CONNEAUT —
Nearly a year old, the wildlife observation deck on the Conneaut Harbor sandbar has turned out to be a favorite roost for flocks of bird-loving tourists.
“Bird-watchers come up here regularly,” said Thomas Belnap, Conneaut Port Authority chairman. “We’ve received emails and photos from people who have visited.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the Port Authority formally commemorated the role the Ashtabula County Civic Development played in accompanied by Norah Anderson, executive director of Ashtabula County’s Civic Development Corporation. A CDC grant in excess of $22,000 financed the entire cost of the platform, which stands at the tip of the sandbar that fills the harbor’s southwest corner. Norah Anderson, CDC executive director, participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the deck, along with Belnap and Denver Spieldenner, Port Authority harbormaster.
Since it opened in November, the deck has been a focal point for Conneaut’s burgeoning bird-watching community. Earlier this year, the Toledo Blade named Conneaut Harbor one of the top six spots for birders. Ohio generates millions of dollars from bird-watchers who migrate from all points of the globe, the newspaper reported.
Conneaut welcomes the acclaim, and Port Authority members believe the platform makes the city an even more attractive destination for birders, Belnap said..
“It really is an excellent marketing tool,” he said. “For us, (the platform) is a springboard for economic development. It’s the perfect tool for that.”
CDC included the platform in its 2010 campaign aimed at enhancing economic development via tourism, Anderson said. Tourism is one of the county’s top three revenue generators, she said.
“This is exactly the kind of project we were looking for,” Anderson said.
The platform, which lifts visitors 10 feet in the air, is 12-by-24 feet in size and was built by Schwartz Construction. Work began after various regulatory agencies that keep watch over waterways signed off on the project. A metal handrail was added this past spring, Spieldenner said. The deck complements an older platform that overlooks a harbor marsh along Naylor Boulevard.
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