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Spotlight On:
Western New York State: Tonawanda's Gateway Harbor
Tonawanda's Gateway Harbor is a major attraction located at the western entrance to the Erie Canal. This recently developed harbor has served to improve the quality of life for citizens and visitors alike while catering to the boaters and tourists who travel the Niagara River and Erie Canal. The harbor project included both Tonawanda and North Tonawanda on the opposite side of the canal. Each city designed its side independently.
Components of the new Tonawanda harbor include:
- Almost six hundred feet of new dock space, including water and electric service.
- Over 1.2 miles of Canalway Trail (connects to Riverwalk on the Niagara River)
- Promenade with benches, bollards, landscaping and period lighting.
- Stone sculpture archway and stone amphitheater.
- Porcelain markers with historic pictures and text.
- Harbormaster office including information center, showers, restrooms and laundry
facilities
.
The refurbished harbor in North Tonawanda includes dock space, landscaping, benches, lighting and a pavilion for concerts and entertainment. This summer, a sound system will be installed on both sides of the harbor so boaters and land visitors on both sides of the canal can hear performers.
Funding for these projects has come from federal, state, county, local and private sources. In addition, local volunteers contributed by painting an original buoy boat, acquired from the New York State Canal Corporation. The project has given local citizens a new knowledge of their heritage and a new pride in their community.
Private investment has resulted in new restaurants and a new tour boat in the first year of the harbor's completion. More is on the way. Local businesses in the Central Business District have taken on names like the Towpath Café, the Canal Side Café and the Lighthouse. Born on the waterfront, the Tonawandas are once again capitalizing on their location and basing their future on the recreation and tourism the water attracts.
For more information about Tonawanda, contact Mayor Alice A. Roth at 716-695-8645 or the Chamber of Commerce at 716-692-5120.
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