Oakmont Boaters' Fears Eased for 2011
Aspenwall Herald
10 December 2010
By Mary Ann Thomas
More than 200 people packed the Oakmont Yacht Club Thursday night to
hear if there was substance to rumors of the potential closure of the
upper locks and dams of the Allegheny River.
With cuts in the federal budget ahead, boaters fear that federal
funding for the navigation system, which is based on commercial usage,
will dry up for the Allegheny because of its lack of commercial traffic.
The meeting was called by local boaters and attended by government
officials and representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers, which
oversees the locks and dams.
The good news is that there will be no changes to lock and dam services
for 2011, according to Richard Lockwood, chief of operations for the
Army Corps of Engineers in Pittsburgh.
But 2012 could be a different story.
"We have heard there will be a reduction of 5 percent to 20 percent,"
Lockwood said.
If the budget cuts become reality, he said there likely would be
reduced services.
While the four locks and dams from Pittsburgh to Schenley operate seven
days a week, the other four from Clinton to Rimer already have limited
operating schedules because of the lack of commercial usage.
Trying to wring more money out of the federal government when
commercial traffic helps determine funding doesn't seem viable,
according to corps officials.
And the boaters agreed.
"We need to form some kind of an organization led by people with a
vested interest in the Allegheny River," said Mike Ferris, a boater
from Gilpin who organized the meeting.
Ferris already has been involved with boater groups promoting
recreational use of the local waterways.
Corps officials said there are alternatives to operate the lock and
dams, such as public/private partnerships.
"There needs to be a new paradigm," said Armstrong County Commission
Jim Scahill.
There are five locks and dams in Armstrong County.
"The amphitheater at Kittanning had 250 boats when the Clarks played
this summer," he said. "We want these five locks open," he said.
"There's homeland security issues and the transport of bulk
commodities. It's a highway," Scahill said.
He advocates river user fees and a new approach to qualify for tax
dollars based on recreational use, not just commercial tonnage.
Gary Cagle of Ford City owns a 52-foot cruiser that he docks in the
Kittanning pool. .
"If this lock closes, I'm stuck," he said. "Then I bought a boat just
to go seven miles in the Kittanning pool."
He suggests collecting fees from other users of the Allegheny River.
"The hydro power plants are making a pile of money, why can't they chip
in?" he said.
Ferris said that he plans to hold future meetings and build a
coalition. "If just half of these people show up, it will be great."
Mary Ann Thomas can be reached at mthomas@tribweb.com or 412-782-2121
x1510.