Mayor Barlow announces start of Sheldon Beach Transformation Project

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Mayor Billy Barlow announced today the City of Oswego has started construction on a project to transform the Sheldon Beach area from a vacant, gravel parking lot into an accessible public park area with waterfront access, like the Lakeside Park project on East Tenth Street completed in 2019. The $150,000 project will consist of a parking area, the installation of green space, a walking trail to the waterfront known as “Flat Rock”, new public restroom facilities and seating picnic areas. The city will also repave 6th Avenue leading to the new park.

“We’ve experienced great success with our waterfront renovations to date, including Lakeside Park. We’ll replicate the success we’ve had a Lakeside Park at Sheldon Beach, creating an accessible space for SUNY students and Oswego families to utilize,” said Mayor Billy Barlow. “A transformed Sheldon Beach area will make for yet another nice, tranquil spot along the waterfront for folks to enjoy,” Barlow said.

Robert Corradino, President of the Oswego Common Council said, “the City of Oswego is so fortunate to have both a river and lake and to have clean, safe, and aesthetically pleasing access is very important to our residents and visitors. Just as we did with the Lakeside Park on the east side, this project will provide additional locations for people to enjoy our waterfront on the west side for recreation or just to watch a sunset. The renovations to Sheldon Beach are long overdue and the Common Council is very pleased to work with Mayor Barlow in making this project possible.”

Tim Rice, Commissioner of the Oswego Department Public Works, said, “the men and women of the Oswego DPW, under Mayor Barlow’s leadership, are excited to get to work on this important project. Our department has helped to transform Breitbeck Park and the Marina, built Lakeside Park, along with many other improvements, and this project will create a fun new space along our shoreline.”

Sheldon Beach has been known to locals as the area between the Oswego Steam Station and the SUNY Oswego Campus, serving as the entrance to the break wall. The project is funded from the $1.7 million allotment the city received from the American Rescue Plan in 2021. The city Department of Public Works will complete the entire project in-house. Construction is expected to last approximately seven weeks.