Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - May/June 2014 - 48

Gaining Waterway Access

by Jennifer Bilott

photos by the author

The Loyalhanna Creek located in western Pennsylvania is
a wonderful fishery and is surrounded by public hunting
grounds. However, access is an issue. Gaining access will give
outdoor enthusiasts a greater opportunity to take advantage
of the fishing, canoeing, kayaking, hunting and trapping that
abounds in this region but is largely underutilized.
The town council of New Alexandria approached
Scoutmaster Robert Schlemmer of Boy Scout Troop 345
with a plan to design and construct a non-motorized boat
launch. They wanted to create a canoe and kayak launch
at the end of Main Street from an unused road, which
was old Route 22 that runs into the Loyalhanna Creek,
Westmoreland County. With everyone participating in
recycling programs and going green, why not recycle the
land? The town council thought this portion of the town
could be put to good use. James Vought, a scout who was
attending Saltsburg High School, jumped at the chance to
do the project. This was a great way to earn his Eagle badge.
The Eagle Scouting Badge is the Boy Scouts of America's
highest rank, only 3 percent of these boys attain it. James
Vought's achievement shows not only dedication but also
hard work and moral support of his family.
Everyone got excited about this great idea, especially
kayakers and anglers. The first step was to get the approval
from the borough. Bev King, city council vice president,
agreed that it would be a wonderful project. It would attract
visitors to the town, bring in revenue and make use of
abandoned land as well as benefit people who canoe, kayak
and fish, and it would help with the projected walking trail

48

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * May/June 2014

WESTMORELAND

Loyalhanna Creek
from Latrobe,
Pennsylvania to
New Alexandria.
This was
a win-win
SOMERSET
FAYETTE
situation for the
town, and the
council approved
the project. With
permission from the United States Army Corps of Engineers,
the work began.
After project approval, James got busy drawing up
his game plan. He estimated that the project would take
about 5 to 10 days to complete, and the total cost would
be $7,910. After completion of all formal paperwork, this
ambitious Boy Scout met with the local Lion's Club, local
stone quarries and trucking businesses for donations before
he proceeded. He recruited help from friends and family.
It was going to be a lot of work. Not only physically, but he
had to follow proper Eagle Scout procedures and complete
the required paperwork.
His first step was calling Pennsylvania One Call system
311 to mark any utilities that may lie in the project area. After
the area was marked, construction could begin. The project
started by cleaning out a 7-foot wide path to the waterline.
Then, they had to strip off the topsoil for the access road and
install the geo-webbing (soil stabilization system), which
was donated by the Untied States Army Corp of Engineers.
Finally, all of the debris from old Route 22 was removed.
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - May/June 2014

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