# LaPorte Play Park Proposal - needs support now!



## mandyk (Aug 18, 2004)

Hi Folks,

The LaPorte play park proposal (Lions Park) now has a website with information and networking facilities - LaPorte Whitewater Park | Poudre Rock Report Please visit as soon as possible!!

We need to impress the Larimer County Open Lands Advisory Board that this is a high priority in the community. This means we need letters of support (which can be submitted at our website) and attendees at their next meeting (July 22nd), where we will be presenting the proposal.

The Lions Park site is particularly good because there are fewer diversions than downtown and already has all the non-river facilities needed. See the wesite.

Let's have another go at getting a play park for northern Colorado, and maybe we will end up with two of them!!

Mandy


----------



## yak1 (Jan 28, 2006)

Mandy has put a lot of work into this. I know boaters are real good at saying some one ought to do something about ..... you name it. Well she has!!! So how about each of the 50 folks who have looked at this get off their ass go to the web site and send in a letter of support.


----------



## smauk2 (Jun 24, 2009)

I agree it takes no time at all just click on the link it will take five minutes lets get this rolling


----------



## Buckrodgers (Feb 28, 2007)

*done.*

Done. Let's get on it people--seems like sometimes we talk big as a community, but then lose focus when it is most important!


----------



## LineDawg (Oct 18, 2009)

Done, Letter written and submitted.


----------



## Buckrodgers (Feb 28, 2007)

*vid*

Here is a video the Spokane River group made to promote their park. I grew up in that area, so glad to see they are pushing as well:

Welcome to Facebook

something like this could be good for our projects (Lions Park and FoCO) as well to help inform those who don't really know what they are about.


----------



## mrkyak (Jul 11, 2005)

when the time is right, I can provide a backhoe, a bobcat, dump truck and operator for no cost. insured and experienced. Mike


----------



## LineDawg (Oct 18, 2009)

I'm a journeyman lineman with more hours than I care to remember operating equipment that is willing to donate time helping out with the construction process. Quite possibly could get some lights donated if there are powerlines nearby to run them. Can you say night time play boating, I hope so.


----------



## yak1 (Jan 28, 2006)

I think that all the offers to donate time and skills are great. But right now letters are what's needed. If yo're stumped as what to write I'd be happy to send mine along and your are welcome to plagerize to your hearts content.


----------



## deepsouthpaddler (Apr 14, 2004)

Good luck with the project. Sent in my letter of support.


----------



## rainman29 (Jun 10, 2005)

Letter Sent... don't even live in the area but visit enough to pitch in for the effort.


----------



## jeffy (Sep 17, 2004)

Multiple letters sent. 

This could be an epic park... 

We need fundraising ideas for both options.


----------



## smauk2 (Jun 24, 2009)

this post should float around for awhile, bump


----------



## Jensjustduckie (Jun 29, 2007)

I live in Loveland and will be able to attend the meeting on 7/22, should I just show up as a warm body?


----------



## mrekid (May 13, 2004)

Posted another letter of support.


----------



## mandyk (Aug 18, 2004)

Hi All,
I am positively stunned by the offers of support received so far - ideas, expertise, money, labor, equipment use, design, artwork, testing, etc. It gives me goosebumps to read the letters. Thank you all so much, 37 so far. Please keep them coming in!

I also need to remind people that the land does belong to the Division of Wildlife, so any project would have to be designed in such a way to support their mission: “The mission of the CDOW is to perpetuate the wildlife resources of the state and provide people the opportunity to enjoy them.”

Basically the idea would be, if we "buy" their fish habitat and fishing enhancement (much of which we would want anyway), it might make it worth their while to allow us to create our wave(s) - but, creating a design that supports fish will be essential.
I'm convinced we can do this. Prove me right!! Keep sending in your ideas and letters (preferably via the web form LaPorte Whitewater Park | Poudre Rock Report, it makes record keeping easier).

Mandy


----------



## hkydef (Jun 7, 2006)

Another one added just now.


----------



## smauk2 (Jun 24, 2009)

keep the support coming


----------



## mandyk (Aug 18, 2004)

*54 letters so far ... need more, please!*

Hi Folks,

We have received 54 great letters so far - thanks to all of you who have contributed, your letters of support, offers, and ideas are great.

