Leetsdale to reconstruct Ohio River boat launch in borough industrial park

An old Leetsdale boat launch into the Ohio River that deteriorated and has been out of service for about three decades is expected to be repaired later this year.

Council vice president Osman Awad said the borough has been working with engineers and the Quaker Valley Council of Governments to rehabilitate the public recreation site in the Industrial Park for quite some time.

The original concrete slab broke off in the 1990s, causing a safety hazard.

“When you back your trailer up, the back wheels of your trailer basically fall into the Ohio River,” borough engineer Dan Slagle explained. “It’s broken off and there’s nothing left of it. All these different boat access points up and down the Ohio River, they’re all falling into disrepair and there’s really no place for someone to launch a boat safely.”

Council plans to replace it with a 30-foot-by-40-foot reinforced concrete ramp with a stone sub-base and erosion protections.

“I want to take the one section out and develop this,” Awad said while looking over the launch site on Feb. 15. “It’s owned by us. We’re going to replace this and widen it up. It will be easy for the boats to get in and out.

“I want to get more tourism to that area and open it for a fishing commission — a lot of people to enjoy fishing. I want to get boats over here to take people on tours up the river and enjoy all the beautiful things we have.”

An adjacent fishing pier is still operational. The borough also installs a portable fishing dock from May through October.

Fisherman Anthony Baltimore, 36, of Ambridge was trying his luck with some new bait mid-February when he spotted Awad on the river’s edge.

“It would be nice to see it all nice and developed,” Baltimore said about the project. “I just got a boat, so that would be nice.”

Plans were designed about six years ago. Leetsdale acquired a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers to do the work.

The project has been delayed due to lack of funding. That has since changed.

Quaker Valley COG helped Leetsdale secure $228,000 in Gaming Economic Development and Tourism Fund monies for the project. It comes with a 10% borough match. The estimated total project cost is $230,000.

Grant documents were submitted through Allegheny County Economic Development in September. The award was announced earlier this year.

The grant will be administered by the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County.

“The community of Leetsdale is fortunate to be located immediately along the Ohio River, yet its citizens have limited access to the river due to existing development,” QVCOG executive director Patrick Connors said via email. “As a result, the borough’s residents are denied access to the scenic and recreational benefits and opportunities of the Ohio River. … This proposed facility would be open to the general public for everyone to enjoy with limited/restricted use.”

The borough would establish rules and regulations for the new boat launch.

QVCOG would also assist with other related paperwork, such as putting the project out for bid.

Slagle anticipates the project would go out for bid in July with construction to be completed sometime in November.

State Rep. Valerie Gaydos, R-Aleppo, supported Leetsdale’s grant application.

She said Leetsdale has more than just a launch site, but an emergency exit to the river should a major disaster strike, like the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, last February.

“It’s more than just a recreational boat launch,” Gaydos said. “That’s an opportunity to go in and out of that community should something happen. Public safety was number one (for me). This is something that they really should fight for because it’s more than just a recreational thing. It’s really for access.”

Awad said landscaping upgrades, ADA restrooms and additional parking are part of phase two of the launch site development.

The borough plans to apply for grant funds through the state Department of Conservation & Natural Resources in April for that estimated $140,000 phase.

Phase two construction would take place sometime next year should funding be acquired.