We could capitalize on the already large WV whitewater tourism industry and draw folks that are already travelling thru CRW to stay here longer.

See http://www.sbpark.org/parks/erace.htm

and http://pages.ripco.net/~jwn/southbend.html

for descriptions of the South Bend IN city park and destination for whitewater folks worldwide.

Also see http://sweliver.home.mchsi.com/faq.html

and http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/aboutdnr/reports/trails/waterpark.pdf

for long descriptions of how other cities have done the same thing.

Seems like something for CRW to consider, both economically and culturally.

This idea was mentioned at the meeting. I wouldn't be adverse to this idea. Andy, would you suggest this on the Kanawha itself, or could it be a way to develop the Elk more? Running tours down the Elk from, say, Coonskin to finish at the Kanawha/Magic Island area would make a short trip, but would still offer a lot of fun and keep the safety of participants "enclosed" in a smaller, more manageable space.

I like this idea! One of the complaints frequently heard about downtown Charleston is that there's very little to do that's unique, interesting, and involves physical activity. Of course, with the interest in developing newer, safer, easier-to-access walking paths and parks along the waterfront, this will improve. This whitewater idea, however, would give the city something fairly unique and exciting and would tie-in well with the overall "outdoor adventure" image we use to promote tourism in WV. I would imagine that (if marketed properly) this would not only be good for tourism, but could also be used quite heavily by locals as well, as it would be good for family entertainment, dates, business outings, etc.

We need more ideas like this to be implemented in Charleston if we want to attract/retain young families.

That was me proposing we look into the whitewater park at the meeting. I am also a proponent of us migrating from a "boy this sure is pretty speeding down an interstate-compliant-designed blvd right nexta the river you betcha yessireee-Bob" use of the blvd space next to the river to something that will be more usable to everyone including the 33% of our city residents who DON'T own automobiles. The existing blvd design was great for the nineteen fifties. We all drove around everywhere, and cheap gas drove our economy.  Now gas is finally migrating towards a true economic opportunity cost here like it has been for a while in Europe. And now WV is the most obese state in the union. 

Other river cities have turned their riverfonts into economic engines - we should give it a try. Bike paths, trails, greenspace - even whitewater parks!

I would not be adverse to ANY placement of such a whitewater park facility - Coonskin, the Elk,  all are possibilities that can be examine for potential site placement. The links I posted have lots of economic viability study type data and I hope we can get a few folks to take it seriously.

These kinda waterparks are generally not private developments. Municipal gummits are involved, and states. 

Given WV's other whitewater offerings and the existing tourism draw thru CRW,  it seems like a no-brainer to at least look into the possibilities.

Andy

Personally, I think that the obesity issue is one thing that keeps us "thinking small" (pardon the pun) here in Charleston. There seems to be a mindset that we should only build/do things that will appeal to the mainstream population we already have - and let's face it: our mainstream population is overweight. That population is also increasingly leaving the state to live in areas where there is more to do (including becoming employed).

I'm certainly not implying that we are all fat and lazy (although I could stand to lose a few pounds myself), but when it comes to entertainment in this city, our options are usually constrained by 3 words:

• shop,
• eat,
• sit.

I love baseball, but there are only 18 people who get any exercise benefit from the new ballpark - unless you count the calories you burn by dodging the dangerously-close foul balls while trying not to drop your hot dog...

A friend and I were discussing this whitewater idea last night and he pointed out that our state constantly has visitors from other countries who come here for our world-class whitewater, rock climbing, skiing, mountain biking, and other outdoor activities. I doubt that in planning their trips here for active recreational purposes, these tourists feel they simply must visit Charleston to speed down the boulevard or visit our local restaurants or shopping centers. The fact is: there is very little in Charleston that pulls tourists here by itself - most of our tourist draw is due to our state's recreational venues, and those simply don't exist along the Kanawha River in downtown Charleston. Adding recreational activities like a whitewater park would not only attract/retain visitors to our area, but it would create additional jobs and would provide additional shoppers for businesses located near the river.

Like someone said at the meeting Thursday night, I too would like to challenge our city leaders and Sasaki to think bigger and longer-term, and to not just settle for doing "something".