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<br />.. <br /> <br />enhancement project. The South Main River Park Project will tie in with the existing <br />recreational development upstream in the Buena Vista River Park, creating nearly % mile of <br />public greenway along the Arkansas River Corridor. <br /> <br />The stimulus for this project is the anticipated growth along the river as a result ofthe South <br />Main development. Throughout the planning process, the goal was to anticipate this shifting use <br />of the river corridor, while remaining cognizant of the stream's natural characteristics. The <br />addition of two parallel trails, a foot bridge, and stone terracing along the banks will provide <br />access to the stream corridor for bank-based recreational opportunities. The proposed <br />whitewater park in-stream enhancement portion of the project consists of five in-stream features <br />and a 400 foot fishing preserve. Through the eventual donation of property by The Town <br />Company, the South Main River Park will become a % mile long public greenway along the <br />Arkansas River. <br /> <br />This section of the Arkansas River is currently a valued whitewater recreation site that regularly <br />attracts paddlers from surrounding areas. The goal of the conceptual design process is to <br />consider in-stream as well as bank-based enhancements at this site, providing a recreational and <br />economic amenity for the Arkansas River Valley <br /> <br />Whitewater kayaking is one ofthe fastest growing outdoors sports in the country. Whitewater <br />parks and park-and-play whitewater kayaking are the key driving forces behind this growth. <br />Park-and-play kayaking can be described as whitewater kayaking where the starting and <br />finishing points are the same site. Most often this type of whitewater paddling involves <br />"freestyle" or "play" boating during which a kayaker uses a specially designed kayak to perform <br />maneuvers in a hydraulic or wave, commonly referred to as a "hole". Park-and-play kayaking <br />has completely transformed the sport of whitewater kayaking from boat design to the culture of <br />the sport. Whitewater parks are an emerging trend in the United States that provide river related <br />recreation near a population center and in-stream structures. They are built to create park-and- <br />play boating as the highlighted centerpiece of these projects. Whitewater parks can vary in <br />length from the longest (112 mile) to the shortest (1 single feature) but all meet the same goal, <br />attracting whitewater kayakers to a single destination where they can recreate without the <br />logistical issues involved in a more traditional, point A to point B river trip. <br /> <br />Diverse communities ranging in population and geographic characteristics are turning to their <br />rivers as a source of recreation, education, and local pride. Whitewater parks attract citizens of <br />all ages and socio-economic backgrounds. The operation of these parks across the country has <br />shown that these types ofprojects provide a number of benefits including, new recreational <br />opportunities, economic stimulus, enhanced aquatic habitat and environmental education <br />opportunities. <br /> <br />Many communities have found that this type of stream enhancement project produces significant <br />return on their investment. The most high profile example of a whitewater park serving as an <br />economic stimulus to a community is in the City of Golden, at the Colorado Clear Creek <br />Whitewater Park. The Clear Creek Whitewater Park was built in 1998 at a construction cost of <br />$175,000. An economic impact study completed in 2000 for a water right case showed that in <br />the first three summers of operation, the park was having an annual economic impact of between <br />