Whitewater park in OKC update

[okc-horton]

Did someone say Oklahoma, the whitewater mecca?

http://newsok.com/river-designation-ano ... nes_widget

[turboturtle]

Way cool! and you don't need a passport either!

Props to the powers that be!

[rickyrod]

About time; Let's hope it goes thru. :)

[Z-yak Davis]

Sounds like a done deal Ricky. Now, how do we get the Tulsa Wave Park to become part of it? Hmmmmm, RANDY!

[rickyrod]

CapnTom said that Randy is spearheading the rebuild project for the TW. and the OKC WW park thing Is the greatest thing since the discovery of the Wister Wave, but like most things I wont wet my drypants till I'm there in person, I'm afraid the FEE's alone are gona keep comon(poor) folk like me from enjoying it. every weekend that is.

[okc-horton]

Not a done deal, but we invite any ACC member to join us for the next Board meeting in OKC, and we'll give you a grand tour of the city.

Here's a promo video about the park
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orfvuLZWODE#

[RandyJ]

Best wishes to the Matt and the folks in OKC to get this done. Very well-done video clip that makes some good points. The civic leaders in OKC seem to be more progressive, visionary, and less bureaucratically constipated than here in Tulsa. That said, we (paddlers) do have some advocates here in town. Wish we had the equivalent of an Aubrey McClendon that could help bank-roll things.

Quick Tulsa update:
1) Tired of waiting on a whitewater park, so I started pushing to get a bunch of boulders dropped into the river to create some features for practice and teaching. Looks like this will happen. Don't expect to get the ol' Tulsa Wave back, but at least it will be something, and might get a surf wave or hole at certain levels. Anyone have a big track-hoe you can loan us for 2-3 days??? I have the rock, somebody to haul it, and most likely, Corps permitting in the bag. Just need heavy equipment to place the boulders. Hopefully we'll get this done by no later than end of Fall (yeah, this year).

2) Design phase for river improvements slowly gaining steam. Funding for design phase is hard to come by right now, but the plan is for whitewater features, fish passage, shoreline beautification, drown-proofing existing low-water dam, and maybe some paddle trails along the east bank of the river, all in the vicinity of the old T-Wave. MIGHT get some whitewater features at each of the two new low-water dams (Jenks, Sand Springs), too.

I'm going to keep pushing, pushing, pushing on this and more until we either get whitewater here, or I die or move away.

[L.A.paddler]

Yep, things are really starting to pick up speed in OKC. The ecxitement about paddling is higher than it has ever been and is gaining ground daily, you can just feel it. I also would like to invite everyone that could possibly make it come to OKC for the October 24th Board Meeting and see what we have going on. If you have not been the Bricktown area of downtown is a great place to spend some time. Hope to see many familiar faces, it will be fun.

Terry D

[okc-horton]

Interesting bit of news today, just days after the leaders of the Olympic comittee left town. If Chicago doesn't get the 2016 games, Tulsa might be pulling for the 2020 games...thank god for people like Dave Reid, at least I know it possible to keep paddling into your 80's.
http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=10845448

[scott yarbrough]

http://www.examiner.com/x-2490-Enduranc ... -triathlon" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Is this where we are talking? Having lived in the City for a couple of years I only knew of the North Canadian running downtown. Not recognizing the name "Oklahoma River" running through downtown OKC I had to google it. Seven miles renamed?

[okc-horton]

That's correct, the people of Oklahoma City hate Canadians!

[RandyJ]

The MAPS3 initiative in OKC PASSED today - woohoo! Hope they can get a good engineering/design firm and build a good w/w park over there. Props to Matt Woodson, and good on ya', Red Dirt Chapter!

[okc-horton]

Thanks Randy, right place at the right time....I'm thinking annual kayak rodeo/real rodeo event.