The Armstrong County Commissioners are donating $15,000 of the $100,000-plus needed to pay to open five locks on the Allegheny River in Armstrong County for recreational boaters on summer weekends.

The Allegheny River Development Corp., a nonprofit group of boaters and river supporters, contracts with the U.S. Army Corps to open five locks in Armstrong County for recreational boating on weekends in the summer.

In the last decade, the Corps cut hours at Lock 5, Buffalo Township, and closed Locks 6 through 9, from South Buffalo to Madison Township, to recreational boats.

That’s because of scant commercial traffic, which determines how often the locks operate.

If the sunny and dry weather of last summer carries over to this year’s boating season, expect a swarm of boaters to show up again on the Allegheny this summer, said ARDC President Betty Huss, of Fawn.

Money needed first

However before the fun and river tourism begins, ARDC still has to secure funding for the 2021 boating season, she said. They missed on out donations when they had to cancel last year’s largest fundraiser, “Rockin’ for Lockin’” as well as other events spilling into early 2021 because of pandemic restrictions.

Huss is looking for other sources of donations and considering some business partnerships. She would like to see neighboring counties kick in some dollars since ARDC sponsors events along the Allegheny to the Pittsburgh area.

She is grateful for the grant from Armstrong commissioners; ARDC will have more information in March on its finances.

“The amount of funding we receive will determine the schedule for opening the locks as will the availability of Corps personnel to work the locks,” she said.

The Corps is working with ARDC for opening the locks this summer.

“The Corps has an outstanding partnership with ARDC, resulting in the public being able to use those locks,” said Carol Vernon, the Corp’s Pittsburgh District spokeswoman.

There are new boaters on the Allegheny currently to strengthen the presence of ARDC and its future events, Huss said.

“There are more boats out there than there ever was for a long time,” Huss said.

Since boating can be one of the safest, socially distanced activities during the pandemic, sales of boat registrations soared last year, according to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

“A lot of new boaters are out there because they couldn’t go on vacation,” Huss said.

To donate and become a member of ARDC, visit their Facebook page, which will provide updates to the schedule of lock opening in Armstrong County closer to spring.

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