Commissioners Allocate toward Water Trail Designation

by Jonathan Weaver

The first item of business on yesterday’s Armstrong County Commissioners agenda included a contribution to a local water trail designation, as read by Marcellus Shale Coordinator Carly Cowan

“This resolution allocates $5,000 from the Marcellus Legacy Fund to the project that’s being undertaken to designate a portion of the Allegheny River that runs through Armstrong County as an official Pennsylvania water trail,” Cowan said.

Tourist Bureau Director Kevin Andrews thanked county commissioners for their donation and requested the $5,000 through the county Planning and Development office.

“The water trail will be great for the community, for a number of reasons economically,” Andrews said. “We’d basically be making a map for recreational boaters to use that would have location points of access, restaurants, different activities in the county that are of interest to boaters.

This is a good way to get (those) out to them and bring more people in.

He reiterated that communities impacted by the water trail will be from Emlenton to New Kensington. It would overlap the Three Rivers Water Trail in Pittsburgh - described by its non-profit organization Friends of the Riverfront as a system of 21 access points for non-motorized recreational boats on the Allegheny, Monongahela, Ohio, and Youghiogheny Rivers.

The Three Rivers Water Trail was awarded National Recreation Trail status by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2010. Maps are available online or are waterproof.

The local water trail was a part of the county’s Open Space and Greenways Recreation Plan in 2008 and also the 2005 Allegheny River Conservation Plan.

“The idea had been brought up at multiple points before, but it was an issue of funding and actually taking the next step to get it developed,” Andrews said. “It was brought up, but they never followed through with it.”

Rivers Edge Canoe and Kayak in Leechburg Owner Neil Andritz suggested the water trail as Allegheny River Development Corporation officials were raising money to re-open Allegheny River locks for recreational boaters - including Lock #7 in Kittanning.

Andritz was also instrumental in getting the Kiski River designated as the Kiski-Conemaugh River Trail.

The first community stakeholders meeting was held in April, and Andrews said it would cost a total of $21,000 for designation but that most of that has already been collected.

$5,000 of in-kind services was put toward the project by the county Tourist Bureau, Planning and Development and GIS departments and $5,000 additionally solely from the Tourist Bureau. Another $1,000 grant from Serving the Heart (formerly the Armstrong County Community Foundation) was received from the Baker Family Charitable Fund to total $11,000 before yesterday’s contribution from commissioners to total $16,000 received to date.

“Before we can begin the project, we need to raise $5,000 more - quite a small amount comparatively,” Andrews said.

A majority of the budget will be used to work with consultants and the remainder used toward printing maps.

Andrews has also been coordinating the effort with county Planning and Development Planning Division Director Sally Conklin.

The contribution was made unanimously via resolution by the three county commissioners yesterday morning.

County Commissioner Chair David Battaglia said the check is officially being made to the ‘Armstrong County Tourist Bureau.’

“This is really being done by the Board of Commissioners to help with the municipalities, boroughs and townships adjacent to the waterways,” Battaglia said.

Andrews hopes the river is designated by next summer. A total of two public meetings and two steering committee meeting have to be held before state application.

1 Comment

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  By jorn jensen, July 17, 2015 @ 9:38 AM

  I am pleased to see the youth and enthusiasm of Kevin Andrews in the Tourist Bureau. Tourism is vital to this area.

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