CHAMBERSBURG–The Town Council of the Borough of Chambersburg approved an Agreement with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission for a grant totaling $58,500 to design and install an adaptive canoe and kayak launch along the Conococheague Creek. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s (Commission) Boating Facility Grant (BFG) Program awarded the grant to fund the construction of a new adaptive canoe and kayak launch and an ADA accessible connection to the existing Chambersburg Rail Trail.
The Borough has identified a gap in the recreation network, due to the absence of boating access to the Conococheague Creek along the rail trail. “We are appreciative to the Commission for funding the Borough’s project under the Boating Facility Grant Program,” said Andrew Stottlemyer, the Borough’s Storm Sewer System Manager. “Funding from the state will help the Borough provide another source of recreation to its citizens and the many visitors who want to use the Conococheague Creek for their recreational needs.”
The adaptive boat launch will offer safe and accessible ways for adaptive paddlers, those in wheelchairs, and those with disabilities, to enter and exit canoes and kayaks more easily and safely. The closest facilities to this new location, which will be accessible from Hood Street, are located 7.55 miles upstream at Scotland and 1.86 miles downstream along Hollywell Avenue.
The purpose of the Commission’s BFG Grant Program is to provide grants to local governments, watershed associations, land trusts, and other partners for the planning, acquisition, development, and expansion of public fishing and boating facilities located on Waters of the Commonwealth. Under the current round of the BFG Program, the Commission awarded 19 grants that provided financial assistance for the acquisition and construction of boating access facilities.
For more information about the Borough and the Conococheague Creek Adaptive Canoe and Kayak Launch at the Chambersburg Rail Trail project, please contact Storm Sewer System Manager Andrew Stottlemyer at 717-251-2434 or [email protected].
