Grand opening scheduled for ‘Magic City’ Riverfront Park
Here is a look at the Charleroi Boat Launch before the $450,000 project to expand the area to allow more parking and an easier access to the water for boats and their trailers.
The Charleroi Boat Launch before the former high school football stadium was demolished to allow for easier access to the water and enhanced parking.
The new Charleroi Boat Launch makes it a bit easier for people to take their boats and trailers into the water.
Demolition of the Charleroi Area High School's stadium made room for bigger parking spots at the boat launch.
An overview of the enhanced parking available at the Charleroi Boat Launch at the completion of Charleroi Renaissance Phase 1
The new and improved Charleroi Boat Launch is ready to be shown off at the borough’s Magic City Riverfront Park.
A grand opening is scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. June 22 at the boat launch at Second and Hussey streets. The event will include the Vagabond Taco Truck, refreshments and music.
The project, termed “Charleroi Renaissance Phase I,” opens up the riverfront as a public amenity and reconnects it to the downtown shopping district to support business growth.
To make room for this development, Charleroi Area High School former stadium was demolished in 2018.
“It started with the stadium demolition and culminates with the expanded boating access and the park that we just completed,” said Jamie Colecchi, CEO of Mon Valley Alliance. “It will offer enhanced parking for boats and their trailers and an easier way for them to pull in and launch their boat into the water in Charleroi.”
The $450,000 project, which also includes a kayak launch, received funding from a number of sources, including $252,000 awarded in Washington County Local Share Account funds. Also helping to pay for the project are funds from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resource, Washington County Tourism and Mon Valley Alliance Foundation.
Charleroi had transferred ownership of the boat launch and former parking area to the Mon Valley Alliance to allow for grant funding applications for the project. The borough took back ownership of the boat launch and new parking area in July 2021.
Colecchi said this project will take up a little more than one acre of the six acres available for redevelopment in the area.
“That leaves about another four-plus acres yet to be developed,” Colecchi said, adding what will be done with that land is still being determined. “We’re still hashing that out.”
Colecchi did say that MVA is looking to swap that acreage with the trustees for the Charleroi Community Park.
“We have a court order that allows the swap to take place for four acres of their property for the four acres that remain at Riverfront Park,” Colecchi said. “The old stadium site is in a flood plain and there are very limited development opportunities there. The highest and best use would be for some sort of recreation and that fits the mission of the Charleroi Community Park trustees.”
Matt Staniszewski, Charleroi Borough manager, said the project will be a great benefit to the borough.
“It’s a first step to enhance recreational assets in the Mon Valley region,” he said. “It’s a first step in attracting visitors to the waterfront, as well as providing recreational amenities to our residents. I’ve seen a number of young adults fishing down there. I’ve seen numerous adults launching boats from there. I’ve had some individuals saying they like this better than the Speers Boat Launch. This is an exciting time for the borough of Charleroi.”
Colecchi said the project has involved the collaborative efforts of many parties.
“This has been a long partnership with the school district, the county and the borough to make all of this happen,” he said. “The school district owned the property at one point and donated it for this project. We’ve reached a point now where we can swap part of that land, as well as having the borough owning the boat dock and the parking lot.”