But I'm guessing this is a small proportion of the people who would enjoy either a kayaking play wave OR the enhanced fishing, so I'm begging you to get out there and lobby everyone you know - paddler, potential paddler, parent/guardian of paddler, anyone who likes to watch, fisher people, etc. - and encourage them to write a letter.

It's easy - just go to LaPorte Whitewater Park | Poudre Rock Report and fill in the form. I am printing out all the letters to take to the county Open Land Advisory Board meeting on July 22nd. 

Come on people - surely we can push this into the 100s of supporters!!!!

Mandy


----------



## yak1 (Jan 28, 2006)

Hi All Just noticed that this sticky hasn't been posted to recently. If you want a play park in the northern Colorado this one has most of what is required by various regulatory entities. So please post a letter showing your support. When the water is down be sure to mention that this would be a great spot for fish to hang out in the eddies, thus enhancing fisheries 
Thank You


----------



## brandon.vanderkolk (Jun 7, 2010)

Sent in my letter of support.


----------



## mandyk (Aug 18, 2004)

*Public meeting - Larimer County Open Land Advisory Board*

I am presenting the concept to the Larimer County Open Lands Advisory Board this Thursday, July 22nd at 5:30 (meeting time 5-8 pm), together with copies of all the letters of support we have received. It would be great to also have lots of warm, enthusiastic bodies to support the proposal. 

The meeting is in the Loveland Council Chambers at (500 East 3rd Street, Loveland, CO - Google Maps)

I am scheduled to do a 10-15 min Powerpoint presentation at 5:30-5:45 and there will a limited opportunity for others to speak after that. Then the Advisory board will deliberate about what actions, if any, might follow.

We have 80 letters so far - more please!!!!!

Mandy


----------



## yak1 (Jan 28, 2006)

*warm and enthusiastic*

Hi Mandy while my body is warm and I'm enthusiastic my body is currently stuck Good Luck knock em dead!!!!


----------



## NoCo (Jul 21, 2009)

sent in mine.....thanks for all your hard work mandy...


----------



## mandyk (Aug 18, 2004)

87 letters so far!!!! Keep them coming, please. Mandy


----------



## NoCo (Jul 21, 2009)

lets bump this back to the top......bump


----------



## mandyk (Aug 18, 2004)

*96 letters of support - help us!!!!!!*

Just a few more and we will be in the triple digits - come on, we can do it!!

LaPorte Whitewater Park | Poudre Rock Report

Mandy


----------



## NoCo (Jul 21, 2009)

ive intraduced a couple people to whitewater parks through this... i have gotten fishery and wildlife grad students on board.... if only one of them writes a letter then i have been sucessfull....by the way ive been jumping people who have not done their part.....come on lets do this.....mandy your the best


----------



## johng (Apr 25, 2005)

*Key meeting Tomorrow (Thurs) - pub afterwards*

Please show your support for a play park by showing up for the hearing tomorrow (Thursday) with the Larimer County Open Lands Program

Where: 500 E. Third St,, Loveland. According to Google Maps, a couple blocks east of 287, and south of Hwy 34.

When: 5:30 - 6:00. Mandy is scheduled to present to the board at 5:30, and it should all be done by 6:00. 

Afterwards: How about Henry's Pub?? 234 E. Fourth St, right next to the Rialto. This is a good time to learn more about the park and what we need to do to make it happen.

We're not talking much time, and a strong show of support could really help promote the proposal.

johng


----------



## NoCo (Jul 21, 2009)

wish i could have been there... thurs evening is kinda mid day tuesday for me andweve been getting slammed(no time off).....how did it go??? what can i do???


----------



## johng (Apr 25, 2005)

Yesterday evening about 10 supporters for the LaPorte River Improvement Project (new name) attended the meeting with the Larimer County Open Lands Program. Mandy did a great job presenting the project and addressing questions. This included presenting a stack of 106 letters of support to the panel.

In the end, the Open Lands Program agreed to go ahead and assign staff to review the management plan for Lions Park. This is the decision we needed, but it was not the smooth sailing we had anticipated. Here's my take on the major concerns:

1. The county is broke. There was an important discussion on whether it was appropriate to even assign County staff to examine/revise the park management plan to consider including the river modifications and activities. Estimated staff time to complete the review is on the order of 3 months (i.e., 3 mo FTE; the process will take much longer). This includes revising the plan, conducting public outreach and meetings, and responding to concerns.

