Monessen OKs boat ramp agreement with USACE

The deal doesn’t apply to other parts of the Herman Mihalich River Launch.

Monessen council unanimously approved an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last week for work on the boat ramp at the Herman J. Mihalich Memorial River Launch.

The process for the boat ramp project was initiated following the demolition of Locks and Dam No. 3 on the Monongahela River near Elizabeth. River levels have lowered since then, requiring some renovations to certain municipal facilities along the river.

“The existing launching ramp provides public access to the river for boating, fishing, and other recreational activities except during periods of low river flows,” read USACE agreement documents. “The 3.2 foot pool decrease has rendered the existing ramp unusable except during high river flows when recreational activities are discouraged on the river.”

The USACE states that some of the remedial work required would involve extending the boat ramp, which would be constructed out of reinforced concrete. However, the construction of the proposed ramp extension comes with some requirements.

“The means and methods of constructing the ramp extension is at the discretion of the Owner (City of Monessen); however, the option selected must be environmentally compliant,” USACE stated. “One option could be to construct the concrete ramp on dry land and subsequently install and anchor it in the wet.

“Another option could be to provide a small-scale cofferdam system and perform the work in the dry. Stone riprap will be placed along both sides and the end of the ramp to protect it from wave action and higher river flows.”

The USACE will reimburse the city for any work related to the extension of the boat ramp, as long as it does not exceed more than $331,515.

The agreement between the city and USACE specifies that the result of the project needs to be “equal in service and utility” to the current boat ramp. The Corps will not reimburse for any additional enhancements for the boat ramp or the boat launch.

During council’s March 12 work session, Mayor Ron Mozer and Solicitor Joseph Dalfonso discussed how the agreement will only apply to the boat ramp, and not other parts of the Herman Mihalich River Launch. Mozer said he would have preferred for the project to also include the boat docks.

“That really bothers me, because you have a nice boat ramp, and you unload your boat, you need a place to tie the boat off to so you can go park your car,” Mozer said. “The Army Corps of Engineers does not feel that that’s appropriate, so they will not allow us to spend any money at all on the boat dock.”

Dalfonso explained that the lock and dam project was originally supposed to happen in the mid-1990s, and USACE stated that since the boat docks weren’t there at the time of the original project, the docks couldn’t be involved in the current agreement. Dalfonso added that the USACE mentioned that there was another possible process to involve the docks, but they said it was not feasible.

“There was a mechanism for the city to run it up the chain to get approval to include the boat docks as part of this project,” Dalfonso said. “They weren’t real thrilled with going through that process. There was no guarantees that they would approve the inclusion of the docks, and they said it would take quite a long while. And this is one of the final projects up and down the river because of the lock and dam projects, and they don’t know how much money is left over.”

To continue with the project, the city will have to advertise for bids and award the project to the lowest bidder. The city will have to receive approval from the USACE for the final approved bidder.

The agreement states that the city has to complete the boat ramp project no later than two years after receiving a “Notice to Proceed” from USACE.