PORTVILLE, N.Y. — Vehicles traveling on Steam Valley Road to the floating dock boat launch in Portville are first met by a pastoral scene complete with grazing cows before driving down a concrete drive to the pristine Allegheny River.
Portville officials Bob and Holly Fischer believe the total visual effect of the river, as well as the view of the nearby farmland, attracts as many boaters as people who want to picnic with a beautiful backdrop.
The Fischers, who are boating enthusiasts themselves, have floated down the Allegheny for years and see the floating dock’s potential for revitalizing the area through tourism.
Bob and Holly Fischer, who serve as chairman and secretary of the Portville Planning Board, respectively, said the purpose of the floating dock is to attract tourists and their dollars to the community. They also believe the dock and other community docks on the river can serve as launching sites for additional development that includes hiking trails, campgrounds and rest stops.
“When we have our river meetings, that’s one of the things that is really brought out,” Bob Fischer said. “Our main planning right now is Portville to Allegany.”
He said one of the current needs is for signage at each of the boat launch areas in Portville, Olean and Allegany.
“If you look from the main road (on Route 417 in Portville) there is no sign,” Fischer observed.
Despite these concerns, many area residents are finding the floating dock in Portville, and others along the river.
“We have had more than 45 vehicles here” during the weekends, Bob Fischer continued.
Holly Fischer said Portville’s leaders are also pleased that Olean has a private business that is providing rental canoes and transportation of kayaks and canoes to the dock in Portville for floating down to Olean. In addition, the floating dock in Allegany provides a lengthier ride for boaters.
“The amount of wildlife along here is another big thing,” Holly Fischer commented on the float between the three communities. “To take a kayak or a canoe trip, you’ll almost always see a pair of bald eagles, and definitely all kinds of wildlife.”
Bob Fischer said another discussion among planners has been how to connect boaters to community businesses. He said one pizza business in Portville is tapping into the enterprise by delivering food to people who call from the dock.
The floating dock and launch area were created two years ago when the community received approximately $25,000 toward the project from a federal grant provided to Portville Central School District’s physical education program. The land for the launch area was donated to the project by local farmer, Chris Linn.
As the funding was provided through the school district, students now use the boat launch to kayak in boats provided by the school in conjunction with physical education programs.
On a related note, Bob Fischer said the floating dock is the only one in the area that is American with Disabilities Act compliant. He said the dock has a special attachment that helps boaters with disabilities get in and out of their crafts.
Portville Town Supervisor Tim Emley said he, too, is very pleased with the floating dock and how much it has been used in the past couple of years.
“It has exceeded my expectations beyond belief,” Emley said. “I knew that it would be used, but I can’t believe how much it is being used on a daily, if not a weekly and monthly basis.”
He believes the floating dock has helped the area financially in its short existence.
“I’ve got to believe that that many people coming into the town of Portville, and the village, has helped us,” he continued. “From food, to groceries, to gas, to dinners. So economically I’m sure it’s helped a little bit.”
Emley praised the school district, and the Linn family for their contributions, as well as the Fischers’ push for the project.
“Todd Shaw (highway superintendent) and his highway crew also have to be mentioned because they take that thing out and put it back in every year,” he said of the seasonal removal and installation of the boat launch. In addition, the highway crew removes debris such as tree trunks and branches near the launch area to make it safer for boaters.
“It was a great investment,” Emley concluded.
