New Funding Added to Operate River Locks
The Allegheny River Development Corporation (ARDC) are looking forward to State funding that will help the group in their fund-raising efforts to keep the locks open during this summer season.
by Jonathan Weaver
State Representative Jeff Pyle (R-Armstrong/Butler/Indiana) announced last week that new State funding might aid the local Allegheny River Development Corporation.
Pyle was able to include $150,000 in new funding for operation of Pennsylvania’s river locks.
“I look forward to working with Allegheny River Development Corporation and submitting competitive applications,” Pyle said in a news release. “As last year’s experience with reopening the locks proved, every summer those locks are open are worth an extra half million dollars to Armstrong County and joy to thousands of boaters.”
Since reopening the river locks, ARDC leaders have had multiple fundraisers to help with the more-than-$200,000 task
The tentative lock schedule currently opens locks in Freeport, Kittanning, Templeton and Rimer for a four-day Memorial Day weekend the afternoon of Friday, May 27.
To keep the locks open for recreational traffic, the non-profit group started with an Italian Night fundraiser at Ford Cliff Fire Hall in February.
ARDC Board President Linda Hemmes said the event was a fun night for all who attended, estimating about 325 supporters in attendance.
Another ‘FUNdraiser’ was held March 19 at the Comfort Inn in Fox Chapel, before a ‘Dam Dance’ concert featuring Free Peanuts and Highway 4 at the Belmont Complex in West Kittanning will be held next month.
Locks are also tentatively planned to be open for all Arts on the Allegheny events in Kittanning Riverfront Park.
Hemmes and other non-profit leaders first unveiled a tentative schedule in November during a public meeting at Lenape Technical School in Manor Township.
At that time, Hemmes was optimistic grant funding could still help alleviate some of the operation costs.
“The money’s tighter than it was (in 2015),” Hemmes said. “Do I think (the grants) are guaranteed? No. Do I think it’s possible? Yes. Do I think it’s probable? Yes. But, until I hear ARDC has been awarded this grant, I’m not going to take a deep breath.”
A majority of the lock operating costs in 2015 were offset through a state multimodal grant, with the grant match paid through raffles, fundraisers and public events.
After overcoming “horrible” weather during lock operations in the month of June, more than 450 lockages and 15,000 vessels were recorded just in Lock 7 in Kittanning from April through October – including double-digits during six consecutive weekends starting during the Fourth of July.
A total of more than 4,500 vessels went through the four river locks.
Local News | jweaver April 18, 2016
By Rainbow Rider, April 19, 2016 @ 12:28 AM
The person who figures out how much tourism money flows into Armstrong county must be who came up with these river numbers. 15000 vessels just through Kittanning? I should be seeing about 300 boats every time I cross the bridge if that were the case. LOL
Lockages numbers? So if the same vessel goes upstream through 3 locks then comes back through those 3 locks does it count as 6 vessels?