Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Regional Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Canal Place outlines River Park plan for Cumberland, seeks earlier engineering and sediment testing funding
Summary
Canal Place officials told the subcommittee the River Park project in Cumberland is a roughly $30 million plan to remove a dam, test and remediate sediment, build trails and river access, and generate economic activity; Canal Place reported $9 million already raised, a $500,000 federal earmark for sediment testing, and a pending $700,000 ARC grant.
Canal Place Preservation and Development Authority and partners updated the subcommittee on the River Park project in Cumberland and requested earlier engineering and design work to hasten dam removal and trail construction.
Analyst Elizabeth Bridal said Canal Place’s fiscal 2027 operating allowance is roughly $916,000, down about $300,000 from the prior year because of one‑time reimbursable funding in the previous year. The agency also reported PAYGO deficiencies that will be used for River Park planning.
Deirdre Ritchie, Canal Place executive director, described the project as a partnership with the city of Cumberland and Allegheny County with plans for ADA‑accessible trails, river access, parking expansion and eventual dam removal. Ritchie said the full project is estimated at about $30 million, with more than $9 million already secured from federal and state sources and a $500,000 earmark set aside for sediment testing. She said a $700,000 Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant is pending and matched by local funds.
“We are underway with engineering and design, and we’re going to start construction,” Ritchie told the committee, and said she hopes dam removal and sediment work can begin before the FY31 capital timetable — possibly with sediment testing completed by the end of 2026.
Committee members asked for the economic‑impact study supporting Canal Place’s projections of jobs, visitor counts and tax revenues; Ritchie said an economic‑impact analysis exists and agreed to provide it to committee staff. Members also asked about outstanding financial audits; Canal Place said FY22–23 audits are complete and that FY24–25 audit work has been sent to the auditor and is pending final numbers.
The subcommittee thanked Canal Place for the update and asked staff to circulate the requested analysis and audit materials as part of ongoing budget review.
