Proposed kayak park in Oakmont still in permitting phase, construction date uncertain
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Oakmont officials continue to go through the permit process for a proposed kayak park along the Allegheny River.
Borough Manager Scot Fodi said Wednesday that state Department of Environmental Protection officials have completed their second review of all design plans and applications submitted but have not approved its development and construction.
“Permits from the DEP will be the predominate (approvals),” Fodi said about the process. “There is more than one acre of disturbance, so we will need a permit from the Allegheny County Conservation District. While no physical permits are issued for work along the river, (state) Fish and Boat Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will (need to) issue approvals as well.”
Construction plans and project specifications can go out for bid once Senate Engineering confirms all permits and approvals are obtained.
Council President Patricia Friday said the borough hopes to move forward on the kayak park sometime this year.
“It’s the permitting process that needs to be resolved,” she said. “It then allows us to go to the next step. We are a river town — with little access to a river.”
It is unclear when all permits would be approved.
State Rep. Carrie DelRosso, R-Oakmont, was able to secure a $200,000 grant through the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development Greenways Trails and Recreation program a few years ago while she served on borough council.
It is a matching grant, with Oakmont to chip in about $30,000.
“They’re going to probably need more funding for the project,” DelRosso said. “It is river access for a launch, which was part of the comprehensive plan. Oakmont wasn’t using the river to its full capacity. It’s a desirable location for people seeking travel on the water. It’s a beautiful property.”
The proposed kayak park will be a modern restoration of Chateau Beach, a popular spot along the Allegheny River in the borough during the 1920s and ’30s.
Photos of the site are available for viewing at the Oakmont Historical Society.
It’s on an estimated 1.6-acre, borough-owned lot along the 1000 block of Allegheny Avenue near the Brenntag Northeast facility.
The park would serve as a launching point for kayaks, canoes, paddleboats and other non-motorized watercraft into the Allegheny River and as an access point to the Three Rivers Water Trail.
Senate Engineering developed preliminary site designs. Documents show about 15 parking spaces, a stormwater retention pond, a 10-foot wide berm and 6-foot tall chain-link fence for security and privacy. There also are many trees.
Ingress and egress comes from Allegheny Avenue. There’s no access from side roads, which is meant to minimize impact on neighboring residents.