The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) today announced it was awarding more than $1.5 million in grants to 22 municipalities for the development, improvement or rehabilitation of public recreational boat launches.
The awards are provided through the Boating Facilities Grant Program, a funding stream initiated by the PFBC to help ensure Pennsylvania’s recreational boaters are provided with the highest quality boating facilities on water bodies across the state. The program is designed for public entities that have or will have the capability to provide boat access facilities that are open and available for general public use.
Grant recipients for the most recent round of funding and a brief project description follow.
- Borough of Susquehanna, Susquehanna County - $54,000. The Borough will construct a new boat launch facility providing access to the North Branch of the Susquehanna River. The Borough will install a new single-lane boat launch ramp, a gravel parking area, and will widen the existing access road to the parking area. The facility will provide access to a pool on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River that is approximately seven miles long.
- City of Bethlehem, Lehigh County - $125,000. The City of Bethlehem will construct a boat launch ramp designed for canoes, kayaks, and small fishing boats that will provide the only public river access point within city limits.
- The Borough of Ebensburg, Cambria County - $40,000. The Borough of Ebensburg will reconstruct the boating facility at Lake Rowena. The grant will allow the borough to install a new single lane concrete boat launch ramp, provide a paved access road and parking area, install a boarding float, and construct ADA accessible restrooms.
- Allegheny County Parks Department, Allegheny County - $65,000. The Department will construct a new single-lane boat launch ramp with a bulkhead and boarding docks at North Park Lake, a 72-acre impoundment.
- Woodward Township, Clinton County - $118,000. Woodward Township will extend an existing concrete boat launch ramp into the West Branch of the Susquehanna River near Lock Haven. The township will also overlay the existing parking lot with an additional layer of asphalt, improve the handicap access ramp to the launch, and improve the road that provides canoe and kayak access to the facility.
- The Borough of Wellsboro, Tioga County - $107,000. Grant funds will be used for construction of a new concrete ramp, floating dock, paved access and parking areas, and handicapped accessible bathrooms at Hamilton Lake.
- Borough of Sharpsburg, Allegheny River, Allegheny County - $185,000. The Borough of Sharpsburg is rehabilitating the old deteriorated boat launch facility at the 13th Street River Access. Boating Facilities Grant monies will be used to finish paving the parking area, install a retaining wall along the edge of the parking area and provide signs. Once the facility is completed, it will provide access to the Pittsburgh Pool of the Three Rivers. Currently this pool is limited to one public access ramp for over 30 miles.
- Borough of Clearfield, Clearfield County - $25,000. The Borough of Clearfield will replace an existing boat launch ramp and pave the parking area at Witmer Park.
- Upper Allen Township, Cumberland County - $3,000. Upper Allen Township will install a new stabilized stone canoe and kayak launch at Simpson Park that will provide access to the Yellow Breeches Creek. This facility will provide a key access point along the Yellow Breeches Water Trail.
- County of Dauphin - $75,000. Dauphin County intends to purchase and plan the development of a 5.5-acre tract located immediately across Front Street from the existing Fish and Boat Commission access at Fort Hunter Park and will be used to provide additional parking space.
- Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County - $23,000. The township will receive funds to construct a boat launch for canoes, kayaks, and small fishing boats at Willow Mill Park. Grant monies will be used to construct a new single-lane launch ramp and to provide a small gravel parking lot. This facility will provide a key access point on the Conodoguinet Creek Water trail.
- Borough of Halifax, Dauphin County - $55,000. The Borough of Halifax will continue rehabilitation and expansion of their existing riverfront park boat launch facility on the Susquehanna River. Funding will be used for pavement of the recently improved boat launch parking lot and drive lanes, storm water control measures, and landscaping.
- Manor Township, Lancaster County - $3,000. Manor Township will resurface the existing blacktop on the Blue Rock River Access boat launch with approximately two inches of new blacktop. A courtesy float six feet wide by fourteen feet in length will be added as well.
- Lower Providence Township, Montgomery County - $40,000. Lower Providence Township will make its three-year-old, uniquely located park more inviting to residents. Work will include paving the entranceway and parking area to the boat launch facility and replacing the macadam boat launch ramp with concrete to prevent erosion. The upgrades will allow for a smoother transition from the main road into the parking lot and onto the boat launch.
- Lehigh County - $80,000. The County of Lehigh will construct two new vault toilets at the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s Leaser Lake. Due to deterioration and vandalism, the existing toilet facilities have been closed to the public. The County will provide all operation and maintenance of the facility for the duration of the lease. Since this is the only public lake in Lehigh County, there is a need for adequate boating facilities.
- City of Reading, Berks County - $41,000. The City of Reading will renovate the boat launch facility of Kerper’s Landing on the Schuylkill River. Plans include installing a concrete boat launch ramp, the creation of a paved access road for boat drop-off, and making the site ADA accessible.
- Tidioute Borough, Warren County - $25,000. Tidioute Borough has entered into a long-term lease agreement with the Commission for a boat launch facility on the Allegheny River. Tidioute Borough will repave the access/parking area and place a light near the dock/ramp area for night safety.
- Loyalsock Township, Lycoming County - $27,000. Loyalsock Township will construct a new permanent restroom facility at Riverfront Park on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. A water access point will also be added to the outside of the restroom building for a future boat washing station.
- Lackawanna County - $40,000. The Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners will rehabilitate the boat launch facility at Merli-Sarnoski Park by replacing the old deteriorated gravel facility with a new one-lane concrete boat launch ramp and boarding dock. The County believes the development will be a convenient addition to other recent improvements to the park as well as improving the launching and loading difficulties boaters face with the existing launch area.
- Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County - $95,000. The Township of Lower Merion will improve the boating facility of Flat Rock Park on the Schuylkill River. Grant funds will be used to provide boaters with a separate ready area, a wider boat launch ramp, and an expanded parking area. The proposed project will be completed in two phases.
- Luzerne County - $200,000. Luzerne County will improve the existing single lane boat launch located in Nesbitt Park in the City of Wilkes-Barre on the Susquehanna River. The work will entail widening and improving the existing single-lane boat launch, installation of floating docks, construction of a parking area, and purchase and installation of signage and kiosks.
The Boating Facility Grant Program funds are derived from boat registration fees, state fuel taxes collected on fuel used in motorboats, and taxes on fishing equipment and motorboat fuel from the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Program. No state general funds are used for any Commission programs. For more information about the Boating Facility Grant Program and for application forms, visit the PFBC’s web site at www.fishandboat.com. |
