Phase 1 of whitewater park project complete

By Jenny Blandford for the Kentucky Standard

Phase I of the Beech Fork River whitewater project is complete. A reconnaissance evaluation of municipal supply and whitewater recreation enhancements of Beech Fork River near Rubble Dam conducted by RiverRestoration.org estimated the project to cost about $350,000 to $500,000.

RiverRestoration.org River Engineer Jason Carey, who was hired by Bardstown Boaters to survey the area in August, sent a letter to the city and the club Nov. 18.

“Last week, we got the materials back from (Carey), which was basically a letter outlining everything,” Bardstown Boaters President Spalding Hurst said. “The estimate is about where we hoped it would be.”

In the letter, Carey said Rubble Dam on the Beech Fork River “has excellent opportunity for enhancement of both municipal water supply and whitewater recreation. The site has a number of advantages that make the project not only feasible, but will also keep costs down.”

Carey stated in the letter the project would enhance “water supply infrastructure while creating a recreation amenity for the community.”

In the letter, Carey outlined four advantages for why the project is feasible. Those reasons were: good construction access on a two-track road, seasonal low-flows of the channel will ease construction and reduce environmental impacts, significant amount of material onsite that can be reused in construction to help reduce costs and no sensitive species or other significant environmental issues that would complicate permitting or deter public support.

RiverRestoration.org, which is a Glenwood Springs, Colo.-based company that focuses on river restoration, preservation, enhancement and use of ecosystems, was the first developer Bardstown Boaters hired to survey the area. Bardstown Boaters raised $10,000 — $6,000 from the club, $2,000 from City Council and $2,000 from tourism — to bring Carey, who has more than nine years of experience as a river engineer, to Bardstown. Carey has a master’s degree in civil engineering and a bachelor’s degree in physics.

Carey, along with Hibbs Engineering, conducted topographic and channel surveys and took photographs of the river channel. Hurst said in August RiverRestoration.org was chosen because the club felt Carey developed three of the best whitewater parks in Colorado.

While in Bardstown, Carey met onsite with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and discussed the project with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nelson County floodplain manager and the Kentucky Division of Water.

“These regulators see no glaring objection to proceeding with this project and permitting should be straight forward,” Carey said in the letter. “We are requesting a notice to proceed with Phase II. The next steps are to perform engineering, obtain permits, develop alternatives and costs and assist seeking construction funds.”

Following receipt of the letter, Bardstown Boaters met Nov. 22 to discuss the next step.

“It was sort of a brainstorming meeting about what we, as a club, should be doing next to keep this project moving along since Phase I has been completed by RiverRestoration.org,” Hurst said. “So, we are moving toward Phase II.”

Phase II of the project — feasibility — includes eight tasks set forth by Carey in the river enhancement proposal, including hydrology, hydraulic analyses, preliminary design and alternatives, permitting, grant applications, landscape plan, final design and construction plans and specifications.

“He originally sent us an outline of all the phases and all the tasks within each of those phases,” Hurst said. “Phase II is design and Phase III is construction. Phase II includes the bulk of all the work.”

Phase II is projected to cost $44,500 and take about a year to complete, if everything goes as planned, Spalding said. Phase III — implementation — includes two tasks which entail construction bid package preparation and construction engineering services.

Bardstown Boaters plans to seek donations and sponsorships from local businesses and individuals and host fundraising events. Hurst said the club hopes to secure a non-profit status so money collected would be tax-deductible.

“We are going to start looking for some donors and we’re going to start putting on some events,” Hurst said.

Some ideas for fundraising include a bourbon barrel race on local waterways, card tournaments, educational and environmental grants and seeking funds from local government since the whitewater park project is a joint effort between Bardstown Boaters and Bardstown City Council. The emphasis of the River Recreation Enhancements design is to enhance Rubble Dam on the Beech Fork River for whitewater recreation and to improve the water supply. A plan for a whitewater park has been under way for about two years.

