Group Hopeful River Locks to Open before Memorial Day
Lock 7 in Kittanning will be opening to recreational boat traffic again after being closed to local boaters for the past two years.
by Jonathan Weaver
Temperatures are soaring throughout the region, and local boaters’ hopes of a refreshing summer along the Allegheny River are at an all-time high.
After an agreement was signed by the Armstrong County Commissioners Thursday morning and sent to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials in Washington D.C., Allegheny River Locks #6-#9 - including Lock 7 in Kittanning - should open to recreational boat traffic by the end of the month.
Armstrong County boaters were first warned about the closing of the four locks at a public meeting with U.S. Army Corps of Engineering officers in February 2011.
Another meeting in October 2012 with then-District Engineer Col. William ‘Butch’ Graham confirmed the locks would not reopen under the former funding plan, to when now-Allegheny River Development Corporation President Linda Hemmes and board of directors pitched a ‘precedent-setting’ plan of ‘contributed funds’: purchasing time from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by raising money and passing the money through a government entity – in this case, Armstrong County and the commissioners.
“All payment of lock operation is predicated on commercial tonnage, which has pretty-much ceased in Armstrong County,” Hemmes said. “After 33 months of work on behalf of my board of directors and two year pursuing the ‘contributed funds’ public-private partnership, we are now at a point where U.S. Army Corps of Engineers headquarters in Washington, (D.C.) has now signed off.”
The signatures were shipped overnight to Col. Bernard Lindstrom at the Pittsburgh District.
But, even as the idea is now in place, Hemmes said funding is constantly needed by local residents.
“It cost us $3,740 a day to operate four locks, so obviously we continue to look for public support, corporate support and I will pursue additional grant support,” Hemmes said.
Fundraisers will be held at the end of June, at the Adrian-Templeton Float in July and another in East Brady this August.
Commissioner Bob Bower applauded the Allegheny River Development Corporation board of directors, but especially Hemmes.
“You have an extraordinary amount of time involved in this – people have no idea what you went through to get as far as you did. Whether it was in harmony or otherwise, you fought, and the fruits of your labor are here on this paper.”
Hemmes has talked with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Deputy for Programs and Project Management Lenna Hawkins regularly since October, and Hawkins said at a December public meeting that the agreement is precedent-setting.
Commissioner Rich Fink said commissioners played a small but necessary part as ‘pass through’ agents, and agreed that all credit needs to be given to the non-profit board of directors and members.
“What’s happening here today will be a model for the nation with the U.S. Army Corp.,” Fink said. “I really don’t think this would have happened without the Allegheny River Development Corporation and the effort that everybody put into it.”
Lock operations are to begin hopefully May 16 and 17 and continue for 17 more weekends – and holidays – before closing in October.
The tentative operating dates also include the three day Fourth of July Weekend, the three-day Labor Day Weekend, night operations for all the Arts on the Allegheny concerts in Kittanning Riverfront Park and 18 hours Thursday and Friday during the Fort Armstrong Folk Festival.
Local News | jweaver May 11, 2015
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By jorn jensen, May 11, 2015 @ 8:03 AM
Continued lock operations are key to growing Armstrong County’s tourism business.
Thank you, Linda Hemmes, the Ferris family, the ARDC, and all supporters for ‘pushing’ this through.