LumberJack's Waterfront Patio Grill at 1000 River Road served its last day under owner and operator Carol Tallichet on Monday, Sept. 28. The next afternoon, Mayor Austin Tylec confirmed to WKBW that the city had paid $350,000 to buy out the lease. That lease covered both the restaurant and the marina next to it.
The restaurant's closing is what got the headlines. The bigger change is who's in charge now. For the first time in more than a decade, the city holds the River Road restaurant site and runs the marina itself. That's happening the same fall it finished a new trail segment and new boat-launch docks along the same stretch of water. This off-season, the city is rebuilding the riverfront around public access and treating its commercial pieces as assets to bid out again on its own terms.
A farewell that came with an award
Tallichet didn't leave quietly. Readers of Niagara Frontier Publications voted LumberJack's "The Best Summer Dining Spot" in the paper's annual Savory Summer contest the same week it was closing. She called the honor "bittersweet." She said she'd miss "our Tuesday afternoon golf girls, our Thursday evening regulars, our Friday evening regulars, and all the many wonderful customers."
She was candid about the reason. "I'm no spring chicken. I'm just tired," she told NFP, explaining that the restaurant and marina were "a package" she was selling back to the city.
The two outlets give different accounts of the lease. Tallichet described a 30-year lease in its 14th year. WKBW reported the buyout came "just over ten years into a 25-year agreement." Both agree on what matters for this fall. The operator wanted out, and the city stepped in instead of letting the agreement pass to another business.
Why the city wanted the keys back
Tylec's explanation to WKBW puts numbers to what most people would treat as just a restaurant closing. He said the city earned "at most, $45,000 a year" from the property, after spending "a little over $3 million" building and improving the marina. WKBW calculated that at that rate, the city would need about 66.7 years just to earn back its original investment.
The mayor thinks the site could bring in "$150,000-200,000 a year." He framed the deal as part of looking for "revenues outside of just property tax increases." If that estimate holds, the $350,000 buyout pays for itself in under two and a half years. Under the old arrangement, the same amount would have taken nearly eight years of rent.
For residents, that framing explains what comes next. The city isn't going to leave the building empty. Tylec said about a dozen restaurant owners have already reached out. A public bidding process will follow, and he expects a new restaurant in place by summer 2027. Tallichet expected the same and told NFP the city would issue an RFP for the restaurant. "I'm sure there will be a lot of interested parties," she said.
If you rent a slip, Tylec said current boaters are grandfathered into any changes. The city's Waterfront Committee minutes from Sept. 8 say the city will run the Gratwick Park marina next year.
What the city finished while the patio was still open
The buyout makes more sense alongside everything else in those Sept. 8 minutes. Most of it is infrastructure that's ready to use right now, during the months when there's no restaurant on River Road.
- New docks at the Gratwick Park boat launch. The minutes list the replacement docks as installed.
- A paved kayak drop-off at Mayor's Park. Paddlers who used to unload on grass now have a hard surface.
- The bike-path extension, now complete. Paving on Sweeney Street, tied to the path project, is out to bid.
The trail extension is the biggest change to the daily routine. At the August 2025 groundbreaking, WIVB described it as a 1.5-mile extension of the Erie Canalway Trail from Mayor's Park to the North Tonawanda Botanical Gardens. Tylec said then that it would create "a vital connection between our neighborhoods, our downtown business district and the New York State Empire Trails." He also pointed out that Sweeney Street residents had no sidewalk or path before, so the project works as a safe way to get around, too.
The reported price varies by source. The mayor's February 2026 State of the City address calls it the $2.3 million Sweeney Street Bike Path extension. WIVB's groundbreaking story described a $2 million project. Either way, it's one of the largest single waterfront investments on this side of the city in recent years, and it opened without much fanfare.
A neighbor quoted by WIVB raised one concern early on, saying, "The only thing I have a little concern about is e-bikes going very fast down this road." Fall is the first full season to find out how that plays out.
The committee is already talking about the next round. Members discussed the need for a true kayak launch at Gateway Park, beyond the existing kayak dock. They also talked about kayak lockers at Mayor's Park and Gateway Park, and an arch marking the Webster Street entrance to Gateway Park. The minutes record these as discussions, not funded projects.
The 2027 handoffs, in one place
Several pieces of the riverfront are set to change hands or change shape next year. The city now has a role in each one.
| Riverfront piece | Status as of Sept. 30, 2026 | What's expected next |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant at 1000 River Road | Closed after Sept. 28 | Public bid; new restaurant expected by summer 2027 |
| Gratwick Park marina | Lease bought out for $350,000 | City operates it in 2027; current slip renters grandfathered |
| Sweeney Street bike path | Extension complete | Sweeney Street paving out to bid |
| Tonawanda Creek shoreline off Sweeney Street | In design after community outreach | Construction slated for early 2027 |
| Canal Fest of the Tonawandas | Held at Gratwick Park in July 2026 | Board said in July it would evaluate the move before deciding on 2027 |
The shoreline you'll walk past this winter
The shoreline row in that table affects anyone who fishes along the canal. The project is the Sweeney Street Living Shoreline, led by Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper. It will restore about 1,500 feet of Tonawanda Creek shoreline and 2.3 acres of riparian habitat, replacing mowed turf and invasive plants with native plantings, meadow, and new trees. Public access stays, and the plan includes designated fishing access.
The partners match the city-led model behind the buyout. The Niagara Greenway Ecological Standing Committee and New York State Environmental Protection Fund money, through the DEC's Invasive Species Grant Program, are paying for it. The NYS Canal Corporation owns the land, and the City of North Tonawanda serves as land manager.
Residents have already had a say. Signs with QR codes went up along the restoration areas, and about 50 community members filled out the survey as of the September meeting. A community picnic on July 20 gave neighbors a chance to ask questions. Several people asked for grass cut right to the water's edge so they could fish more easily. The designated fishing locations are the project's answer to that. If you haven't scanned one of those signs yet, there's still time before design wraps up and the project goes out to bid.
Canal Fest's open question
The other big unknown is Canal Fest. The 2026 festival ran July 19 through 26 at Gratwick Riverside Park. Its board said the traditional site was no longer workable because of "immoveable factors." Earlier coverage in the Ken-Ton Bee tied the move to disagreements over municipal costs and the festival's length. The Bee reported that the City of Tonawanda wanted a six-day festival and upfront payment for services, while organizers said fewer days would cut into nonprofit proceeds.
On July 24, WKBW described the reaction as mixed. Organizers and some visitors liked the extra room for rides and food vendors and the wider walkways at Gratwick. Others missed the canal setting and how close everything felt there. The board said it would evaluate the move and stayed open to returning to the Erie Canal if that became possible. As of that July report, the board had not chosen a 2027 site. If Canal Fest returns to Gratwick, it will share the park with a marina the city now runs directly and, if the bid timeline holds, a brand-new restaurant tenant.
Meanwhile, the stretch from Gratwick to the Botanical Gardens is open for walking, biking, and paddling this fall, with no place to eat on River Road until a new tenant moves in.
If you're curious how the riverfront's next chapter could shape the streets around Gratwick, Mayor's Park, and the Sweeney Street path, I follow these city decisions closely and I'm happy to talk them through. Reach out to Benjamin Domagala for a free home valuation, or just to compare notes on what's coming to North Tonawanda's waterfront in 2027.
