Brockport Mayor Margaret Blackman told residents attending the August 1 Village Board meeting that a final decision has not yet been made regarding the location of a boathouse planned along the bank of the Erie Canal.
Carolin Drive resident Helaine Donn questioned the mayor during the public comment portion of the August 1 meeting. “I want every detail I can get,” Donn said.
The village has received two grants for the proposed Brockport Rowing and Canal Development Project, the mayor said, which includes a floating dock and a boathouse to facilitate recreational and competitive rowing programs in Brockport.
Mayor Blackman said there is plenty of time for the village to make a decision regarding where the boathouse will be located. Corbett Park is one proposed location and the mayor met recently with residents in that neighborhood to discuss the issue. When asked by Donn what other location is being considered, the mayor responded that discussions regarding another location have just begun, “I am not at liberty to talk about the location … board members know, but it is not for the public to know,” she told Donn.
Donn asked questions regarding grant funding for the project. Mayor Blackman explained matching funds for the $75,000 grant will come from donations, BISCO, the Big Tent Craft Beer event at the Low Bridge High Water festival and in-kind labor from the village’s Department of Public Works. She said a 501c3 called Brockport Rowing will be established to carry on the rowing effort once the infrastructure is in place. The village has also received a $50,000 grant for the project. The second grant does not need matching funds, the mayor said.
Resident Linda Borrayo also spoke during public comment and said she does not agree with the Corbett Park location or the need for a rowing program. “This is a poor community,” Borrayo said. “The use of money for this type of wish-list that takes care of the elite is not something the Village of Brockport needs.”
Nancy McCann, who also lives on Carolin Drive, noted rowing is a sport she would enjoy, but expressed concern that the village cannot afford such a project. “The village is in a financial crisis as far as I’m concerned,” she told the Board. “I have strong feelings … (the boathouse) … is incredibly impractical for Brockport and would put stress on taxpayers,” she said.
McCann said the village should instead be focusing on infrastructure needs and noted she is “terrified” of the risk of flooding in the area of Corbett Park if a boathouse is built there.
During her report, Mayor Blackman noted the importance of the village continuing to seek grants to help pay for necessary improvements and repairs.
As an example, she noted repairs and improvements planned for Corbett Park. Material costs alone are $134,000, she said, and the village does not have the funds for the upgrades. “It’s a good reason to have grant writers,” Mayor Blackman explained.
She reported on a recent meeting with residents regarding the boathouse. Mayor Blackman said about 25 people attended. “Most clearly did not want to see the boathouse in Corbett Park,” the mayor said, “some did not want to see rowing in Brockport.”
Currently Pittsford, Fairport and Brighton have rowing programs along the canal. Brockport would be the first to have such a program on the west side of the county.Village leaders have said the boathouse and rowing project would allow the village to continue its development of canal-related activities and attractions integral to economic development goals related to canal tourism.
In December 2015, Mayor Blackman told the Suburban News, “I think (the rowing program) has great potential to bring to the area not only a recreational activity that appeals to a wide age group, but also an increased use of the canal, and the tourism and traffic to our downtown that will follow in its wake.”
