I just read the article on the riverfront development proposal in today’s newspaper late last month when I got home from work. What a fiasco!

I was at that meeting on Feb. 26. That article didn’t mention anything about the opposition to where they are putting this Kayak/Canoe/Motorized Boat launch. There were some attendees opposed to this proposal.

One person mentioned how they’re trying to jam everything into a small area. Another person mentioned that this is not a lake. It’s a river with current and that you’re going to have this current pushing around whatever you’re in or trying to put on a trailer.

The area for this project has minimal parking. They plan to clear out the cement pads that were put in for the townhouse fiasco. This will end up being overflow parking for the bar that’s there. The parking lot in their prior design (behind the parking garage), had boaters using the parking lot that is always full of bar patrons’ vehicles. Prior to the meeting, I drove past that parking lot — it was full.

The area they want to put that ramp into the water will tear up the Riverfront project that was put in there a bunch of years ago. They lowered that walkway right next to the river and ultimately, it would flood every year when the river is up in the spring. Did that project cost $3.1 million then?

They talked about economic benefits to the local economy. Have any of you been on the river in a kayak or canoe? When you get off the water after coming down the river from the Kinzua Dam/Glade bridge, you’re wet, shoes are soaked. Your hair is a mess from swimming or the wind. Makeup washed off, eye shadow smeared and running down your gal’s face.

I never bring my wallet because I know everything in it would be soaked by the time I got home. I’m sure a lot of people don’t bring theirs for the same reason. Or cell phones. But this Riverfront committee thinks people are going to be walking into town and spending a lot of money. It was mentioned by someone else in a letter to the editor a while back that the only economic benefit that will come from this is a business will get their own boat launch and a downtown bar will get some more parking spaces paid for by the city of Warren for $3.1 million dollars.

As you can tell, I’m opposed to where they want to put the boat launch for all the above reasons. Over the years as this Riverfront Fiasco comes up in the paper, people are talking about the same thing. It’s in the wrong place without me even saying anything on a location.

Multiple people have mentioned Point Park. These aren’t people that stand on a pedestal, they’re people that live, work and play in Warren, Warren County, Allegheny National Forest, Allegheny and Conewango River valleys. This area (Point Park) is a diamond in the rough! Clearing out all those weeds and cutting down a couple or more big dangerous trees. Build up rip-rap (stones) along the water edge like has been done before and backfill with stones and dirt. That’s what most of the area is now.

For $3.1 million you could probably pound steel piling in the ground to meet up with what’s already up the creek bank by the Conewango towers and up the river to the railroad bridge. There could be numerous picnic tables, grills and some pavilions. Plenty of Parking. The boat ramp entrance could be dug back into the bank on the river side of the park 20 to 30 feet so they don’t have to disturb the river bed and the Endangered Mussels.

You want to talk, that’s an economic benefit to the local economy. During the summer there’s fishing contests out of Willow Bay boat launch seems like every weekend but might be every other weekend.

I’ve been on the water fishing to see when everyone takes off in the morning. Unbelievable how many boats there are. I’m sure the city of Bradford economy loves all this. Hundreds of fishermen/women staying in hotels and eating at restaurants. Buying stuff in stores. A lot of them come in early in the week to pre fish to get to know the water.

Plenty of parking at Point Park — a parking lot that could stretch clear up and around the corner toward Conewango Creek across from the pool entrance. People could run a fishing contest out of Point Park Boat launch right there on the Pennsylvania River of the year. Staying at Warren Hotels, eating at Warren restaurants, and buying stuff from Warren stores.

Cabela’s had fishing contests out of Wolf Run and now there are fishing contests organized out of Willow Bay.

Any opposition that was brought up at the meeting last month was shot down within seconds because that was not what they wanted to hear. They passed out a Public Involvement handout and comment form at the meeting to fill out. They probably won’t get read — just thrown in the garbage because it’s not going to be what they want hear. Save your ink.

One woman at the meeting didn’t even want motorized boats to use this launch, she said they agreed to that at the last meeting.

Patrick McDunn is a Warren resident.