The data Carey collected will also be presented to Bardstown City Council, which will decide what the next step of the project will be.

Bardstown Boaters, which has about 115 members, supports a whitewater park, stating it could modify the hazardous Rubble Dam, attract visitors to the park, create a venue for paddlers, increase the city’s water supply, enhance the fish habitat, create a family-friendly and easily accessible river park, improve the aesthetics of the site and provide local economic stimulation.

According to its Web site, economic impacts of a whitewater park could provide recreation, tourism, competitions, new jobs and businesses, environmental awareness, construction of the river, enhanced land and property value and business retention.

For more information about Bardstown Boaters, visit www.bardstownboaters.com. To view some of RiverRestoration. org’s whitewater river projects, visit http://riverrestoration.org/ projects/index.html.

Jenny Blandford can be reached at 348-9003, Ext. 114, or jblandford@kystandard.com.

PitCo gives $100K for kayak park

The Pitkin County Open Space and Trails board Thursday agreed to spend up to $100,000 to design and help build a small and “moderately difficult” kayak park in the Roaring Fork River in Basalt, just upstream of the Elk Run neighborhood.

The funding was granted at the request of Pitkin County Attorney John Ely, who said a recently completed $10,000 feasibility study by The McLaughlin Whitewater Design Group in Denver concluded the park would be both a recreational and environmental improvement.

If the $100,000 expenditure for the kayak park is approved by the county commissioners, about $75,000 will be paid to Jason Carey of River Restoration.org of Glenwood Springs to design a kayak wave, a small boat ramp and riverside trails.

Read More

DLG Accepting Applications for Recreational Trails and Land and Water Grants

The Department for Local Government (DLG) is currently accepting applications for two grant programs to be awarded in 2009: Recreational Trails Program grant applications will be accepted through February 1, 2009 and the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) applications will be accepted through March 1, 2009.

The Recreational Trails Program is funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). It can be used to provide assistance for acquisition of easements, development and maintenance of recreational trails and trailhead facilities for both motorized and non-motorized use. Eligible applicants are city and county governments, state and federal agencies, and non-profit organizations.
The LWCF provides federal grant funds to acquire land for outdoor recreation and to develop or renovate public outdoor recreation facilities such as campgrounds, picnic areas, sports & playfields and support facilities.

Administered by DLG, funds for this program are allocated to Kentucky by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior. Cities, counties, state and federal agencies are eligible to apply.

Tonight's Meeting

The Bardstown Boaters held a very productive meeting tonight at Bardstown Mills, discussing future plans of moving forward with the whitewater park initiative.

Phase I - Reconnaissance Evaluation of Municipal Supply and Whitewater Recreation Enhancements on the Beech Fork at Rubble Dam - has been completed.

Phase II is projected to cost $44,500. The Bardstown Boaters plan to seek donations and sponsorships from local businesses, hold fundraising events and seek out a non-profit shell for the money to be received.

Ideas ranged from bourbon barrel races on local water ways, card tournaments, educational and environmental grants and receiving funds from local government due to the whitewater park also being a municipal water supply project. Improvements to the rubble dam would serve recreational purposes as well as serving Bardstown's current and future water needs.

Spalding Hurst, the club President, will be building an informational packet that highlights the benefits of the park and outlines the details of the park's creation. Total costs are estimated by RiverRestoration.org to be between $350,000 & $500,000.

Future meetings are being planned to occur each month to discuss the progress on the park and all other club activities. Continue visiting this website for more details.

Big South Fork in the Fall

What compels us to venture into the outdoors during unfavorable weather?
The spirit of adventure is strong, even with snow and temperatures falling, for a group of Kentucky paddlers, the urge to explore a familiar river shed remained. A large number of paddlers did just that on a cold Sunday in November.

