Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
January Meeting Recap
Ten people were in attendance at Bardstown Mills for the Bardstown Boaters meeting. Of those in attendance we had 6 members renew or join the club for 2009. If you would like to pay your 2009 membership dues click here. We currently have 8 total paid members. Join the Bardstown Boaters in 2009 and receive for free the official club t-shirt.
Whitewater Park
The City Council will be discussing the whitewater park and possibly about whether to begin work on the park this year. The meeting is this Tuesday at 7 p.m. We encourage anyone who has interest in the park to attend the meeting to show your support. The meetings are held in the Council Chambers at the City Hall Annex Building, 220 North Fifth Street - Xavier Dr.
Paddle Pickup
May 30th will most likely be the date for the 5th annual Paddle Pickup. Justin Janes will be speaking with the local Boy Scout troop to see if this date works for them as well. We are looking into cleaning a different stream besides the Beech Fork, but if water levels are low, we will clean the Beech Fork again.
Club Trips
The Bardstown Boaters would like to organize a few club trips this year. We can provide canoes, a raft and a duckie for those who may not have their own boat. We are open to all suggestions about where to go and what class of whitewater to do. Please provide feedback on this in the forum.
Future Meetings
The Bardstown Boaters will now hold regular meetings every 2 months on the 4th Saturday. The next meeting will be on Saturday, March 28th at 105 East Broadway, Bardstown, KY. Check the calendar for the dates on all upcoming events.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Downtown piping, Rubble Dam at project forefront
From the Kentucky StandardBy Jenny Blandford
Replacing water pipes downtown and restoring Rubble Dam are the two main projects Bardstown’s water and sewer committee wants to tackle in 2009.
City Engineer Larry Hamilton said the cast-iron water line downtown has been in place since 1930 and is old and outdated. The cost to replace the pipes would be about $120,000, and the project would be constructed in three phases. He said this year would be a good time to do such a project since it would coincide with the proposed downtown streetscape project. The sidewalks will be reconstructed as part of the streetscape project.
The three phases for replacing old pipes would consist of several thousand feet for new pipe. Phase I would be from Broadway to Court Square. Phase II would be replacing pipes around Court Square. The final phase would continue down West Stephen Foster Avenue to the front of St. Joseph School.
The Rubble Dam project, which also includes a potential whitewater park, is a joint effort between the city and the Bardstown Boaters. RiverRestoration.org’s Jason Carey completed Phase I in November and is ready to begin Phase II, Mayor Dick Heaton said, per City Council’s approval.
The project on the Beech Fork River is not just about the whitewater park, Hamilton said, as it would help with the erosion at the dam and its restoration. It would also help Bardstown’s water supply since water is pumped from the river into Sympson Lake.
Heaton said the city hopes to get money from the economic stimulus plan to help fund these projects. Both projects will be discussed at the next City Council meeting Jan. 27.
Two other projects the committee discussed as important projects to consider in 2009 were a raw water study to find a potential back-up water supply and a sewer rate study to help the city stay in compliance with state law.
A raw water study would cost $20,000. It was last updated in 2002. Sewer rates have not been raised in about five years.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Senate Passes Huge River Protection Bill
Yesterday the US Senate passed a bill that, if also passed by the House of Representatives, will protect millions of acres of public land and designate dozens of rivers as Wild and Scenic. The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (S. 22) is a collection of bipartisan and locally developed land and river protection bills that have been in the works for years. Swift passage in the House is expected, and President Obama may sign the bill into law as early as Tuesday.Read More
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Club Meeting
Saturday, January 24, 20096:00pm - 7:00pm
Bardstown Mills
204 West Muir
Bardstown, KY
Some items of discussion:
WW Park fundraising
• Art auction
• Elkhorn race
2009 goals
New club shirts
Paddle Pickup 2009
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Elkhorn Creek
Spalding Hurst ran the Elkhorn in Frankfort on Saturday. The weather was close to 70 degrees, the sun was out, and the winds blew a nice warm breeze. All of this in winter December. It was a great Christmas present for any kayaker. The creek was at 1000cfs and had plenty of good surfing spots along the way. A great day to be on the water. Many from throughout Kentucky were there to enjoy the optimal weather and water conditions.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Cumberland River 7000cfs
On this Friday, Ben Ballard, his roomate Eric Thoben and their paddling buddy Matt Jarboe went down the Cumberland at 7000 cfs. Ben says he was a little nervous, but all went well.The river washes out at this level, and becomes wave-trains and sticky holes. Surfers is none existent and screaming right turns in to a washout wave-train that is realy swirly. The only thing you really have worry about is Last Drop. It becomes a solid class IV. The line is like threading a needle and it has some bad consiquences if you mess up. Everyone ran it successfully and they had a good time.
Revisting the Rockcastle
Here are a couple of videos from the archives. These were the early years for the Bardstown Boaters and some of our first trips on the Kentucky classic river, the Rockcastle. The songs in these videos, in order, are: Kanye West (he's gone down hill), Diplo, Express Rising and The Walkmen. This post goes out to Kevin in Bend, Oregon. Enjoy.
Rockcastle River May 2004 from bardstownboaters on Vimeo.
Rockcastle Overnight Trip 2004 from bardstownboaters on Vimeo.
Rockcastle River May 2004 from bardstownboaters on Vimeo.
Rockcastle Overnight Trip 2004 from bardstownboaters on Vimeo.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Song of the Moment: Nathan Medley
Nathan Medley has a new album out and you can listen to many of the songs at www.nathanmedley.com.Nathan is a singer & songwriter from Fredericksburg, Kentucky. He makes the kind of music that sounds like it came from Kentucky.
His new album is called Hill Billy Brigade and you can't get it anywhere. It was recorded at his home and is available to listen to through his website.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
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.
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.
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