Mayor Barlow announces $225,000 for Harbor Trail Improvement Project
Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow announced a $225,000 project enhancing the Oswego Harbor Trail along Breitbeck Park and the Oswego lake front in the City of Oswego. The Oswego Harbor Trail project will transform the recreational trail, clearing brush, weeds and overgrown vegetation in an effort to beautify the area and increase usage along the trail and Breitbeck Park. The Harbor Trail project was originally included in the Waterfront Revitalization plan unveiled in 2016 and is the latest of many projects the City of Oswego has started to revitalize and improve the waterfront area within the City of Oswego.
"Immediately after taking office in 2016 we did a comprehensive waterfront feasibility study. Even before we conducted the feasibility study, I had a project in mind that I felt needed to be done and should've been done a long, long time ago," said Mayor Billy Barlow. It is unacceptable to have what should be the most picturesque scene in the City along our lakefront appear the way it does today. Enhancing the Oswego Harbor Trail around the bottom of Breitbeck Park and along our lake shore will dramatically improve this walkway and make it look and feel the way it should. Enhancing this area will incentivize people to actually acknowledge our waterfront and the beautiful natural assets we have in our own backyard and is consistent with our
strategic approach to improving our parks and capitalizing on our unique position along Lake Ontario and the Owego River. Improving this area is something that should've been done a long time ago and I am happy to finally deliver this product to the Oswego community," Barlow said.
The funding for the Oswego Harbor Trail Project is derived from two funding sources.
Mayor Barlow will propose to the Oswego Common Council a $50,000 allocation to supplement a $175,000 grant from New York State the City received in 2016. The Administrative Services Committee will consider the funding allocation on Monday, June 18th at 6:30pm in Oswego City Hall. Mayor Barlow also announced the closure of Harbor Trail as the City of Oswego Department of Public Works begins construction along the trail. The project is due to be completed by Oswego's annual Harborfest celebration beginning on July 26th, 2018 and the trail will be re-opened immediately upon completion.
