught a rather large walleye. He told us that it was unusual to catch such a fish in the middle of the day – normally he fishes for them as dusk.
After walking out to the bridge, we turned around and headed back to Broderick Park where work was recently completed on a picnic shelter, an amphitheater, and an interpretive center (not open yet). The amphitheater is a great addition to the waterfront (see history). It will be interesting to see if any theater groups, music promoters, etc. take advantage of the scenic venue. If the amphitheater is the same as other city venues, then it’s as easy as booking it at City Hall. This would have been the perfect spot to have a concert series over the Fourth of July weekend.
As you can see by looking at the rendering of the Broderick Park Master Plan and the photos, there have been significant advancements made at this parcel of land along the Niagara River and the Black Rock Channel.
After the park is 100% complete, and the concession stand is open for business, I will take another trip down to scope out the additional progress. At this point the entire site is not activated, but it looks like it’s close to being fully operational. At this point they still need to find an operator for the former PAL’s Breakwall Café.
More than anything else, a walk out along the expansive Bird Island pier is alone worth a trip to Broderick Park – the walkway/breakwall extends as far as LaSalle Park (right under the Peace Bridge). The Broderick Park entrance is located at the foot of West Ferry, just off Niagara Street. If you ride your bike you can also find the Seaway/Greenway Trail at Broderick Park, which leads to Squaw Island and beyond.