Geese and sea gulls outnumbered visitors to the NFTA Boat Harbor on a crisp Thursday

morning, just as Katie Saeva and Ryan Myers were about to begin a leisurely bike ride.

&#8220All last summer we were down here, so that&#8217s what made me think of coming,&#8221

said Saeva, 20, a D&#8217Youville College student from Buffalo.

But plenty of company is about to join the solitary bikers, as well as the geese and sea

gulls. When the NFTA Boat Harbor opens Saturday, its earliest opening ever (it usually begins

the summer season on May 15), the curtain will rise on what is fast developing into a major

waterfront destination.

The former Small Boat Harbor has morphed into something far more sophisticated than the old

port property that housed a few hundred watercraft. Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority

officials say it now ranks as the Great Lakes&#8217 biggest marina, with 1,005 slips for

vessels up to 40 feet long.

But even more significantly, the NFTA Boat Harbor is now a place where Buffalonians and

tourists alike come to enjoy the Lake Erie waterfront. Officials say as many as 2,000 people

visit the parklike setting on a nice day to walk or bike the waterfront path, launch their

boats, hire a fishing charter, dine at Dug&#8217s Dive restaurant or just take in the lake

breezes.

&#8220Most days, the parking lots are full,&#8221 said David M. Gregory, the NFTA&#8217s

general counsel. &#8220People have found it&#8217s a great location.&#8221

A number of factors have combined to transform the harbor into an official

&#8220destination,&#8221 including the recent reconstruction of Fuhrmann Boulevard, which

makes the facility far more accessible.

&#8220You never really got a look at the boat harbor from above, and it was a pain to get

to,&#8221 Gregory said. &#8220Now it&#8217s at eye level and can be easily accessed. People

see action and activity, and want to try it.&#8221

New bicycle and walking paths along the Outer Harbor Greenway also draw visitors to the

lake, with many aiming for the harbor as an end point. The facility hosts Bill&#8217s Boat

Works, a marine supply and maintenance business; Seven Seas Sailing School; and a new fishing

charter service.

&#8220You don&#8217t need a boat, but we&#8217ll get you on the water,&#8221 harbor manager

Chris Podorov said of the sailing and charter services.

A major magnet for the hordes of visitors now flocking to the harbor is Dug&#8217s Dive,

the onetime hot dog stand that has evolved into a prime waterfront eating spot. Owner Tucker

Curtin, who also runs The Steer restaurant and Lake Effect Diner on Main Street, says visitors

now flock to the harbor because the NFTA over the last few years committed itself to running a

first-class marina.

&#8220The NFTA stepped up to the plate and made the improvements that attract more quality

boaters,&#8221 Curtin said. &#8220And with a minimum of waterfront destinations, the demand

here keeps on going.&#8221

Curtin estimates Dug&#8217s Dive draws 800 to 1,000 visitors on a nice day to sample a menu

that has eclipsed hot dogs and hamburgers. He has installed a full-service bar, increased his

space by 30 percent and his staff by 20 percent to about 70 employees, and redefined the

facility from quick-service cafeteria to full restaurant.

This year he will expand service to his outdoor patio, offer high-end treats like oysters

and lobster sandwiches on New England-style hot dog rolls, and install new deep fryers to

satisfy the area&#8217s gargantuan appetite for fish fries.

All this and a new soft ice cream machine, too.

&#8220The place has a kind of &#8216Florida, intercoastal&#8217 feel,&#8221 Curtin said.

&#8220When people come down here, it&#8217s like they&#8217re on vacation. They just

relax.&#8221

Indeed, the numbers tell the story. Gregory, of the NFTA, said earlier incarnations of the

waterfront restaurant grossed about $100,000 in sales. In 2009, he said, gross sales hit

almost $700,000, and he predicted Dug&#8217s Dive could approach $1 million in 2010.

&#8220That tells you a lot of traffic and people are going to the harbor,&#8221 Gregory

said.

Just a few years ago, the NFTA was eager to rid itself of the boat harbor, a longtime

financial albatross. With a core mission of running an airport and providing mass

transportation, the NFTA anticipated turning over the facility to New York State for use as a

park.

The attorney general had even approved a written agreement with the state, Gregory said,

only to see Albany back out as it was overwhelmed by financial problems.

&#8220We realized we were back in the boat harbor for the immediate future,&#8221 Gregory

said, &#8220so we gave it our best effort possible to make it a first-class facility.&#8221

As a result, the NFTA has poured more than $1 million into the docks and surrounding area

over the last two years. That means refurbished steel docks, electrified docks for the 30-foot

and 40-foot boats, a rebuilt main pier, refurbished south launch ramp, new pump-out

facilities, new fuel docks and tanks, and other features.

Gregory said the end of the state park option has turned into a blessing in disguise.

&#8220In essence, we&#8217ve got the park,&#8221 he said, &#8220and you don&#8217t have to

pay to get in.&#8221

News Staff Reporter Stephen T. Watson contributed to this report.