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2006 ERIE CANAL GREENWAY GRANT PROGRAM

The Canal Corporation Board approved the selected Erie Canal Greenway Grant proposals at its November 16, 2006 meeting. Of the 81 submitted applications, 54 proposals from municipalities and non-profits were selected for $8.365 million in funding. Eligible projects were required to demonstrate consistency with the 2005 "Report on the Future of New York State Canals" and the 1995 Canal Recreationway plan. See the list of Projects receiving Erie Canal Greenway Grant awards below:

Albany County

  • Erie Canal and Mohawk River Access in the Town of Colonie - $5,053 This funding request is to improve waterfront access to the Mohawk River in the town. Plans include weed eradication, a boardwalk, and interpretive signage.
  • Mohawk Hudson Bike-Hike Trail Improvements - $173,250 The City of Albany proposes to improve the Mohawk Hudson Bike-Hike Trail with trail resurfacing and widening, drainage improvements, pedestrian/bicyclists railing, benches and kiosks.
  • Cohoes Heritage Trail - $225,000 This proposed project is to establish a "loop" trail leading pedestrians and cyclists from the Eastern terminus of the Mohawk Hudson Bike Trail to access downtown Cohoes, Peebles Island State Park, and the Champlain Canal Trail system.

Cayuga County

  • Port Byron Old Erie Canal Heritage Park Restoration - $225,000 This grant will be used to rehabilitate and restore the Erie House, mule barn, and blacksmith shop.

Clinton County

  • Saranac River Trail/Peace Point Overlook - $135,000 This proposed project is for a 3-mile long shared use path along the Saranac River through the City of Plattsburgh.
  • Champlain Lakeshore Park - $134,910 This grant will support, in part, the development of a public, municipal park along the shoreline of historic Lake Champlain.

Erie County

  • Buffalo River Park Project - $225,000 This grant will fund part of a revitalization project for the Buffalo River Park. Buffalo River Park will be a 2.5-linear acre park with dock space for both transient boaters and seasonal rentals, food concessions, lavatory/showers, taxi service, a storage facility, launch, picnic area, walking trails, boardwalk, recreational boating opportunities, an amphitheater for festivals, and an interpretive center celebrating the Buffalo River's historic past.
  • Town of Amherst Erie Canal Greenway Veterans Canal Park Rehabilitation Project - $103,226 This grant is for the rehabilitation of a deteriorated boat launch, resurfacing the adjacent parking lot, and the structure of a storage facility to house on-site maintenance equipment.
Essex County
  • Lake Champlain Visitors Center Improvement Center - $225,000 This grant will complement rehabilitation efforts of the Lake Champlain Visitor Center to include plumbing, an ADA compliant restroom, electrical, heating, and fire alarm system improvements, and additional site work
  • Chesterfield Visitors Interpretive Center: The Waterways to Freedom Underground Railroad - $174,600 This grant to the Town of Chesterfield, in partnership with the North County Underground Railroad Historical Association, will support a plan to construct displays and interactive exhibits depicting the history of the Underground Railroad and the role the Canal System played in this important but often neglected story in American history.

Madison County

  • Mule/Horse Stable - $31,500 The Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum will use this grant to reconstruct the mule/horse stable to further educate the visiting public of the history of the Erie Canal.

Monroe County

  • JCC Boathouse and Erie Canal Recreation Center - $225,000 This grant will be used to construct the JCC Erie Canal Boat House and Recreation Center.
  • Village of Pittsford Waterfront Improvements, Phase VI - $225,000 This grant will be used to install sidewalks and crosswalks, lighting, landscaping, and a public water supply along the Canalway to enhance the village's recreational opportunities for both land-side and water-based users and to improve economic development.
  • Cobb's Lane Relocation Erie Canal Trail Improvements and Enhancements - $225,000 This grant to the Town of Perinton will be used to relocate Cobb's Lane and to reconstruct 2,561-linear feet of trailway in order to separate the trail from the roadway. The project also includes the construction of docking facilities for small, non-motorized boats and a trailhead parking lot along with the installation of benches and picnic tables.
  • Town of Brighton Greenway Water Trail/Canalway Trail Improvement - $225,000 This grant to the Town of Brighton will provide new lighting, amenities for a broad range of user groups, historic interpretation, and new non-motorized boater access along 6,500-linear feet of the canalway.
  • City of Rochester Greenway Water Trail/Canalway Trail Improvement Project - $224,100 This grant to the City of Rochester will provide new lighting, amenities for a broad range of user groups, historic interpretation, and new non-motorized boater access along 1,000-linear feet of the canal trailway and waterway.

