Re: Agenda Item 9, Board Meeting, Recreational Instream Flows, Policy Discussion

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in an eddy behind a massive ooulaer placed in Clear Creek. Lacy designed the whitewater park in Golden. u a c 0 Dan Burke of Hood River, UM paddles with nis'tsands In a - - wnitewater rodeo hole created by the seventh drop at the waterpark. WHI I'EWATEn WONDL`R�i By -Jason Blevins Denver Pest Business Wrier OLDEN —Gary Lacy carves his kayak into the crowded eddy, exchanges nods with a couple of Fellow kayakers, and drives his boZinto the maw of a foaming, man -made wave in the middle of Clear Creek. 'That guy designed Lhis wave," says one boater, gushing reverence like the water :te ng beneath his kayak. All the helmeted heads in the eddy turn toward Lacy, a youthful 44 -•ear -old hydraulic engineer, who has spent the past 2 0 "years designing whitewater parks across the state. Latel Lacy's also been turning t'n� heads of ' tourism of(iciats and municipal otanners across Colorado with an eve toµvard revitaiizino, riverfronts and fiiiine them with neoole. T ouiis. figures rising ..', ;,h,' ;ome: chat as core .cr our .oc:'i:;,,.. . Ll\ s :1ci. Iii" ectur of ;hn -•i:arrtber cf CC :p S,IIida. •which ann,ua ::: costs Colorado towns ride wave of kayaking'� kayaking race. A pair of local kayakers in Salida ' with help from Lacy, recently augmented an existing man -made wave in the middle of town that draws kayakers daily from as far as Denver, Vail and Crested Butte. "With the oldest kavaking race in the country, it should onl make sense that we have a place we can brag about as far as opportunities for kayakers to play," says ,Northwood, noting that the number of rafters and kayakers on the Arkansas °liver• which flows through downtown Salida, has grown from around 350.000.in 1990 to more than 650.000 last summer. "Obviously. navis, a v : ateroar; only e ^.hances our opportu:ities.'' Lacy has an artistic ability to ar:an.,e cs of boulders :n flowin, :.a,,er and ; popularity play. His work includes the entire 5-mile Boulder Creek bike oath and whitewater park, as well as dozens of river restoration projects. "All I try to do is capitalize on existing resources. The water's already there. These parks have realty become an incredibly nuge economic generator — way more :ban I ever predicted, " he says. "Really this isn't about drawing boaters as much as creating a focal point for activity and color and really revitalizing an urban area." Besides the A: k5nsas River, other man -mace whitewater Dlav parks and slalom kayaking courses include: 13 Eben G. ?ine Par:; on Boulder C,:ek in Boulde,. r aL t!W Co nfluence 0" ;he Snug. Pratte n ,j L; tt , rry r',- 'lam • Clear Creek in Golden. • Union Street Chutes on the South Platte River in Englewood. The Animas River in Durango. The Yampa River in Steamboat Springs. Of those, Lacy designed the Steamboat Springs park, the Clear Creek park, part of Confluence Park, part of the Salida whitewater park and slalom course, Boulder Creek park. and 37 other drops and waves in the a miles of creek that run through Boulder. He's also designed and offered insight on proposed whitewater parks in Pueblo, Gunnison, Grand Junction and Palisade. Fort Collins. Breckenridge. Silverthorne. Vail and Farmington. N.:\[. Fastest growing sport T years ago, Lacy would aporoac- town planners and town councils with proposals that stressed conservation measures ti:;e river;estoranon and cr eatine a aca!ity encironmen.t for fish. in :he back of his mmd. ::c'd be ,hin kir.z about recreatio and '.low lu cou - 1'. accomplish