After a long drought through the Summer, the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River finally reached a level suitable for paddling of nine hundred cubic feet per second (cfs). As the numbers of the water gauge raised, so did the amount of paddlers seeking the thrill of whitewater.

The Bardstown Boaters, Viking Canoe Club, and Bluegrass Wildwater Association all had representation in a group of nine kayakers making their way through the scenic class four and class three rapids of the Big South Fork. Temperatures reached highs of thirty-nine degrees, the water temperature was a bit warmer than that. The wind blew at times, but these paddlers never felt the cold of the day.

The rapids are familiar. The same thousand-year-old rocks residing in their indistinguishable positions. Double Drop, Washing Machine, The El, and Ass Kicker. Yet, they all become new again when you reach the lip of the drop and prepare to make your line through the twisting whitewater.

At the bottom of the rapid, the exhilaration subdues, a steady calmness takes over and all doubts about the weather have been washed away. Rolling out of bed at seven a.m. and venturing out into the Fall’s cold morning air is now well worth it. The majesty of the Big South Fork’s high gorges and the greatness of the people who paddle them make it all extremely worth while. And the only thought that crosses your mind is, “What compels people to stay indoors during unfavorable weather, when there is so much fun to be had outside?”

Reconnaissance Evaluation

RiverRestoration.org is pleased to inform you that the Rubble Dam on the Beech Fork has excellent opportunity for enhancement of both municipal water supply and whitewater recreation.

The existing rubble dam is nearly 100-years old and has deteriorated, reducing the pumping pool capacity and potential water supply. Furthermore, the angle of the structure has created erosion of the right bank that will soon be problematic for the pump station access road and the dam itself. The necessary improvements to the dam can easily include fish passage, boat passage and whitewater recreation. Bank improvements can be designed for the dual purposes of a community river park and for erosion control.

The site has a number of advantages that make the project not only feasible, but will also keep costs down. 1) There is good construction access on a two track road, although this may cross private property and easements will likely be required. 2) The seasonal low-flows of the channel will ease construction and reduce environmental impacts. 3) There is a significant amount of material onsite that can be reused in construction, further reducing costs. 4) There are no sensitive species or other significant environmental issues that would complicate permitting or deter public support.

We have initiated project coordination by meeting onsite with KY Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. We have discussed the project with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Nelson County Floodplain manager and the KY Division of Water. These regulators see no glaring objection to proceeding with this project and permitting should be straight forward. The City Engineers see the project as maintaining existing infrastructure and expanding the potential for future water supply. The Bardstown Chamber has already enjoyed national press (National Geographic Adventure, September 2008) generated by the project buzz. Furthermore you have a local Whitewater Park Committee that enthusiastically represents public support for the project.

We have completed a channel survey of the site and drafted hydraulic models. We have done preliminary hydrologic analyses and understand the constraints and functions of the site. We have reviewed floodplain scenarios and obtained hydraulic information from the US 31E Bridge project. We are prepared to move forward with the design of the project.

We previously submitted to you a July 28, 2008 proposal to take this project to construction bid. This letter represents the completion of Phase I of that proposal. We are requesting a notice to proceed with Phase II. The next steps are to perform engineering, obtain permits, develop alternatives and costs, and assist seeking construction funds. Our experience has been that funding is always competitive and those projects that show diligence by obtaining permits and presenting feasible design are awarded funds; while projects that remain conceptual are told to re-apply next year in the hopes that funding will be less competitive. Conceptually, you should be seeking funds between $350K and $500K; however, we request the opportunity to legitimize the grant application process.

This project is a winner for Bardstown; enhancing water supply infrastructure while creating a recreation amenity for the community. This can be accomplished without environmental impacts. Our whitewater parks experience three times the passive users over the number of actual boaters. The community will also come to the park to watch the birds, picnic, fish or swim. The actual whitewater aspect can generate tremendous press among the young athletic crowd. Today’s young professionals choose to live where their lifestyles are supported and places that offer recreation have been revived by this trend.