Montgomery County

  • Welcome Center at Fort Plain Free Library - $131,025 This grant will be used to renovate and enlarge the existing Visitor Center to become a Welcome Center.
  • St. Johnsville Marina - $66,780 The Village of St. Johnsville will use this grant to match a $75,000 EPF grant awarded last year to install 600-linear feet of new floating docks and 20 new lighting poles and fixtures.

Niagara County

  • Village of Middleport Canal Park Enhancement Project - $22,500 This grant to the Village of Middleport for its Canal Park Enhancement project includes construction of a public pavilion near the towpath, extension of existing electrical and potable water lines, removal of a willow tree inhibiting electrical and water lines, ornamental planting, picnic tables, bicycle racks, and restoration of the towpath after modifications to the water and electric lines.
  • Erie Canal Flight of Five Site Furnishing Restoration - $112,500 The City of Lockport will use the grant to restore historic handrails, arched pedestrian bridges, stone stairways, and top-stone coping around the lock chambers of the historic Flight of Five Locks.
  • North Tonawanda Sweeney Canal Wall Dock Project - $72,000 This grant to the City of North Tonawanda will be used to add electric and water service to 900 feet of wall docking along the Erie Canal Gateway Harbor.

Oneida County

  • Canal Greenway Access: Main Street Connections - $225,000 This grant to the City of Rome is for a Canal Community Infrastructure Project that will provide connections between the Canal, Rome's soon-to-be-constructed Canalway Trail, and the city's downtown Main Streets District. The project includes parking, public docks, and interpretive signage.
  • Bellamy Harbor Improvements - $135,000 This funding will provide performance space and other needed improvements at Bellamy Harbor Park.

Onondaga County

  • Nine Mile Creek Aqueduct Restoration Project - $225,000 This grant to the Town of Camillus will be used to restore the Nine Mile Creek Aqueduct to an operable condition and upgrade approximately one-mile of the canal bed between Warners Road and the aqueduct site.
  • South Shore West Trail Dockside Electrical Service & Water Supply Project - $47,880 The Village of Baldwinsville will install marine electrical and water connections along the seawall on the South Shore West Trail.
  • Erie Canal Museum Interpretive & Educational Exhibits - $225,000 This grant will be used to redesign the museum's first floor exhibition gallery to incorporate state-of-the-art design and technology with artifacts and archives drawn from the Museum's extensive collection.
  • Onondaga Lake Park Marina Dock Enhancement - $225,000 This funding will be used to improve the existing marina by providing additional dock space and expand utility services.

Ontario County

  • Greenway/ Lakefront Dock Improvement Project - $75,600 This grant will be used to construct and install 4,000 square feet of floating docks along the Geneva Lakefront/Cayuga-Seneca Canal in the Long Pier and Lakefront Park Visitor Center areas of the lakefront.

Orleans County

  • Erie Canal Corridor Excursion Train - $225,000 This grant will support the acquisition of a pair of historic E-8 locomotive engines and land acquisition of approximately one-acre in the Village of Medina, enhancing the museum's Falls Branch RR and Erie Canal Excursion Train.
  • Medina Canal Loop Trail Enhancement Project - $17,220 This project will substantially complete the Loop Trail and provide an important linkage between the canal towpath and downtown business district.

Oswego County

  • Oswego Canal Greenway Access Project - $88,200 The City of Oswego's plan for the Oswego Canal Greenway Access Project will enhance the East Side Riverfront Walkway, bringing boaters more directly into Oswego's historic downtown and connecting the Oswego Canal Greenway to the Oswego Harbor Trail and the NY Scenic Byway, the Seaway Trail.
  • Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse Project - $225,000 This grant to the City of Oswego is to acquire the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse, and provide remedial cleanup and rehabilitation to preserve this National Historic Site.
  • Henley Park, North and Lock Island Improvements - $45,000 This grant to the Village of Phoenix is for projects situated adjacent to Canal Lock 1. Improvements include enhancement of boat launching facilities on North Island; kayak/canoe ramp at Henley Park and shoreline stabilization; and interpretive signage, and trail improvements on Lock Island.

