A new boat launch ramp needed at the Lackawanna shoreline

[Smeltz]

Mostly Muskies:

On 12/4/2019 at 6:51 PM, mostlymuskies said:

Please share! Exciting updates on redevelopment progress for the former Bethlehem Steel site! Join us for a public meeting Tuesday, December 17 at 6:00 p.m. in Lackawanna

Larry...in what building is the Lackawanna meeting that you mentioned? That's the first I heard about it & am interested in it. Regardless of where a launch is built, for the miles of Lake Erie shoreline we have it's pathetic that there isn't more access. A launch or improvement project at Hamburg is out because that property is owned by the Locksley Park Homeowners Assoc & leased to the Town for $1/yr with the stipulation that it only be used by Hamburg residents. If grant money is used, it has to become open to the public, which will violate the lease agreement.

I like your idea of the Union Ship Canal; protected from waves, wouldn't sand up, deep water, out of the SBH traffic pattern and probably the lowest cost of all the alternatives

[mostlymuskies]

6 pm Dec 17th at St.Anthony's Church,306 Ingham St.,Lackawanna,NY 14218

Mostly Muskies:
Larry...in what building is the Lackawanna meeting that you mentioned? That's the first I heard about it & am interested in it. Regardless of where a launch is built, for the miles of Lake Erie shoreline we have it's pathetic that there isn't more access. A launch or improvement project at Hamburg is out because that property is owned by the Locksley Park Homeowners Assoc & leased to the Town for $1/yr with the stipulation that it only be used by Hamburg residents. If grant money is used, it has to become open to the public, which will violate the lease agreement.
I like your idea of the Union Ship Canal; protected from waves, wouldn't sand up, deep water, out of the SBH traffic pattern and probably the lowest cost of all the alternatives

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[Hoboherbs77]

Glad to hear people discussing this matter.  I have always advocated to my local government  for a  small hand  launch in the Buffalo River but they must confuse what I said for kayak launches.  There is never a place to launch  in the spring when harbors are still iced up. Decent stealhead runs as well as your bullhead and catfish. Never the less another launch anywhere would be nice.  

[mostlymuskies]

I have seen fishermen Launch small boats off a gravel area at Red Jacket Riverfront Erie County Park off Smith Street.

Glad to hear people discussing this matter.  I have always advocated to my local government  for a  small hand  launch in the Buffalo River but they must confuse what I said for kayak launches.  There is never a place to launch  in the spring when harbors are still iced up. Decent stealhead runs as well as your bullhead and catfish. Never the less another launch anywhere would be nice.  

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[Hoboherbs77]

Great I’ll look into it, would you feel comfortable launching your boat there? And leave your truck and trailer there? 

[mostlymuskies]

I have parked there to go hiking and have had no problems!

Great I’ll look into it, would you feel comfortable launching your boat there? And leave your truck and trailer there? 

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[Smeltz]

My son & his friend took my jon boat (on a utility trailer & small outboard) there last summer, parked the trailer & hand carried the jon to the River. No problems at all

[jimski2]

One day in the summer I walked the shoreline at the foot of Catherine Street. I saw bass everywhere. No one really knows the fishery we have there. The Buffalo Creek watershed is a secret in our back yard.


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[mostlymuskies]

I run the Buffalo Pedal Tour Pedal Boat all summer up as far as Red Jacket County Park. The number of walleye marked up and down the Buffalo River are unbelievable!

One day in the summer I walked the shoreline at the foot of Catherine Street. I saw bass everywhere. No one really knows the fishery we have there. The Buffalo Creek watershed is a secret in our back yard.


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[jimski2]

Before the SBH was opened my father kept our 18 foot boat moored in the Union Ship  Canal next to the bridge.  Launching was done by the Pennsylvania Ore Dock crane which lifted the boat into the canal and the bridge tender was our watchman.  The costs were a share of the blue pike catches. Anyway the canal is ripe for floating boat docks and a launch ramp. The land nearby has been remediated by tax credit use so it parking is accessible. Public safety needs a railing fence to protect falling into the deep ship channel. Larger boats could be launched with a mobile lift crane. If the state can not use the boat registration fees, trailer registration fees and sales tax revenues for the use by boaters then it is time for the money to be returned to the boaters , We also need to consider the sales taxes for fuel, boating safety equipment, electronics , fishing equipment, fishing license revenues generated by boaters and other boaters such as jet skis, sail boating, just pleasure boaters that end up in the black holes called Albany and Washington. The money is there, just fools like us are not doing enoughto get a fair return on it.

Edited December 17, 2019 by jimski2
more tax dollars

[mostlymuskies]

You need to go to tonight's meeting on Bethlehem Steel Site Project Update and join others asking for more boat access!

Before the SBH was opened my father kept our 18 foot boat moored in the Union Ship  Canal next to the bridge.  Launching was done by the Pennsylvania Ore Dock crane which lifted the boat into the canal and the bridge tender was our watchman.  The costs were a share of the blue pike catches. Anyway the canal is ripe for floating boat docks and a launch ramp. The land nearby has been remediated by tax credit use so it parking is accessible. Public safety needs a railing fence to protect falling into the deep ship channel. Larger boats could be launched with a mobile lift crane. If the state can not use the boat registration fees, trailer registration fees and sales tax revenues for the use by boaters then it is time for the money to be returned to the boaters.

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[jimski2]

The high Lake Erie water levels and the gravel blockage of the Smoke Creek into Lake Erie will cause local flooding of Lackawanna streets and neighborhoods. Millions of tax dollars were spent for the Flood Control Project after four disaster floods of City streets and homes in 1936 and three times in the 1950's. The maintenance of the shore line piers to allow this has never happened as the shoreline extends to the end of the channel that the piers were built for. This has reduced the depth of the creeks outlet to a reported six inches. Walleyes are reported to spawn in the gravel there but the loss of millions of dollars to homeowners in soon to come flood outweigh the loss of this area which is man made and the majority of homeowners do not worship the walleyes as a  necessary need now.