Boathouse Row

[RedDollar]

The only other place in the country who has built a whitewater rafting facility is in North Carolina. And years ago , the local officials who financed the park in North Carolina, cut their losses and sold it to private interests.

Its now a combination whitewater rafting park and concert venue, operated privately. And the govt officials there are glad to be out from under that boondoggle.

But here in OKC, no one can admit it was a mistake, they just keep pumping other people's hard earned money into this loser.

[Rover]

Yeah, it was probably wooda been better for the river iffen we hadn't done anything down there. It was such a showpiece for the city and a good recruiting ditch. The ditch, the smelly cotton plant, the junky railroad spurs. That's good enuf fur us okies.

If we just turn'd it into a fishin hole for catfish it would probably be a big hit here. We don't need any fancy spots, just a rock and a cane pole and some night crawlers. Yee haw.

[mugofbeer]

I swear some people would just die if they didn't have something to gripe about.

[RedDollar]

I swear some people would just die if they didn't have something to gripe about.

You gotta be kidding me, they're blowing millions of dollars every year.

The City is deep into the amusement park business, where they should never be. They even hired an amusement park manager who worked for Frontier City.

They just can't admit it was a mistake and cut their losses.

Taxpayers should be angry as F , instead of making excuses for this folly.

[HangryHippo]

They’re getting these millions, but where the hell is some lodging or a hotel?

[mugofbeer]

There are lots of cities that provide amusement services to their citizens. Here in Denvervthere are both privately run water parks and publicly run. There are also multiple "taj mahal" health / recreation facilities operating right along with multiple privately owned health clubs.

I think OKCs white water facility is great. I just wish they'd voted to expand it into a first class water facility with swimming pools, wave pool, lazy river, etc.
You may just have to accept that other people sometimes want their city to provide more services than you do.

[Jersey Boss]

So let me get this straight. You don't think there should be any accountability of where past funds have gone? Keep pumping money without opening up the books for those paying to see how wise the investment is?

[shawnw]

Boathouse Foundation approved for PPP (not a judgement, just an FYI).

[Pete]

City set to give the Boathouse Foundation another $1.5 million for fiscal year as a 'management fee'.

We continue to pour money into this even as the city is cutting way back on virtually everything due to the recent and continued shortfalls in sales tax revenue.

[Pete]

[Pete]

Press release:

************

“Outdoor October” Begins October 3 in the Boathouse District
Featuring a first look at the Bar K dog park, restaurant and bar concept

Oklahoma City (September 4, 2020) - If autumn leaves and crisp fall air are calling your name, mark your calendar for Outdoor October, RIVERSPORT’s four-week series of Saturday events that begins October 3.

“While we can’t have the annual Oklahoma Regatta Festival this year, we want to offer families a new way to experience RIVERSPORT this fall,” said Mike Knopp, executive director.

RIVERSPORT will have pop-up shops, food trucks, authentic German food and family-oriented experiences on four Saturdays in October, each with a different focus.

Featured events include a special “pop-up” dog park presented by Bar K, the dog park, restaurant and bar coming to the Boathouse District in 2021; Oktoberfest food and beer; a screening of BMX cult favorite movie “Rad” including an appearance by Olympic Gold Medal gymnast and “Rad” actor Bart Conner; and a Thrive Outside weekend offer ‘how to’ mini seminars for those interested in learning about camping, hiking and cooking outdoors.

The Bike Park will be open each weekend with scooters and bikes available to rent. RIVERSPORT’s Basecamp Nature Center allows families to see 30 different native Oklahoma species of frogs, turtles, spiders, snakes and lizards. A new urban nature trail offers a great walking experience and food trucks and pop-up vendors will be on hand to round out the activities. German food and Oktoberfest beers will be featured all month, and leashed dogs are always welcome.

“OUTDOOR OCTOBER” FEATURED EVENTS

Saturdays, Oct 3 – 24 • 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 3 “Dogtober” will feature a full day of dog-friendly activities. Bar K, the new dog park and bar slated to open in the Boathouse District in 2021, is coming from Kansas City to create a popup version of their concept which will include a dog yoga class, an adoption event, SUP with your PUP, an off-leash dog park area and beer tasting provided by Coop Ale plus live music.

Saturday, Oct 10 Break out the lederhosen for a celebration of Oktoberfest’s famous German beers, German brats, porkchops, potato salad and sauerkraut, plus live oompah music.

Saturday, Oct 17 Begin the day with a 15-mile guided Group Bike Ride, then stay for a free Bike Maintenance Clinic. Olympic Gold Medalist Bart Conner will be on hand for the showing of “Rad,” the 1986 BMX movie that has recently enjoyed an uptick in popularity.

Saturday, Oct 24 Thrive Outside with a day of geocached treasure hunts and free outdoor clinics for those interested in learning about camping, hiking and cooking outdoors. Learn to make a campfire, pitch a tent or cook in cast iron over an open fire.


Outdoor October will be held in the Boathouse District, 800 RIVERSPORT Drive in downtown Oklahoma City. Admission is free with some activities requiring a fee; parking is $5. For more information visit riversportokc.org/outdooroctober or follow RIVERSPORT on social media @riversportokc.

