Working together to strengthen the relationship between the city of Oswego and the Port Authority of Oswego, the first-ever joint meeting of the Oswego Common Council and the Port Authority Board of Directors was held in the boardroom at the port site, Thursday afternoon.

Following a brief introduction by port board of directors chairman Chris Dain, Oswego Mayor Randy Bateman gave a brief overview of some upcoming projects in which the entities will be working together. Bateman discussed the future development of the Oswego Water Front Square, which will be located at the former Flexowire site on the city’s west side. He said the city and the port share the building on the site and gave a briefing on what can be expected at the site of the $6.895 million project which will be mostly funded by grant monies.

Bateman also spoke briefly about future marina activities and development of the Harbor Trail. “We both have a common goal in seeing the progression of economic development in our city,” Bateman said, “And we look forward to working together and partnering with the port on many items in the future.”

Port Executive Director Jonathan Daniels followed the mayor with a brief presentation, detailing activities and projects to be developed over the course of the next year at the site. Daniels presented plans to improve the rail system and upgrades to the pavement and concrete to improve transportation at the site. He said that these changes will not only prove more convenient in maneuvering around the facility, but will enable more business to be conducted there.

Daniels also detailed the East Terminal Connector Project, which will see upgrades at the site in security and storage facilities while improving the landscaping to the area. The project would upgrade the on-site weigh-in station and could eventually lead to increased business at the port. 

“We have the perfect location for them, geographically ... this would lead to a significant amount of economic development,” Daniels said, referring to U.S.-bound containers from Canada.

He also touched on the upcoming dredging project, slated to begin on Aug. 1, explaining that $640,000 has already been allocated to fund the project. He noted that the dredging will not only financially benefit the port, but will also make for easier entry access to the marina and to the power plants near by. In addition to the funding already secured, Daniels told those present that he was hard at work to secure $840,000 for a follow-up dredging project for 2010, while trying to convince the Army Corps of Engineers to include funding for a breakwater rehabilitation project. “This may seem like a long time off,” Daniels said, “but if we want it to happen it is work that we need to start doing now.”

Lastly, Daniels spoke on the prospect of bringing cruise ships into Oswego. He felt that the historical offerings of Fort Ontario and the attractiveness of Linear Park with the near by access to Finger Lakes wine tours would make the Port City a natural stop of for a cruise liner. He noted that the infrastructure for such a venture is already in place and that local retailers would greatly benefit from such an operation. Mayor Bateman agreed with the cruise ship tours having great potential, stating, “I think our community would really get behind something like this ... I also think that once people were exposed to Oswego, they’d realize what a gem we have here.”