BUFFALO, NY -- The Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District will host a ceremonial groundbreaking event and media site tour, Tuesday, August 25, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. in front of the Col. Ward Pump Station, by the water, at 2 Porter Ave., Buffalo, NY 14201.
The ceremony celebrates the start of repairs to over 1,300 feet of the seawall at the northern section of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park, which has deteriorated over time due to Lake Erie ice and wave action.
"This is an exciting time for LaSalle Park with planning underway to transform the site into Western New York's next great waterfront destination," Congressman Brian Higgins said. "This work, supported by federal funding and led by the Army Corps Buffalo District, will reinforce the water's edge providing the foundation from which the new Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park will grow."
"Repair of the seawall at the City's former LaSalle Park is something we've been working toward with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for several years to protect the park and the City's Col. Ward Pumping Station," Mayor Byron W. Brown said. "With the transition to the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park, a secure, updated seawall has become an even more critical infrastructure component that is necessary to secure what will be a world-class waterfront destination for generations to come."
Scheduled attendees include:
•Rep. Brian Higgins
•City of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown
•USACE Buffalo District commander Lt. Col. Eli Adams
•Representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers.
•Representatives from the City of Buffalo.
•Representatives from Imagine LaSalle Park.
The Buffalo District awarded a $6.11 million contract to repair over 1,300 feet of seawall, which has deteriorated over time due to Lake Erie ice and wave action, at the northern section of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park, located in Buffalo, NY. The project will not only protect the pumping station, but it also helps protect the former LaSalle Park’s infrastructure from flooding.
“We look forward to working with the City and the Imagine LaSalle team to help protect this critical piece of infrastructure and achieve the vision of the LaSalle Park, which will benefit our community for years to come,” said Lt. Col. Eli Adams, Buffalo District’s commander.
The project is being conducted in partnership with the non-federal sponsor, the City of Buffalo, and had been cost shared through the feasibility and design phases totaling $1.1 million. It is being closely coordinated with the $50 million Imagine LaSalle project.
“The Lake Erie seawall and the neighborhood pedestrian bridge are critical infrastructure projects identified during the Imagine LaSalle community engagement process and important additions to the future park development. We’re excited to see progress on the seawall repairs, the first of many aligned projects in Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park,” said JJ Tighe, Director of Parks & Trails Initiative, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. “We thank all of the stakeholders focused on critical water infrastructure, shoreline resilience, climate change mitigation and natural aquatic habitat growth, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Governor Cuomo, NYS Department of Conservation and Environmental Facilities Corp., the Great Lakes Commission including the Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper and the City of Buffalo.”
For more information about the LaSalle Park project please visit: https://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/Portals/45/docs/ProjFact/New%20York%2026/NY26LaSalleParkBuffalo.pdf
For more information about the Corps of Engineers’ Continuing Authorities Program please visit: https://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Overview/Continuing-Authorities-Program/
For more information about the Imagine LaSalle Park project please visit:
https://regional-institute.buffalo.edu/project/imagine-lasalle/