[Oski]

I think OKCs white water facility is great. I just wish they'd voted to expand it into a first class water facility with swimming pools, wave pool, lazy river, etc.

YESS. I don’t understand why they didn’t try to add the pools in there before the surf machine. Way more people can jump into a pool at the same time in a scorching hot summer day than onto the surf machine (2 max). Then take that profit to build the surf machine or anything cooler later, it’s just Business 101.

The Barton Springs Pool in Austin is a major attraction, no reason why we can’t do that in the Boathouse District, the location is perfect.



Or the Harbour Bath in Copenhagen, Denmark.

[HOT ROD]

theyll want another MAPS handout to do the grounds right.

you know the OKC way, as evidenced by the State Fair "Park" disaster

[Anonymous.]

I have written on here, suggested into the MAPS ideas, and directly to the city multiple times now to convert the Bricktown canal into a recreation/swimmable body that expands into the Boathouse district (the connection is already basically done - just have to seal off from the polluted river). Convert the water quality to be able to let people canoe, kayak, paddleboard, & hangout in it.

Do away with the boat tours and make the expanded part from the current south end of the canal, toward the boathouse area, deeper and more "natural" looking than the current configuration running through Bricktown. The expansion into the Boathouse Row can be made much more exciting since there is ample room to go more than 4 feet deep in areas which will create more adult-friendly items such as cliff jumps and hangout spots using rock ledges etc.

[jdizzle]

I have written on here, suggested into the MAPS ideas, and directly to the city multiple times now to convert the Bricktown canal into a recreation/swimmable body that expands into the Boathouse district (the connection is already basically done - just have to seal off from the polluted river). Convert the water quality to be able to let people canoe, kayak, paddleboard, & hangout in it.

Do away with the boat tours and make the expanded part from the current south end of the canal, toward the boathouse area, deeper and more "natural" looking than the current configuration running through Bricktown. The expansion into the Boathouse Row can be made much more exciting since there is ample room to go more than 4 feet deep in areas which will create more adult-friendly items such as cliff jumps and hangout spots using rock ledges etc.

I thought I heard that would be exorbitantly expensive, and would never make its money back.

[David]

Basically everything about that idea sounds terrible. The canal and the boathouse district are at different heights, it makes no sense to talk about extending one into the other. And making the canal in Bricktown swimmable similarly makes no sense for the intended area use. Contained swimming pools or monitored beaches can be made swimmable and safe with proper lifeguard facilities, you couldn't reasonably do that for the entire length of a three quarter mile canal.

[Anonymous.]

I thought I heard that would be exorbitantly expensive, and would never make its money back.

The river? yes very expensive. But the manmade canal? Not even close to the levels of un-swimmable as the actual river.

Basically everything about that idea sounds terrible. The canal and the boathouse district are at different heights, it makes no sense to talk about extending one into the other. And making the canal in Bricktown swimmable similarly makes no sense for the intended area use. Contained swimming pools or monitored beaches can be made swimmable and safe with proper lifeguard facilities, you couldn't reasonably do that for the entire length of a three quarter mile canal.

The difference in elevation is exactly why it would work. The idea is to create a slow flowing river/canal. Not sure how deep utilities were relocated underneath the canal, but surely it can be dug deeper near the Boulevard to LandRun monument area. The original canal was accomplished with just over $20MM, the footprint is already there.

As for safety, the existing canal is only 4 feet deep. Not sure what standards requires lifeguards in OK, but it doesn't seem too unreasonable considering the canal's layout and the almost complete lack of canal-level development utilization.

I am clearly not an engineer, maybe it is impossible, but I think it would be awesome and a way to actually use the canal other than boat tours.

[David]

That's almost even worse, you are basically talking about digging the canal all over again.

If it cost $20 million in 1990s dollars to dig out the canal in the middle of a mostly dead district, I bet we'd be looking at $100 million plus today to dig nearly all of it back up to make it steadily deeper to make that slope and to reconfigure the landscape the entire way to accommodate the change.

[PaddyShack]

Not to mention seeing all the sunkissed Okies in skimpy bathing suits, both men and women for that matter. I would be glad to let them all stay at the lakes. Bricktown is already teaming with youths running around, mostly those teens without parents... I would like for some level of class to remain with Bricktown.

[onthestrip]

Crystal Lagoons. Giant clear fresh water pools that can have beaches. Making this a public works or MAPS project seems like an easy decision.

https://www.crystal-lagoons.com/

[OkiePoke]

Not to mention seeing all the sunkissed Okies in skimpy bathing suits, both men and women for that matter. I would be glad to let them all stay at the lakes. Bricktown is already teaming with youths running around, mostly those teens without parents... I would like for some level of class to remain with Bricktown.

But you would miss the opportunity to yell "Get off my lawn!"

[Pete]

[David]

The boathouses on one side of the river and the railyard on the other is such an interesting contrast. Imagine the housing or other developments that could be built over there if the land was available.

[HOT ROD]

i personally like the railyard there as it shows OKC does have an industrial economy.

[catch22]

Good luck getting Stillwater central to let go of that yard and interchange.