Assembly Resolution No. 629

BY: M. of A. McDonald

        COMMENDING the Town of Waterford upon the occasion
        of hosting its Annual Tugboat Roundup from September
        8-10, 2023

  WHEREAS,  It  is the sense of this Legislative Body, in keeping with
its time-honored traditions, to  recognize  and  pay  tribute  to  those
organizations that embrace the historical significance and contributions
of  their  localities which strengthens the fabric of the communities of
New York State; and

  WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commend  the  Town
of  Waterford  upon  the  occasion of hosting its Annual Tugboat Roundup
from September 8-10, 2023; and

  WHEREAS, Tugboats  have  been  an  indispensable  part  of  maritime
transportation  for  nearly  200 years, maneuvering larger watercraft in
tight areas, and towing unpowered vessels from port to port; and

  WHEREAS, Tugs were invented in the 1810s, shortly after  steam-power
was  successfully  applied  to  watercraft,  and during the 1800s on the
Hudson River and Lake Champlain,  old  stripped-down  side-wheelers  and
propeller-driven  towboats  were used to move ever-increasing numbers of
watercraft, especially canal boats; and

  WHEREAS, The Tugboat Roundup is a gathering of  tugboats,  workboats
and  barges  to  celebrate the maritime heritage of the Northeast Inland
Waterways; and

  WHEREAS, The Tugboat Roundup, which takes place annually the weekend
after Labor Day features a tug parade, tug tours, boat rides, tug talks,
competitions, fireworks, children's activities, vendors, food, and more;
and

  WHEREAS, Waterford sits at the confluence of the Hudson  and  Mohawk
Rivers and is the gateway to the Erie and Champlain Canals; and

  WHEREAS,  Waterford  is  home  to Waterford Flight, a flight of five
locks, which spans the greatest height in the shortest distance  of  any
set of locks in the world; and

  WHEREAS,  The  Village  of Waterford was founded in 1794, and is the
oldest continually incorporated village in the United States, while  the
Town of Waterford was founded in 1816; and

  WHEREAS,  The New York State Canal System is a successor to the Erie
Canal and other canals within New York; currently, the  525-mile  system
is  composed  of  the  Erie  Canal,  the Oswego Canal, the Cayuga-Seneca
Canal, and the Champlain Canal; and

  WHEREAS, It is the intent of this Legislative Body to recognize  and
commend  cultural  events  which  symbolize  the historical, social, and
cultural development of this great State, its waterways and  embody  the

spirit  of  the  principles  upon  which  this  Nation was founded; now,
therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend the Town of Waterford upon the occasion of  hosting  its  Annual
Tugboat Roundup from September 8-10, 2023; and be it further

  RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Town of Waterford.