How To Support the Fort Collins Whitewater Play Park

Supporting a new whitewater play park on the Poudre River in Fort Collins is easy.

Check out their website. Like their Facebook page.

Or, go to the river. Look at it. Imagine that it could be better. Hard to imagine, I know.

Be curious about the idea. Consider helping to fund it. Call me about it.

The information below this line referred to when the voting was open on the Budgeting for Outcomes page on FCGOV.com

Click this link and vote "Yes" on the item named Poudre River Downtown Project.

It is the tenth item down.

To support the effort even further, share the link, post the link, talk about the link and do whatever you can to make sure that everyone knows about this link!

The opportunity to chime in ends June 30, 2014, so make sure you check out this, and all the other proposals the City of Fort Collins is considering without delay.

Here is the summary as posted on the City of Fort Collins website.

Offer Summary

This offer will fund improvements identified in the Poudre River Downtown Master Plan. In particular, the offer would partially fund improvements on the River corridor from College Avenue east to the BNSF railroad. The improvements are estimated to cost $6 million. This proposal requests $3 million from the General Fund or other appropriate funds. An additional $1 million will be provided by the Stormwater Utility (Offer 71.5). The remaining $2 million will be fundraised. The improvements include:

1) Significant stormwater mitigation
2) Aquatic habitat connectivity (presently absent)
3) Streamside vegetation
4) A kayak park
5) Infrastructure to accommodate visitors (such as seating, handicapped access, etc.)

For many years the community has expressed its interest in retaining and enhancing the natural character of the downtown river reach as well as enhancing the area's relationship and connectivity to the downtown core. While much has been achieved, for example land conservation, the Poudre River trail, and - more recently - habitat restoration and enhancement, much remains undone.

As the Poudre River Downtown Master Plan developed, it became clear that the reach of the river from College Avenue to the BNSF railroad had the potential to be transformed into a remarkable community asset. By combining stormwater, recreation, habitat and vegetation improvements a "trifecta" of community interests and needs could be addressed.

It is important to note that the Master Plan calls for numerous river improvements from Shields to Mulberry. In most areas there is an emphasis on habitat and/or stormwater mitigation. In the area described by this offer, the emphasis is on stormwater mitigation with a strong ancillary element of recreation and pedestrian access that is complemented by habitat improvements (such as reconnecting fish habitat).

Operation and maintenance need is funded at $20,000 in 2016.