WHEATFIELD – Work on repairs around Olcott Beach is expected to be completed by the time the beach reopens next May, Newfane Councilwoman Laura Rutland said today, after the project was approved for $118,460 in Niagara River Greenway funding.
The Host Communities Standing Committee, which controls the purse strings for Greenway projects in Niagara County, unanimously approved the Town of Newfane’s funding request.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $131,292, with the town paying the amount not covered by the Greenway grant.
The town took over control of the Lake Ontario beach from the county two years ago, although it officially remains part of Krull Park, a 325-acre county-owned lakefront park.
Newfane Supervisor Timothy R. Horanburg said, “It’s the only beach I’m aware of along Lake Ontario that still maintains lifeguards.”
A concrete pier to the east of the beach, built by the county in the 1950s, is rapidly deteriorating, and the package includes $29,460 to resurface that pier.
The remainder of the Greenway money will be spent on shoring up and rebuilding a wall behind the beach. Rutland said that wall originally was the foundation of the long-gone Olcott Beach Hotel.
Horanburg said the repair work will include a makeover for the concrete stairs that lead from the overlook terraces down to the beach itself. “They need a lot of work,” he said.
The beach, scene of the annual Olcott Lions Club Polar Bear Swim each March, also has been vexed for several years by frequent closures because of e. coli bacteria, whose source has not been definitively determined.
Horanburg said improving the surroundings will not only make the beach itself more attractive, but will link up with two other Olcott projects that previously received Greenway cash.
In 2010, the standing committee invested in a $213,000 splash park in Krull Park and in 2011 gave $52,644 for a comfort station at the Olcott Beach Carousel Park, which is right across the street from the beach terraces.
The latest round of funding wraps up a big year for Olcott. Horanburg said there were 130,000 paid rides on the carousel this summer.
Also, the hamlet won two Internet contests. The World Fishing Network named Olcott its “Ultimate Fishing Town,” with a $25,000 cash prize to the town, to be used for projects to enhance the fisheries, Horanburg said.
The county received $50,000 from Coca-Cola Co. last year, for finishing second in an Internet poll for America’s favorite park. The county used the money to install an outdoor basketball court in Krull Park. A rededication ceremony for the court is set for Oct. 10, County Legislature Chairman William L. Ross said.
email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
The Host Communities Standing Committee, which controls the purse strings for Greenway projects in Niagara County, unanimously approved the Town of Newfane’s funding request.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $131,292, with the town paying the amount not covered by the Greenway grant.
The town took over control of the Lake Ontario beach from the county two years ago, although it officially remains part of Krull Park, a 325-acre county-owned lakefront park.
Newfane Supervisor Timothy R. Horanburg said, “It’s the only beach I’m aware of along Lake Ontario that still maintains lifeguards.”
A concrete pier to the east of the beach, built by the county in the 1950s, is rapidly deteriorating, and the package includes $29,460 to resurface that pier.
The remainder of the Greenway money will be spent on shoring up and rebuilding a wall behind the beach. Rutland said that wall originally was the foundation of the long-gone Olcott Beach Hotel.
Horanburg said the repair work will include a makeover for the concrete stairs that lead from the overlook terraces down to the beach itself. “They need a lot of work,” he said.
The beach, scene of the annual Olcott Lions Club Polar Bear Swim each March, also has been vexed for several years by frequent closures because of e. coli bacteria, whose source has not been definitively determined.
Horanburg said improving the surroundings will not only make the beach itself more attractive, but will link up with two other Olcott projects that previously received Greenway cash.
In 2010, the standing committee invested in a $213,000 splash park in Krull Park and in 2011 gave $52,644 for a comfort station at the Olcott Beach Carousel Park, which is right across the street from the beach terraces.
The latest round of funding wraps up a big year for Olcott. Horanburg said there were 130,000 paid rides on the carousel this summer.
Also, the hamlet won two Internet contests. The World Fishing Network named Olcott its “Ultimate Fishing Town,” with a $25,000 cash prize to the town, to be used for projects to enhance the fisheries, Horanburg said.
The county received $50,000 from Coca-Cola Co. last year, for finishing second in an Internet poll for America’s favorite park. The county used the money to install an outdoor basketball court in Krull Park. A rededication ceremony for the court is set for Oct. 10, County Legislature Chairman William L. Ross said.
email: tprohaska@buffnews.com