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Mon River Trail floated as tourism boost

3 min read

DONORA – A stranger to Donora might not realize the borough’s entire eastern border hugs the Monongahela River.

In a design dating to the early 20th Century steel industry, a mill raised the land along Donora’s waterfront by as much as 30 feet, creating a cliff beside the river for easy loading and off-loading barges.

Scott Beveridge/Observer-Reporter

Scott Beveridge/Observer-Reporter

Demolition is underway on the old Charleroi Area High School football stadium to pave the way for a new riverfront park.

“We have to recreate Donora,” said Donora Councilman Dennis Gutierrez, who envisions a new walking trail along the river. “It’s a must.”

Discussions about Donora’s lack of access to the water have been raised amid new efforts to create a Monongahela River Water Trail from Fredericktown north to Elizabeth, said Christopher Whitlatch, chief executive officer of Mon Valley Alliance.

The Twilight-based alliance was named in February the managing organization for the trail, meaning it will be responsible for promoting it and improving community access to the water, Whitlatch said.

“The river has always been the Mon Valley’s biggest asset,” Whitlatch.

The river was largely used for industrial reasons until the collapse of the steel industry that began in Donora about 1960 with the closing of a U.S. Steel mill. Today, the river’s purpose has shifted to tourism.

Whitlatch points to what the Great Allegheny Passage has done to the once-sleepy and nearby borough of West Newton. That hiking and biking trail, which stretches from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Md., has helped to draw a bicycle shop, bed-and-breakfasts and a restaurant to West Newton.

Scott Beveridge/Observer-Reporter

Scott Beveridge/Observer-Reporter

Christopher Whitlatch, left, chief executive officer of Mon Valley Alliance, and Donora Councilman Dennis Gutierrez discuss the creation of a walking trail along the Monongahela River in the borough.

“We’ve got great restaurants, too,” Whitlatch said. “We believe the water trail can help our current businesses as well as encourage new startups on our main streets and on our riverfronts.”

The city of Monongahela made the decision about five decades ago to connect to the river by building a riverfront stage known as the Noble J. Dick Aquatorium.

The aquatorium has undergone extensive renovation in recent years, and a summer concert season there has lured new customers to the city.

Meanwhile, the old Charleroi Area High School football stadium is being demolished as the alliance comes up with a master plan on creating a riverfront park on the site along the Mon beside Second Street.

In Donora, there are early discussions about lowering Sixth Street to create a ramp to the river. Whitlatch said nearby property owned by Washington County Redevelopment Authority could be marketed to businesses related to river tourism.

“We need to do a market study in Donora,” Whitlatch said.

“This is where it could start to rebuild Donora,” added Gutierrez, who met with Whitlatch last week on Sixth Street.

Kayakers have been taking to the Mon River in the area of late in groups or by themselves.

Scott Beveridge/Observer-Reporter

Scott Beveridge/Observer-Reporter

Sixth Street in Donora leads to an area where developers envision a new ramp to the Monongahela River.

Gina Lynn, executive director of Greater Rostraver Chamber of Commerce, is among them.

She said being on the river in a kayak is a “reset” for her after a stressful or busy day at work.

It’s better to go to the river in one of the small boats in the morning or early evening when there are fewer pleasure boats on the water, Lynn said.

Meanwhile, the alliance also will work with the Mon River Towns coalition to update signs and maps of ramp access to the water.

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