SHENANGO RIVER Environmental group seeks state help to build fishing pier

A McDowell Manor resident raised concerns about parking and noise.
SHARON, Pa. -- Shenango River Watchers, a local environmental group, is seeking state help to build an observation deck/fishing pier on the Shenango River in downtown Sharon.
Jennifer Barborak, president, said the group is working in partnership with the Mercer County Housing Authority to put the pier on authority land behind the McDowell Manor housing complex off Penn Avenue.
Shenango River Watchers cleaned up the site as one of its river projects in April, she said during a hearing on the plan at Thursday's city council meeting.
The housing authority is willing to put up $30,000 for the project, and the state will be asked for a grant of $30,000 to $40,000 to complete the financing, Barborak said.
Possible problems
Frances Sloan, a McDowell Manor resident, said she thought the pier was for manor residents and expressed concern that opening it to the public could cause parking and other problems.
Parking spaces are very limited in the complex and some of residents of the senior citizen complex are terrified of noises at night, Sloan said, questioning what hours the pier will be open to the public.
Barborak said Pashek Associates, a recreational consulting company from Pittsburgh, is designing the project and is looking at creating a small parking area on authority property.
The authority would control use of the facility, she said.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the Mercer County Conservation District have approved the project, Barborak said.