OSWEGO – After years of planning, securing funding and construction, Mayor Billy Barlow welcomed local and state officials to a ribbon cutting ceremony, debuting the new Wright’s Marina Landing, today, June 14.
According to Barlow, the plans were in the works since 2016 to revamp the landing after hosting a waterfront feasibility study with boaters and other people involved in the waterfront community.
This was only the first step in the process, however, with the second coming in October of 2019 when Barlow announced a $12.6 million Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI) grant from the state, with roughly $6 million going towards Wright’s Landing. Despite the hefty price tag, Barlow boasted the Oswego Department of Public Works for its hard work, cutting the cost nearly in half.
“The only reason we’re standing here today with one of the first major REDI projects to cut a ribbon along Lake Ontario is because [DPW Commissioner] Tom Kells has worked to build a capability within our DPW,” Barlow said. “While other municipalities are subbing out and contracting out and doing bids for projects like this … we can do projects in-house. This project and where we are sitting today was originally budgeted for over $6 million. We are coming in at about $3.5 million because we were able to do it in-house with our local DPW.”
The department was a big help in lowering the cost as many contractors charge extra in order to make a profit. With a local government agency doing the work, profit and making money was not a cost that the city needed to incur.
At the ribbon cutting ceremony was other state officials including Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, Commissioner of the New York State Office of General Services RoAnn Destito and the Assistant Commissioner of the New York Department of Transportation Sean Hennessey, who was there to represent another key cog in the process to help revitalize shore communities across New York, the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation, Marie Therese Dominguez.
Hochul opened up, praising Oswego as one of her favorite places to visit in New York. As a frequent boater herself, she was dedicated to improving a marina that was ruined by flooding over the last several years. She spoke of a mindset that the state and city had in mind when using the grant money on the overall waterfront, looking to the future.
“We don’t need to go back to the way it was,” Hochul said. “We learned during the flooding events, during the pandemic there is no sense in looking backwards when you are looking for a vision to the future. This region, this area represents a fabulous vision for the future.”
This future vision that the city and state had in mind included a variety of upgrades to the area, including to the International Pier which is set to include a new boardwalk. Upgrades to Wright’s Landing include repairs and raising the docks and structure, a new system to hold and filter rainwater which Hennessey described as “very innovative,” as well as a new gift shop, marine fuel station and making the entire complex ADA accessible. Collaboration seemed to be one of the key words at the ceremony, with Destito praising the teamwork of the two governments.
“After all the work the state and local leaders, especially Mayor Barlow, put into those efforts, it is incredibly gratifying when we see what has been accomplished here at Wright’s Landing,” Destito said. “This is collaboration. It is successful between the state and local communities of these REDI projects [and] is really worth celebrating.”
While the marina has been either partially closed or completely closed for four of the last five years, the renovations will surely change that. The docks were raised three feet, six inches higher than the tallest water level recorded since 2014, according to Barlow. Because of this and the new gift shop and amenities, Wright’s Landing is expected to bring in plenty of economic opportunities for the city and its small businesses.
“This project did more than simply fortify the marina and the surrounding properties from future floods and weather events,” Hennessey said. “Working together with the City of Oswego, we also increased opportunities for residents and visitors alike to take full advantage of this glorious waterfront. It created a world-class destination for boaters that will boost recreation and spur the economic growth of the city.”
At the very least, the $3.5 million improvement to the marina will cut costs long term. Flooding has created $5.5 million in damages to Wright’s Landing since 2016, something that is unlikely to occur again.
Barlow rounded out the discussion thanking the state for giving $300 million to lakeshore municipalities, adding that the state was dedicated to improving these areas. He also noted that he is most excited for the new boardwalk coming in the summer of 2022.
“As excited as I am for the Wright’s Landing Marina, I really think the International Pier Project is going to transform the waterfront and really have a huge impact,” Barlow said. “The International Pier, I think is going to be a draw, where people are going to want to come down to the pier and spend their entire day [here].”
The ribbon cutting at Wright’s Landing signifies something bigger than just a place to launch and dock boats. It was the next big step in revitalizing the City of Oswego, supplementing improvements like new downtown housing, the splash pad at Breitbeck Park and more.
“There is no denying that Osewgo is in the middle of a full-scale transformation. You drive through downtown, you see all the work [that is going on] thanks to the Downtown Revitalization Initiative … We are doing constant improvements to our parks,” Barlow said. “There is progress happening in every corner of this community, and finally in 2019 we had to turn our attention to the waterfront.”
All of the REDI and Downtown Revitalization Initiative grants point towards one thing that was a major theme at the ceremony: the future.
“When we took office five, six years ago in an everyday sense, we come to city hall to try and push this community forward,” Barlow said. “We think, ‘how can we make this city a better place than it was yesterday? What decisions can we make to help improve the lives of our neighbors in one month, one year, 10 years [down the line]?’ I think when you see the progress we are making, the results that we are delivering, I think you can see our goals and our decisions for the community are just that.”
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