Parker Street Landing in Scranton gets new canoe/kayak launch

Jim Lockwood, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·4 min read

Jul. 18—Parker Street Landing along the Lackawanna River in North Scranton will soon better live up to its name.

The Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority is constructing a disabled-accessible canoe/kayak launch from the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail's new Marvine section to the river.

River access was mostly hidden by vegetation, said LHVA community engagement manager Justin Topa.

"It was pretty primitive. It really wasn't accessible by any means, compared to what we're trying to do" now, Topa said. "Accessibility for as many people as possible is always a driving force behind Lackawanna Heritage Valley's projects. Our goal for this project is to open up access to the Lackawanna River and outdoor recreation as a whole to as many of our residents and visitors as possible."

While ADA requirements have become common in stores, restaurants and streetscapes as a result of the federal 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, such improvements are not necessarily always found in outdoor, park or nature settings, said Keith Williams, an advocacy and outreach coordinator for the nonprofit Northeast Pennsylvania Center for Independent Living.

Williams was not aware of the Parker Street Landing access project but was glad to hear about it.

"I think that's great. People with disabilities in Northeast Pennsylvania want the same kind of access to recreational and outdoor opportunities as everybody else," Williams said. "I hope other nonprofits and different parks and recreation departments in the area will follow that example."

The $111,000 project has been under construction by contractor Minichi Inc. of Dupont since mid-June. The work also involves building an expanded and ADA-accessible parking area and path to the launch ramp, as well as removing invasive growth and replacing it with native vegetation to restore the riparian buffer, Topa said.

Workers used boulders salvaged from other projects to create a rock wall at the bottom of the new access ramp. The ramp, which is not designed as a boat launch to be used by vehicles, spurs off from the new Marvine section of the river trail that opened last year.

Workers installed concrete pavers in the bed of the new ramp, which is about 11 feet wide and 80 feet long. The pavers form a concrete lattice. Next, they will spread and rake topsoil and grass seed over the base to fill in the lattice holes of the pavers. After grass grows through the holes, the ramp will be able to be mowed.

Workers also positioned boulders in a hook shape curving from the bottom of the access ramp into the river, to create a fish habitat spot.

Work should be completed by the end of July. The project is funded by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Fish and Boat Commission.

The new, 1-mile Marvine trail section traverses the former Marvine colliery land bounded by the river, East Parker Street, Boulevard Avenue and Interstate 81 at Scranton's northern border with Throop. The trail running along the riverbank features a few remnants of the former Marvine coal-mining site. Visitors entering at the Parker Street Landing pass by a stone foundation from a long-gone rail bridge over the river.

The new canoe/kayak access is near that old stone foundation from a bridge of the New York, Ontario and Western Railroad that ran through the Plot neighborhood into the colliery and right past its breaker, said Bernie McGurl. He is the executive director of the Lackawanna River Conservation Association that uses the Parker Street Landing as a canoe and kayak launch for LRCA events.

The railroad went bankrupt in the 1950s and the tracks were removed in 1974, McGurl said.

"The rails — they were sold to the national railway of Spain. Somewhere in Spain are rails from along the Lackawanna River," McGurl said.

The Parker Street Landing site also was said to have had a footpath to the river for baptisms dating back to 1830s, McGurl said.

Topa also said that, as part of the LHVA's mission to develop and maintain spaces for outdoor recreation, the Marvine trail and new launch ramp help reclaim the former Marvine industrial site while improving river accessibility.

"This project should go a long way in reconnecting people and communities to the Lackawanna River and its watershed," Topa said.

Contact the writer:

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5185;

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter.