The City of Rochester is beckoning people to come down to the Genesee River from Friday to Sunday. Dozens of events and attractions are planned for Roc the Riverway weekend to both entertain and educate.
"We all know the Genesee River is here, and the Erie Canal is here, but now there's so much more attention paid to it as real assets to our community." says Patrick Bibeau-Walsh, executive director of Rochester by Water, which operates the Riverie and Sam Patch tour boats.
Bibeau-Walsh says there will be 16 cruises throughout the weekend as part of the event. He says there will be many varieties to choose from, like the kids Boo! on the Boat cruise or the Cider and Donuts cruises to enjoy the festive fall spirit.
The weekend's activities also include bike tours, walking history tours, paddling, and various family-friendly activities. Mayor Malik Evans says this event doubles as a way for visitors to see the many capital improvement projects that Rochester has invested in over the years.
"We’ve made significant progress in creating welcoming public spaces, improving access to the river, and investing in the future of our waterfront. This weekend gives everyone an opportunity to enjoy these spaces, learn more about our river and celebrate the people and projects helping Rochester move forward," the mayor said in a statement.
The Roc the Riverway initiative started back in 2018 when then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced $50 million in state funding to kick of the first of many projects to restore the Genesee River in and around Rochester. Among the more than two dozen projects are various green spaces as well as walking and biking trails to increase public access to the waterfront.
Jim Farr, director of the Rochester Public Market, explains that many of the projects serve to repair damage done during the age of milling and manufacturing in the city's earlier years.
"One hundred years ago, we weren't as educated on what was good for our environment. It seemed as though the river and the lake could handle any sort of discharges for years to come, but we found that wasn't true," Farr said.
"So, with some infrastructure investment by both the city and the county and the state, there's been major improvements to the water quality of the river."
Now, river attractions like Rochester by Water seek to correct a long-held public belief that the Genesee River is unsanitary or unhealthy.
"I think people are really surprised when they get out on the waterway and they see what a thriving ecosystem it is. How many birds and turtles and the wildlife that's around, and certainly for our fifth graders—we do a fifth grade science program—and [they] come away with a really great understanding of the health of the waterway," said Bibeau-Walsh.
The city broke ground on the Genesee Crossroads Park in early September, making it one of the most recent Roc the Riverway projects. It involves more than $8 million of renovations along the east side of the river between Andrews and Main Streets.
A presentation on the park project delivered jointly by the city's Department of Environmental Services and Bureau of Architecture and Engineering calls for adding accessibility features to make the Sister Cities Bridge ADA compliant, renovating connections between walking and biking areas, and improved lighting for public safety.
One of the most highly anticipated projects is redevelopment of the former Vacuum Oil Refinery site. The Vacuum Oil Company is the predecessor of Exxon Mobile. From the 1860s to early 1930s, the company operated on the site in the Plymouth Exchange neighborhood across the river from the University of Rochester and Mt. Hope Cemetery.
Parts of the site are currently in the remediation phase under New York's Superfund program after environmental investigators discovered petroleum residue and volatile compounds remained on the site as a result of the Vacuum Oil Company's activities there.
The Superfund is the New York Department of Environmental Conservation's program for cleaning up hazardous waste sites. After several rounds of investigations, the state can hold contributing companies financially responsible for remediation.
Other parts of the site are enrolled in the state's Brownfield Cleanup Program.