2. There were a couple 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' discussions. On the one hand, we were specifically asked to demonstrate broad public support for the project. On the other hand, board members expressed concerns about overuse of the park. 

3. A landowner downstream of the bridge (not adjacent to the proposed project area, as asserted by the landowners) is concerned about additional tresspass. They reported existing trespass problems with tubers, families swimming in the river, etc. - NOT kayakers, but they're concerned about additional use of the park and how this will affect trespass on their land.

4. Capacity of current facilities. See #2. The parking lot holds 20 cars and it occasionally fills, although not with the frequency reported at the meeting. I live out there and bike, walk, and drive by this park on a daily basis. The landowners reported the park was full yesterday afternoon, but this mid-week use was extremely unusual - there was a group sampling the river yesterday afternoon (i.e., these were not recreational users). The parking lot does fill sometimes on summer weekends.

5. Funding. There was a suggestion that 'the group proposing the park' raise the necessary funding first, then ask permission. Again, the County is broke, so we will need to raise funds for the entire project. Fortunately, there are several programs that we can apply to. The arguments here seemed a bit circular - we need permission to move into serious fund-raising, but it may be difficult to get permission without showing up with adequate funding. Some near-term tasks, like design, will likely require financial support. 

Many thanks to ALL of you that submitted letters and offers to help. And especially those that participated in the meeting. The nearby landowner voiced legitimate concerns, and I'm not sure this would have gone through without your support.

We -- that's the royal 'we' -> it means Mandy so far -- will continue discussions with the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the Open Lands Program, land owners, and the plethora of others that need to be on board - Corps of Engineers, boating groups, all of you, etc., etc. Some of the rest of us will need to step up and help Mandy -- this is rapidly outgrowing the effort that one person can spearhead. 

I don't know how much we'll be able to help the County or the DOW with the planning and evaluations they are required to conduct. These are the issues likely to be next on the table. If you have skills and expertise in hydrological modeling, fish habitat restoration/improvement, writing management plans, grant writing, or other associated tasks, please visit LaPorte Whitewater Park | Poudre Rock Report and write a letter and fill out the 'what I'm willing to help with' boxes. Some folks have made very generous offers to help with construction - thanks!! One consultant noted that about half the cost of these features is usually in materials - rocks and such. If you have contacts or ideas on materials, please forward them. 

I know some of you are anxious to hear, so I'll post this now. Mandy's in Denver today and will perhaps add something this evening.

In closing, there are no committments yet and some genuine issues to be resolved. But we're still moving forward and there's a lot of enthusiasm and support for the project - some from quarters that you might not expect!

More later,
johng


----------



## jeffy (Sep 17, 2004)

I agree with everything John said, and I think it was accurate as to how it went. I think the committee is excited and scared but they said they were looking for ways to get the community involved and this is the perfect chance. 

One interesting note was that the land owner mentioned above was sitting in front of me, they were steaming when the presentation first started, but they cooled off as it went. The committee realizes that there are _current_ issues with the park currently and something must be done. This project is a great opportunity to do so. 

We ----NEED---- more fisherpeople's perspective and support of this project. The environmental impact/aspect of this project regarding the fishing and habitat is of the highest importance. 

Overall, great start. Mandy, you're so well spoken and I really respect that. Impressive.


----------



## Nathan (Aug 7, 2004)

As far as getting fishing perspective and support would it be worthwhile to put up fliers or something of the sort at JAX and fly shops around town? The Buzz is great for getting boaters support but there is going to be very little outreach to fishers.


----------



## NoCo (Jul 21, 2009)

ill get a fisherman's perspective and he is a wildlife biologist....he wrote a letter for this last meeting...he will learn to kayak if we can get these play waves....Robert is a good dude


----------



## CO14 (Nov 12, 2003)

A possible source for stone.In 1995ish there was a big rock slide in the Big Thompson canyon. CDOT piled all of the rock in the pullouts and it sat there for a few years. When I worked for the Park Service we needed stone for a trail project. We contacted CDOT and asked about the stone sitting on the side of the road. They told us that we could have it if we could move it-of course this was not a problem as the NPS has lots of huge trailers and front end loaders etc. I know there was a recent rock slide-I haven't been up the canyon all year so I don't know what they did with the stone. If it is still there it might be worth contacting them to see if they will donate it or just let you have it-they might have other nearby sources as well. This was huge blocks at the time. If there is similar material it might work really well for a whitewater park.
Also on the link to the WWPP from the PRR site there does not appear to be any email addresses or contact for Mandy K or John G so I posted here. Thanks for the effort on this project.


