by Scott Dodd
It sounds far-fetched: an artificial whitewater river...uptown.
But it's an idea that has all the right people interested, from the country's largest bank to the Mecklenburg County parks department to the U.S. Olympic kayaking team. "It's something we want to see happen," said Jim Palermo, Bank of America's executive vice president for corporate real estate and a major center city backer.
The idea being shopped around town by BofA executives is to build a fishhook-shaped channel on a football field-sized parcel of land somewhere in or near the center city. Water would be pumped through the channel, and plastic barriers would create whitewater and allow operators to shift and change the rapids.
It would offer the public almost year-round rafting and canoeing--without a drive to the mountains--and be a training site for competitive kayakers.
Taxpayers would likely pick up at least a portion of the tab, possibly by buying or providing the land for the facility. About 20 or so acres would be needed.
Several locations are being considered, including land near the junction of Interstate 77 and the Brookshire Freeway. The Park and Recreation Department would likely own and operate the river.
Such a facility would be the only one of its kind in the United States, potentially drawing competitions and visitors from all over the world. The only comparable structure is Penrith Whitewater Stadium, built for the 2000 Olympic games in Australia. "We're dying to have a facility like this," said Bob Campbell, a kayaking coach with the U.S. team. "We don't have a real training center in the United States." Few of the rivers or other sites where the athletes now train are in major population centers or ideal for year-round use, he said.
He went on to say that the facility could draw international kayaking events to Charlotte, including the world championships.
And it would be relatively cheap to build--at least compared with recent Charlotte proposals like a public aquarium or an uptown basketball arena--likely costing around $10 million, backers say.
At this point, the idea is still in the early stages. Who would build and pay for it are up in the air. Backers would likely need approval and at least some money from Mecklenburg County. Commissioners Chairman Parks Helms calls it an interesting concept that needs more study.
"It needs simply to get in line and see where it fits within the broader scope of all the things that are contemplated in this community," he said.
City leaders have long considered it a drawback that Charlotte lacks both a waterway and a major uptown park. In other cities, water is used as a centerpiece for downtown development efforts. San Antonio and Chattanooga, Tenn., are prime examples.
Promoters see the manufactured river as the centerpiece for an uptown park and greenway system, envisioned in Charlotte's recently adopted 2010 plan. "It all just seems to fit" with Charlotte's efforts to build more parks and promote the city as a tourist destination, said county parks director Wayne Weston.
The facility would be open to the public, providing a venue for everything from kayaking lessons to whitewater rafting to competitive sports. Schools could use it for field trips, companies for team building, and community groups for outreach, backers say. The park around it could include walking trails, skating paths, even a climbing wall.
"It connects so many dots," said Vic Howie, a senior vice president with Bank of America, who's promoting the idea. The bank is a major sponsor of the U.S. canoeing and kayaking teams. BofA executives say they want to see the river built but haven't committed money to the effort.
Howie and Charlotte attorney Chet Rabon, who represents several kayakers, hatched the idea at the U.S. Olympic trials in Tennessee after hearing athletes praise the Australian facility.
The next step is to study both the costs and the community's interest. Then promoters would seek public and private money.
The facility could be built and open by 2003.
Scott Dodd
Reprinted courtesy of the Charlotte Observer.