Boathouse On Erie Canal Set For UB Rowing Teams

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The rowing teams at the University at Buffalo will have a new home this fall, thanks to construction of a boathouse to be built in North Amherst.

The temporary facility, which will be used by the men's and women's rowing teams, will be located four miles from the North (Amherst) Campus on Tonawanda Creek Road, east of Campbell Boulevard and the North Amherst Fire Company.

It will provide UB's women's and men's rowing teams with access both to Tonawanda Creek and the Erie Canal.

The 30-by-70 foot metal sectional building will be built on property owned by the New York State Thruway Authority. The land will continue to be open to the public.

Construction of the boathouse will begin this summer, with completion expected by Sept. 1. A permanent location for the boathouse will be chosen at a later time.

Intercollegiate rowing is one of the fastest-growing sports of the decade. UB's men's and women's rowing teams were started in 1990 as club sports. In the fall of 1997, the women's rowing team was upgraded to varsity status.

But practice space is dear, especially in the Northeast, where icy winters can complicate the practice season. The West Side Rowing Club had served as UB's practice base, but space there is limited.

The North Amherst site emerged as an ideal location for the rowing teams' practices, not only because of its proximity to the university, but because the Erie Canal and Tonawanda Creek are ice-free in the late fall and early spring, and because the canal and creek offer excellent rowing conditions.