Let’s do “launch” at Potters’ Landing in Greensboro
C.R. Nelson
From left, Bob MtJoy, Rick Bartoletti, Roger Wence and Dave Cressey at the Potters’ Landing launch site.
C.R. Nelson
The crew of four lug their boats to the water.
C.R. Nelson
Seen floating on the water, kayakers use the new launch, installed earlier this year, to easily slip into the Monongahela River. The roller section of the launch, pictured here, has since been removed to avoid damage from freezing temperatures and water.
C.R. Nelson
Dave Cressey reads the instructions for the wheelchair-accessible kayak launch at Potters’ Landing in Greensboro.
By C.R. Nelson
Unseasonably warm weather this fall made it an excellent time to be on the Monongahela River, paddle in hand, enjoying the social distance of the great outdoors. In Greene County, the splash happy days began in August when the launch site known as Potters’ Landing was finally restored. It sits on a steep stretch of riverbank, a curve away from the historic pottery town of Greensboro that gives it its name. This handicap-accessible launch is the only one of its kind in the county. When built and christened in 2015, it was tailored for kayaks and canoes, with rollers that make it a stable place to get in, then roll easily in and out of the water. The design became a prototype for the others that followed in Monongahela, Fredericktown, Charleroi and six sites around Morgantown, W.Va.
But the spring floodwaters of 2018 left Potters’ Landing torn loose from its pilings, and the community was left pondering what to do next.
High wooded hills hem this section of the river, trapping floodwaters and driving them high, fast and furious. When Lock 7 was removed in 1986, the river rose another 15 feet, threatening Greensboro’s historic riverfront streets. When the Army Corps of Engineers made plans to condemn the historic riverfront houses in 1992, homeowners and the community organized the Nathanael Greene Historical Foundation and went to court to prevent it. Restructured afterward as Nathanael Greene Community Development Corporation, the nonprofit continues to promote Greensboro’s rich history and helps support walking trails, community improvement projects, fundraisers and art-centric festivals. When Potters’ Landing was damaged, Nat Greene put more than $6,000 into the project and Walmart, Greensboro Borough and Ice Plant Restaurant added to the mix. Nat Greene board member Bob MtJoy, retired CEO of Cornerstone Care and avid paddler, began rounding up volunteers to help with the months of work that lay ahead.
“We got wonderful support from the community,” MtJoy said.
EQT donated and delivered the 10-inch pipe for the new pilings to be designed, and project donations paid Three Rivers Divers for the welding and the boat it took to deliver the resized pipe and the crane it took to anchor the pilings into bedrock. The new launch bed moves up and down on them as the water level changes. They tower over Potters’ Landing, an eye-opening reminder of just how high the river can get during a record flood.
Dock piling brackets were purchased, the wheelchair-accessible ramp was repaired and invasive Japanese knotweed was removed. Volunteer Shawn Phillips did the welding repair on the aluminum gangway, and Tony Gashie of JLM Construction donated and operated his front-end loader as the new launch was landscaped into place.
In August, MtJoy had good news to share with Kayak Greene County on Facebook.
Potters’ Landing was back! Although not finished in every detail, the rollers were in place to let paddlers slip into a river of fun.
When MtJoy met up with volunteer buddy Rick Bartoletti, his wife JoAnn and other Potters’ Landing paddlers on October 15, it was a happy gathering of old friends, ready to celebrate life with a group splash in. MtJoy was all smiles.
“We’ve had people here from Fairmont and Morgantown. Now that the creeks are low, the river is where people come to paddle. There’s room to park, and Mon View Park has public restrooms. It’s great to have Potters’ Landing back. It’s been a true community effort.”
A gazebo for doing lunch at the launch is nearby. Ice Plant restaurant is just up the road, and a mile-plus walking and biking trail along the edge of the river that includes a scenic tour of Greensboro add to the fun to be found at Potters’ Landing. Over the years, Greensboro has drawn artists as residents, and outdoor sculpture displays include a huge Greensboro pot by sculptor Jamie Rinehart jutting out of the lawn near the restored log cabin that houses a small museum. A sculpture by Steve Murdoch can be seen near the gazebo, and a mural, done as an artist in residence project, greets visitors as they enter town.
With winter on its way, MtJoy recently let the Facebook paddling community know that Greene County Parks and Recreation helped portage the roller section and attachments to Nat Greene headquarters for winter storage and will return them in the spring.
The river can still be accessed on a fine off-season day at the Fish and Boat Commission launch across the road from the Ice Plant.
Paddlers take to Greene County’s big creeks when winter ends, and high water fills them. Launch sites on Ten Mile and Dunkard creeks attract kayaks and canoes from early April through June and sometimes into a rainy July. But when creeks go low, the Monongahela goes high on the list for those who are more than ready to Huck Finn it on a river that flows like few others in the world do – south to north – from Morgantown, W.Va., to its confluence in Pittsburgh. Keep your eyes wide – there’s plenty of history to be seen along the way.