To quote the 1966 Temptations song, local officials want "get ready" for what they hope becomes a steady influx of Great Lakes cruise ships making Buffalo a regular port.
With the first cruise ship - and its 250 deep-pocketed passengers due to arrive this summer, officials are taking critical steps foward to ensure that the Great Lakes passenger ship industry has the infrastructure it needs.
That means developing a "welcome" terminal - in this case along a nine-acre Fuhrmann Boulevard parcel on the Outer Harbor where Shooter's - and later The Pier - operated.
The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. will be issuing construction bids by June and the state agency expects to name a construction firm by mid-summer, said Mark Wendel, ECHDC president.
The terminal should be passenger-ready by summer 2027, Wendel said.
"It is something we need," Wendel said.
As a temporary measure, the Miss Buffalo dock along the Buffalo River and Canalside will be used, Wendel said.
"The good news, we have one company (American Cruise Lines) that wants to add Buffalo this summer," Wendel said.
American Cruise will be bringing at least four ships into Buffalo this year and Victory Cruise Lines is adding Buffalo to its Great Lakes itinerary next year.
Landing cruise ships has been a long-held quest by Visit Buffalo as a means to bolster the region's tourism and hospitality industry. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the ECHDC, going back four years, joined Visit Buffalo in its drive to make the city a Great Lakes port.
"It helps everybody," Wendel said. "These passengers will stop by the Darwin Martin House, shop at local stores and eat at area restaurants."
Combined, a summer full of ships stopping in Buffalo, the economic impact could run well into the seven-figure range.
"There is a lot of excitement about what the ships can bring," Wendel said.