Leechburg mayor raises nearly $1,900 for boat launch in Riverfront Park

A fundraiser for a gravel boat launch in Riverfront Park in Leechburg raised nearly $1,900, Mayor Wayne Dobos said, putting the borough even closer to constructing the park’s newest asset this summer.

“Everything is in the planning stage right now,” Dobos said.

The boat launch will allow canoeists and kayakers a free access point for recreation on the Kiskiminetas River.

In a Facebook post last week, Dobos announced the borough had raised $1,740 for the launch, a project he has long championed.

By Tuesday, the sum had risen to $1,890. The total came from a combination of individuals and business owners in Leechburg, and Dobos said there are still more people who have expressed interest in donating.

“I can’t believe the people donating,” he said, including former Leechburg residents. “It’s amazing.”

Dobos said there is no ceiling to his fundraiser — anything that is raised will be put to use for the project, he said.

At earlier meetings with Leechburg Council, Dobos said the ramp would be financed through community donations, a $3,000 grant from Armstrong County and a $4,000 grant from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

If Leechburg could raise $1,000, Dobos said in February, Armstrong County would provide an additional $5,000. He said Tuesday that the borough is waiting to hear back from the county commissioners about those funds before arranging for construction to begin.

The launch had earlier been priced at around $9,000.

Dobos hopes it will be completed by the end of this summer.

Dobos began fundraising for the launch a couple months ago. He sees the project as an exciting opportunity to highlight the town’s scenic location along the Kiski River and a way to potentially boost the borough’s economy. Efforts began two years ago to clean up Riverfront Park, trimming the trees and installing a river-facing bench and repairing the gazebo.

“We had no more industry in Leechburg, but the Kiskiminetas has become a tourist attraction,” Dobos said. And if tourists come to visit the river, he said, “they may be stopping into different stores, seeing what a nice community Leechburg is.”