E.R.I.E. to apply for grant to fund projects
By Beth Hoad

Carmella Mantello, Director of the state Canal Corp., told people of local Erie's Restoration Interests Everyone, Inc. (E.R.I.E.) members that grants formerly available through Erie Canal Greenway grants might not be available this year, but the group should turn in their application regardless. 

The $1 million program is the second round of an appropriation designed to encourage integrated, thematic approaches to tourism promotion within New York State through matching grants up to $50,000. Applications are due March 7.

Empire State Development will match $1 for every dollar incurred by applicants up to that amount. She also said that the matching funds could be in kind. All grants will be awarded based on how well their proposed projects relate and adhere to thematically related activities that present an economical and effective plan for promoting tourism in New York State.

Funds will be awarded no later than May 2. In addition, she reported 50 of 54 projects covered by the first round of Erie Canal Greenway grants have been signed, sealed and many have broken ground.

Mantello said development of the Bike Trail from Newark to Galen is a "front burner" project, but funding for the program has been deferred in favor of bridge restructuring and repair for 2008.

 However, federal funding might be available for the Trail Project and the possibility will be investigated further. Mention was made that maintenance issues are a concern because some members of the Wayne County Board of Supervisors believe that trail maintenance is not appropriate use of county tax dollars. 

It was announced that shower and restroom facilities for boaters at the Lyons Fire Department are under construction and a restroom complex at Port of Palmyra Marina will also be undertaken soon.

 Palmyra Mayor Vicky Daly said application for a terminal wall grant for a boat launch in Palmyra has also been filed with EPF.

 Arcadia Town Supervisor Richard Colacino reported that work continues toward establishing a Sports Complex at Colburn Park in Newark.

Mark DeCracker of Lyons, local chair of "Mural Mania" and Corky Goss, founder of "Art in Public Places," said their project named "15 Miles on the Erie Canal" should qualify for the grants. There are mural projects underway in Lyons, Clyde and Newark. 

According to Goss, NYS funding can generate cost effective improvement to the upstate economy by energizing tourism by creating art that allows beauty and relevance to blossom on the banks of the Erie Canal. The presentation explained the "15 Miles on the Erie Canal" project is designed to attract visitor to the lore of the present and historical Erie Canal. 

DeCracker said the 15 miles from Newark to Clyde has more historical structures, aqueducts and sections of "Clinton's Ditch" with water and old locks than any other section of the NY State Canal System. He said the concept would, when linked with restorative projects, bring economic development in terms of tourism and making the area more appealing to new businesses. The actual term "15 miles" comes from lyrics of a folk song about the Erie Canal. 

These sites that would be highlighted by signage and pathway development in the 15-mile stretch beginning at Spencer T. Knight Park in Newark and ending in Clyde: 

• Stop #1 - T. Spencer Knight Canal Port and Visitors Center; 

• Stop #2 - Lock 28B and Enlarged Erie Lock 59 in Newark; 

• Stop #3 - Lock E-56 poorhouse Lock and Grocery across from the Wayne county Complex; Lock E-56 (ca 1850) and Erie Canal side by side; 

• Stop #4 - Erie Canal Lock 28A and Dry Dock; 

• Stop #5 - Abbey Park and Lyons Aqueduct; 

• Stop #6 - Hotchkiss Essential Oils Co, and G. Winston Dobbins Park and mural "Winston's Dream," enlarged Erie Lock 55; 

• Stop #7 - Lyons Visitors Center and Historic Canal Street in Lyons;

• Stop #8 - Clinton's Ditch at Pilgrimport, where a spur off the trail could be planned and Clinton's Ditch at Lock Berlin; 

• Stop #9 with Clinton' s Ditch Lock and Lock 54 of the Enlarged Erie, where extensive clean up would reveal the structures, and 

• Stop #10 - -the Erie Canal Murals at Clyde round out the proposed sites.
  

The sites can be reached by the canal or via Route 31, with Stop #8 accessible only from Route 31. Entry to the 15 miles is possible anywhere along the route

Information about this project can be found at

 www.lyonsmuralmania.com or www.lyonsny.com

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