Saratoga County

  • Old Champlain Canal Walking Trail Restoration - $45,000 The village will restore the Old Champlain Canal Walking Trail by clearing the towpath and viewshed, setting the stage for increased trail usage and tourism.
  • Champlain Canal Trail - $112,500 This grant will be used to develop a segment of the proposed Champlain Canal Trail that will include the development of a trail head at the Water Treatment Plant located along the Champlain south of Brookwood Road, and parking lot.
  • Hudson Crossing Park - $225,000 This funding is for enhancements to the Hudson Crossing Park project which includes public property on the Lock C5 Island and the Stark's Knob Scientific Reservation owned by the NYS Dept. of Education.
  • Town of Saratoga Recreational Trail System - $117,000 This grant is for the clearing and upgrading of two portions of the Old Champlain Canal Towpath for recreational uses.
  • Hudson River Boat Launch - $225,000 This grant will be used to design, permit and construct a two-lane public boat launch with restrooms, a separate canoe/kayak launch area, nature trail loop, parking space, information kiosk, landscaping and picnic area.
  • Waterford Water Trail Dockage and Amenities - $207,510 This project, located below Lock 2 to the south, includes a handicap accessible pathway, floating docks, picnic tables with grills, a parking area with some motor home electrical hook-ups, restrooms, and landscaping.
  • Riverview Landing Public Access Project - $180,000 This project will provide the only public access to the River and Erie Canal Greenway area along the Town of Clifton Park's 8-mile riverfront.

Schenectady County

  • Mohawk Valley Canalside Interpretive Kiosks - $90,000 The Mohawk Valley Heritage Corridor Commission will provide visitor information/interpretive kiosks at 17 locations along the Erie Canal within the Mohawk Valley Heritage Corridor.
  • Schenectady Canal Access, Interpretation & Visitor Services Project - $225,000 This grant to Schenectady County is to improve riverfront access and promote historic tourism throughout the county by installing public access docks, waterfront park improvements, public access restrooms, visitor services, education kiosks and signage, and Blueway Trail flags.

Seneca County

  • Frank J. Ludovico Sculpture Trail Phase 2 - $67,500 This funding is for Phase 2 of the Ludovico Sculpture Trail, and will be used for the development of the trail along the former rail bed on the south bed of the Cayuga-Seneca Canal in the Village of Seneca Falls.
  • Canalside Community Boatstop Project - $160,115 The Town of Seneca Falls will renovate a non-motorized boat launch on the Seneca Canal by installing 100 feet of floating dock, and construction of restrooms, showers and laundry facilities for boaters.

Schuyler County

  • Village of Montour Falls Marina Park Improvements - $225,000 This grant will assist in the upgrade of the Montour Falls Marina Park. The improvements will include new restrooms/shower facilities, a new campground, and an informational center.

Warren County

  • Feeder Canal Signage Improvement - $9,000 This funding will be used to refurbish or replace weathered and obsolete interpretive signage, and create additional signage along the 7-mile long Feeder Canal Trail.
  • Warren County: Improving Feeder Canal Community Connections - $140,585 This grant will be used to resurface the existing towpath trail, create or enhance parking areas and connect existing recreation and cultural facilities to the towpath trail and canal. Projects are proposed for Overlook Park in the Town of Queensbury and Haviland Cove in the City of Glens Falls.

Washington County

  • Rogers Island Visitor Center Expansion - $224,100 The Town of Fort Edward will use this funding to assist in expanding the existing Rogers Island Visitor Center into a 35,000 square foot, state-of-the-art museum and educational complex.
  • Historic Coal Silos Restoration - $225,000 This grant will support the restoration of five unique Historic Coal Silos, built in the late 1800s, as they are one of the last remaining intact architectural artifacts representative of the bustling industrial economy once located on the Feeder Canal.

Wayne County

  • Palmyra Canalside Nature Park Proposal: Terminal Wall Project - $225,000 This funding is for terminal wall improvements to the Port of Palmyra Marina including docking space and a boat launch for motorized boaters.
  • Palmyra Canalside Nature Park Proposal: Restroom Improvement Project - $175,163 This grant will be used to construct restrooms and showers at the Port of Palmyra Marina.
  • Improvements to Newark Canal Port Services - $113,711 The grant to the Village of Newark will assist with upgrades to its boater services to current standards, extend and improve the Canal Trail, and broaden canal-side cultural and recreational opportunities.
  • H.G. Hotchkiss Essential Oil Company Plant Restoration Project - $224,787 This funding is to complete the restoration of the Hotchkiss Essential Oil Company building to its original condition.
  • Village of Lyons North & South Side Erie Canal Project - $202,452 This funding will provide dockage on both sides of the Erie Canal between Leach Road Bridge and Route 14 Bridge. Electrical updates will be made to existing street lamps and additional marina style outlets will be installed at dockage sites. Shower and bathroom facilities will be constructed in the Village Fire Station, as well as parking lot improvements, driveway access, canoe launch, picnic tables, and other amenities.