Canal Lock 62 Preservation Project Kicks Off Sunday, 4/27

The Town of Pittsford will kick off the Historic Lock 62 Preservation Project with the first community workday at the site this Sunday, April 27 at 12:30pm. Pittsford Sutherland and Pittsford Mendon high school students from Pittsford Rotary’s Interact Clubs will clear brush and clean up debris in the area. A brief overview of the project and the history of the site will be provided at 12:30pm; work will begin at 12:45pm.

Lock 62, an historic lock site along the old Erie Canal route, is located on Town parkland behind Pittsford Plaza on Monroe Avenue; the entrance to the site is along the embankment off of the parking lot between Applebee's and Wegmans. While the structure itself is one of the best preserved locks along the old Erie Canal route, the site requires general rehabilitation. Town of Pittsford crews have completed preliminary clean-up work requiring heavy equipment, making ready for the main clearing operation by our community volunteers. Sunday's volunteers come from the Interact Clubs at Pittsford Sutherland and Mendon High Schools and from the Rotary Club of Pittsford. Future plans for the site include possible restoration of historical lock features such as fencing and small structures and addition of educational and informational materials.

The Lock 62 Preservation Project is a community volunteer effort involving the Town of Pittsford, the Pittsford Central School District, the Pittsford Rotary Club, Historic Pittsford and other community partners. The project aims to make the historic Lock 62 site more accessible to the public from both the Monroe Avenue side and the canal path and to render it suitable for recreation programming and additional community use.