GI company pitches proposal to Twin Cities

Local News

January 6, 2011

By David J. Hill The Tonawanda News The Tonawanda News Thu Jan 06, 2011, 11:48 PM EST

— — A Grand Island sightseeing venture is looking to expand and is considering docking somewhere in the Twin Cities.

Richard Deegan, who owns and operates Grand Lady Cruises, recently offered a proposal to the City of Tonawanda to lease dock space for a new vessel.

Deegan confirmed Thursday that he’s looking to purchase a new vessel, but said it’s far too early to talk specifically about whether his company will have a presence in either Tonawanda or North Tonawanda. “We’ve got two (vessels) under consideration. We’re certainly not going to buy a vessel if there’s no place to put it,” he said.

Deegan established Grand Lady Cruises in 1998 and has since been cruising the Niagara River, offering customers a unique sightseeing option and dinner cruises. Built in Wisconsin in 1993, the Grand Lady itself is an 80-foot long vessel that weighs 51 gross tons. It docks at the Holiday Inn on Grand Island.

In a proposal outlined to Tonawanda Mayor Ron Pilozzi, Deegan says the new vessel his company is seeking would seat more — approximately 250 passengers — than the Grand Lady, which seats 149, according to the company’s website.

The vessel likely would be used for school and tour groups, as well as evening cruises for individuals and private charters during the company’s operating season from mid-May through early October.

To accommodate the vessel, Grand Lady Cruises would lease 100 feet of fixed dockage near where Ellicott Creek empties into the Erie Canal, Deegan’s proposal says. In addition, the venture’s daily operations would require parking for passengers’ vehicles, as well as lavatory facilities, a drop-off area and ticket booth.

Pilozzi also said the idea is in only the early stages as both cities would have to determine whether the proposal would be worthwhile. His hope is that Grand Lady Cruises’ potential expansion across the Niagara River would be a boon for the Twin Cities’ downtowns. “Whenever you can induce traffic to your downtown business center, that’s a plus,” he said.

The city also will have to consider the possible trade-offs of leasing dock space. “The question is whether we can give up 100 feet of dockage along the canal,” Pilozzi said.

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