On May 8, 2023, 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 astottlemyer@chambersburgpa.gov.
About Chambersburg:
Chambersburg is a unique community. Chambersburg supplies more services than any other municipality in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In addition to typical town functions, Chambersburg is Pennsylvania’s only municipality providing electric and gas to residents and businesses. Chambersburg is 1 of 35 Boroughs to operate a municipal non-profit electric utility. Chambersburg is the largest municipal electric utility in the State, twice as large as the second largest, Ephrata, Lancaster County; and, the only one to operate multiple generation stations. Chambersburg is 1 of 2 municipalities in PA to operate a natural gas utility. The other is Philadelphia, which does not operate an electric utility. Nationally, Chambersburg is 1 of 2,000 communities to have its own electric system and 1 of 1,000 communities to have a natural gas system but 1 of only about 60 to operate both. Chambersburg manages a regional water system, a regional sanitary sewer system (not through an independent Authority), and a new storm sewer utility; one of the first storm sewer utilities to form under the new Federal mandate to regulate stormwater. Chambersburg has a famous Aquatic Center as well. Chambersburg, the County Seat of Franklin County, currently has 20,832 residents (2020).
About The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission:
The mission of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is: to protect, conserve, and enhance the Commonwealth’s aquatic resources and provide fishing and boating opportunities. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is an independent Commonwealth commission comprised of 10 Commissioners appointed by the Governor and approved by the Legislature. The Boating Advisory Board advises and makes recommendations to the Commission. The Commission is a user-funded agency receiving no PA General Fund tax revenue to support its programs. The Commission operates out of two special funds: the Fish Fund and the Boat Fund. Revenue for the Fish Fund is generated from sales of fishing licenses and fees (about 66%) and federal funds (about 22%) obtained from taxes on fishing-related items. Revenue from the Boat Fund is predominantly generated from boat registration/titling fees, refunds of liquid fuels taxes on gas used by motorboats and federal aid.
