Grant takes aim at abandoned mine safety issues near Incline

Reporter

A gate with barsblocks the entranceway to the former Rolling Mill Mine located on the hillside behind Route 56 and Point Stadium. The James Wolfe Sculpture Trail leads to this location.

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Grant money announced on Tuesday is expected to fund the design of ways to fix mine-related safety issues on the hillside near the Johnstown Inclined Plane downtown.

Efforts have been underway for years to temporarily seal the old Rolling Mill Mine portal on the hillside, to close a riverside mine shaft and to address highwall issues that pose risks to the growing crowd of people using the hillside.

Design plans should open up a new revenue stream not only to fix those issues, but also to develop the planned "Sliver Park" on the Stonycreek River at the base of the hill, Conemaugh Valley Conservancy member Brad Clemenson said.

"This (design funding) opens the door for these projects to occur," said Clemenson, who has been working with several local organizations and City of Johnstown officials to carry the projects forward.

State Rep. Frank Burns, D-East Taylor Township, and state Department of Environmental Protection officials announced the funding in separate press releases.

The project was one of 16 across Pennsylvania awarded shares of $7.8 million in environmental restoration funds through the Abandoned Mine Land/Acid Mine Drainage (AML/AMD) program, which the DEP said started last fall as a result of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

State officials did not list the grant total, but Clemenson noted that $117,000 was requested for the work.

In the Johnstown project's case, formal plans need to be completed to fix issues created by a mining operation that ended generations ago.

Clemenson said the vertical mine shaft has been blocked by a gate for years, but a permanent solution is needed.

There's another unsafe shaft further down the river near the bottom of the steep hill – across from Sargent's Stadium at the Point – while cliff-like highwalls left behind after mining activity need to be cut back so they don't fall onto hikers, bikers and other pedestrians, Clemenson said.

"Securing this new funding is going to support reclamation work that will expand access to recreational trails, provide access for maintenance of the Inclined Plane and build on other projects underway to expand hillside recreation and tourism for the area," Burns added.

The work is being eyed as efforts continue to redevelop the hillside for recreation.

Fundraising has been ongoing for years to develop a river park along the Stonycreek River near the base of the Inclined Plane.

Clemenson said it's possible that requests for engineering and design work on the first phase of that project will be sought simultaneously with the abandoned mine safety efforts.

He said it's likely that both projects won't proceed to construction for nearly two more years.

An effort to assess the Kimberly Run watershed in Somerset County also received state funds. The site is located southeast of Somerset Borough in Somerset Township.

Conemaugh Valley Conservancy plans to assess the watershed – including stream monitoring – to determine whether abandoned mine drainage seeps and other features could be improved though potential future development.

David Hurst is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @TDDavidHurst and Instagram @TDDavidHurst.

Grassroots moves to transform the area surrounding one of the city's biggest tourist draws, the Inclined Plane, have turned into a more than 90-acre hillside recreational tourism effort that local leaders called a "linchpin" for the region's future Thursday.

Reporter

David Hurst is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @TDDavidHurst and Instagram @TDDavidHurst.

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