BOISE, ID. – Construction of Boise’s new River Park starts Wednesday. These parks are gaining some traction in Idaho.
Boise’s new multimillion dollar River Park will lie just west of downtown. Parks Superintendent Tom Governale stands on a popular pedestrian bridge that overlooks the site.
Tom Governale: “Currently, we’re looking at the old diversion – it’s an old concrete structure – with the old boards in it and iron angled that sticks up and holds the boards in place. We’re actually going to replace that with a new state of the art bladder that is run by a computerized system and an air compressor.”
That bladder will raise or lower the water like the old diversion. Governale says “wave shapers” will allow kayakers and boaters to perform spins and other tricks. He says the park will attract river enthusiasts and spectators. That’s what happened in Cascade. That’s where Kelly’s White Water Park is. It opened two years ago. Brett Spangenberg is assistant director of the park.
Brett Spangenberg: “The previous season I understand the count was approximately 25,000. And then this last summer, that doubled to close to 50,000.”
More visitors means more potential dollars for local businesses. Vim Braak is an assistant professor with the University of Idaho Extension in Valley County. He’s collecting data to gauge the economic impact of Kelly’s White Water Park. Braak hasn’t completed his analysis yet, but . . .
Vim Braak: “Anecdotally, Kelly’s White Water Park has made Cascade a destination, instead of the place that people tended to drive through when they were on their way to McCall.”
In other parts of Idaho, advocates want to make their own communities a river park destination. In Salmon, they’re studying the effects such a park may have on steelhead trout and salmon. And Ketchum is about to select a firm to design a river park north of town. Braak says these parks could benefit the state.
Vim Braak: “I think they could actually build upon each other. Rather than a single attraction drawing some folks, a cluster of these similar attractions would be even more popular.”
The first phase of Boise’s River Park is set to be finished next spring.
Copyright 2011 Boise State Public Radio.