----------



## jeffy (Sep 17, 2004)

Just posted at FishExplorer.com: Colorado Fishing Lakes and Rivers

I've heard from a few that this would be a good place to get the people that fish on board.

Colorado Fishing Forum on Fish Explorer - LaPorte River Improvement Project. We need your help!


Frenchy/Mandy, 

We may want to change the title on the Poudre Rock Report site to LaPorte River Improvement Project. As it's currently whitewater park....


Jeff


----------



## frenchy (Oct 10, 2003)

jeffy said:


> Frenchy/Mandy,
> 
> We may want to change the title on the Poudre Rock Report site to LaPorte River Improvement Project. As it's currently whitewater park....
> 
> ...


Jeff,

You make a good point. I went and updated the page title accordingly.

Cheers,
Frenchy


----------



## gyrogyrl (Jul 9, 2004)

Hey all: late in posting this, but it was sent July 20th by Colorado Whitewater:


Larimer County Open Lands Program

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing on behalf of the Colorado Whitewater Association to endorse the proposed whitewater park and fishing habitat at Lyons Park in LaPorte, Colorado.

Whitewater parks in cities and towns throughout the state have been shown to have a substantial positive economic impact on the communities in which they are located. A study done in 2000 of the economic impact of the Golden Whitewater Park found an annual economic benefit to the community of between 1.36 and 2.03 million dollars1. Since that time the Golden Whitewater Park has grown in popularity, and is not only a haven for whitewater enthusiasts but also fishermen and the community in general. The cities of Glenwood Springs, Vail, Steamboat Springs and Lyons all have whitewater parks that attract whitewater enthusiasts from around the country.

Throughout the spring and early summer, hundreds of members of our association visit the Poudre each weekend. The proposed whitewater park would provide our group with a great venue for instruction and club events. River features that enhance whitewater opportunities at lower river flows will also encourage our members to visit the Poudre later in the season rather than driving longer distances to western slope rivers.

The Colorado Whitewater Association strongly endorses the proposed LaPorte whitewater park, and we sincerely hope that Larimer County and the Colorado Department of Wildlife will support this project.


Very truly yours,
Colorado Whitewater

Mark Robbins
Conservation Director

1The Study can be found online at: American Whitewater - -SecurityGadget-explain


----------



## jeffy (Sep 17, 2004)

frenchy said:


> Jeff,
> 
> You make a good point. I went and updated the page title accordingly.
> 
> ...


Thanks Brian,

Mandy, some of the people on FishExplorer.com have indicated they would need to see more details. Would it be possible to post your updated presentation to the site? It seems the current images are outdated and probably need to be changed....

Jeff


----------



## twmartin (Apr 3, 2007)

I would imagine that if Glade Reservoir goes through there would be significantly reduced flow through this area. Has anyone thought about if these two projects could work together?

I oppose Glade Reservoir, but a ton of people with a lot of money support it.


----------



## jeffy (Sep 17, 2004)

Glade reservoir would pull during peak flows, the goal of a whitewater park is to extend the season during less than optimal river flows. 

In addition, glade has YEARS to go... IF it's approved. Theres no reason to wait for Glade to build this park.


----------



## megancarroll (Feb 15, 2011)

I am proposing my senior design project to design a white water park for Fort Collins or LaPorte. It will be free labor to design it since students will be doing it. I am wondering if anyone knows someone to talk to about where the best place to build one is based on slope and also for legal reasons with land owner issues and water rights issues. I am able to design it and propose it to the city if it all works out, but I could use some advice on the most recent fight for a white water park. If anyone is interested in helping out I think a design is a step in the right direction to have one built. I don't know anything about designing a park but would like to do this as my engineering senior project.
thanks!


----------



## Cutch (Nov 4, 2003)

You should send a message to riverwrangler for info and contacts on the past Ft Collins park efforts and refusals.


----------

