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SUlIUJ1it Daily News for Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper and Frisco Colorado - Sports , ....;t. i ~ SUMMIT DAILY News Sports Classifieds Service Directory Real Estate A&E Columnists Opinion Community Summit Up Events Calendar Letters to the Editor Horoscopes Photo Galleries Special Sections SERVICES Submit News Archives RSS Feeds Email Headlines FiftySeven50+ Newsletter Road Conditions AROUND SUMMIT Dining Shopping Spas Bars & Nightclubs Performing Arts Live Music Arts & Culture RECREATION Ski & Snowboard Golf Fishing Mountain Biking Hiking Rafting & Paddling And More... TRAVEL INFO Lodging Lodging Rentals Transportation Weather Road Conditions MOUNTAIN UVING Real Estate Wedding Ideas Community Petscene NEWSPAPERS Aspen Times Citizen Telegram Leadville Chronicle Post Independent Snowmass Sun Vail Daily The Vail Trail Search: I jBl 000688 Page 1 of3 ~ P/CLOUDY720 Brought to you by Dillon Dam Brewery Classifieds I Place an Ad June 6, 2005 Avon hot on idea of whitewater park By Cliff Thompson Eagle County correspondent June 2,2005 .... Comments (0) ii Print 1:83 Email AVON - Avon wants to turn five miles of the Eagle River from Eagle-Vail to Edwards into a world-class water park that will attract kayakers, rafters and fishermen and provide a boon to the local economy. To pull-offthe plan, the town will need the help and money of other community organizations to help re- sculpt parts of the river from the 1-70 bridge at Eagle- Vail to the Miller Creek Bridge in Edwards. Proponents estimate the project will cost $800,000 but will create an economic bonanza. Always at Least NAMEBBAND S~ SNOWBOARDWEAR AND SPORTSWEAR Water users ranging from fishermen to floaters say the proposal is a winner. "One thing this will do is to make the Vail Valley a whitewater destination stop," said Darryl Bangert of Lakota Guides, a local rafting company. "It ties in with the Teva Games. Front Range paddlers will find out what waves are working through moutainbuzz.com." In a preliminary report, a design team said the river has "world-class potential" because of its constant grade and a boulder-strewn streambottom that helps create good kayaking, rafting and fishing conditions. The "boatability" of the river could be improved by building four or more structures to impede the flow of the river, forming standing waves and slower-moving eddys. Those waves attract kayakers seeking to surf them. A good $ idea The reason behind the park? Money. Water enthusiasts spend freely, the Avon report states. A whitewater park created in Golden on Clear Creek, which cost $165,000 to build, generates an estimated $1.4 million to $2 million annually for the area. "We've looked at other parks and they're generating to the economy - within a one-to two-year period - the lifelong cost ofthe improvements," said Larry Brooks, Avon town manager. "We're seeing a great return economically." Finding money to construct structures and other facilities - including parking and changing areas for users - will require a joint effort between the town, county, local homeowner groups and other special districts and organizations, the report stated. One of the wave-producing "drop structures" will be built beneath "Bob," Avon's famous bridge. Others will be built in Eagle-Vail and Edwards. "Bob the Bridge is the conceptual whitewater centerpiece with an emphasis on accommodating spectators http://www.summitdaily.com/artic1e/20050602/SPORTS/50602025 6/6/2005