Whitewater Facility

[dankrutka]

Can they turn down the rapids and do lazy river events with alcohol? Seems like that could generate revenue.

[shawnw]

I thought that they had done things like this with floating movie nights but maybe I'm misrecollecting.

[dankrutka]

So last summer I did the rapids with four of us total for my birthday. Our raft flipped at the end of the rapids and our wives called it a day right there. My friend and I decided to give it another go (just three of us on the raft), but this time we flipped on the very first rapid. It was honestly fairly terrifying. I slammed into the blue blocks and got sucked under the water for extended time and dragged along the pavement ripping all the skin off my knee. One guy threw me a rope, but the rapids were too strong. Eventually, I was able to climb out on a set of the blue blocks. I walked out of the water and across the facility with blood dripping spilling everywhere yet not one employee asked if I needed help. The person who had thrown me the rope didn't walk down fifty feet to see if I was alright. I eventually had to go in the building, cut to the front of the line while blood dripped on the ground, and ask if they had any medical supplies. The workers looked at me like I was asking a strange question but eventually someone gave me some gauze, but not any tape or anything else to hold it on. I also ended up losing hearing in an ear for a month due to the impact.

In short, the staff were stunningly negligent with no one around to even check on you. I understand these are the risks of whitewater rafting and accept those risks, but the lack of support was absurd. I am the type of person who is just going to figure it out, but there should be people to support customers who go into the rapids and ask them questions about their injuries, the amount of water they took in, etc. Some people would have been utterly traumatized by the experience. I suspect I could have lied on the side of the rapids for a long time bleeding without anyone saying a thing. Anyway, I don't know why I haven't shared the story until now, but it really is unacceptable management that hopefully has been improved since.

[Laramie]

This is mind boggling, OKC does need to add more amenities to make the Whitewater facilities more appealing; first needs to stop the bleeding, find cost cutting measures to make this facility as close to break even as possible.

Pete mentioned the salary for Director Mike Knopps:

In the 2016 return (waiting on 2017 numbers) his salary was $221,923.

Plus benefits.

For perspective, City Manager Jim Couch -- who has been on the job 18 years and manages almost 5,000 employees -- just got a raise to $251K.

is that salary comparable to a similar facility like Charlotte, NC's director. Something needs to be done ASAP, like an immediate 'audit or study' with recommendations before this facility which is hemorrhaging at an accelerated pace--valuable funds that may lead to an eventual SHUTDOWN.

[shawnw]

Sounds like the soccer stadium needs to be in the boathouse district, or just across the river with a nice wide pedestrian bridge over the river...

[Laramie]

Sounds like the soccer stadium needs to be in the boathouse district, or just across the river with a nice wide pedestrian bridge over the river...

Great idea that many of us haven't considered, Shawnw. Especially if it's placed south on the riverfront with as you mentioned a wide pedestrian (mini-Skydance LED lighted) bridge to complement the stadium over the river leading to access with the Whitewater Facility, via the streetcar route to the Bricktown Entertainment.

The Chickasaw Tribe will have 100 acres (2 2/3) more acreage than the Producers COOP mill site) given them by the city near the AICCM to develop as part of the agreement to finish the cultural center museum. They may want to build around the multipurpose stadium development with hotels, garage parking, recreational & entertainment venues.

[jerrywall]

So I'm not active enough in the whole whitewater/kayaking/rafting scene to make informed guesses at the implications to OKC of this - https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/co...7ef87fd82.html

It might be far enough away to have zero impact on OKCs whitewater facility, or they may be very different animals. On the other hand, I could see this new park could add to Oklahoma's attraction for folks looking for this kind of stuff (they might hit both) or at the minimum it could increase participation in kayaking and rafting in the state in general, which could certainly help OKCs facility?

[d-usa]

It could also make a fun multi day trip of kayaking, with a different course each day.

[Snowman]

So I'm not active enough in the whole whitewater/kayaking/rafting scene to make informed guesses at the implications to OKC of this - https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/co...7ef87fd82.html

It might be far enough away to have zero impact on OKCs whitewater facility, or they may be very different animals. On the other hand, I could see this new park could add to Oklahoma's attraction for folks looking for this kind of stuff (they might hit both) or at the minimum it could increase participation in kayaking and rafting in the state in general, which could certainly help OKCs facility?

It looks kind of similar (though maybe longer) with what Tulsa is putting in one of the renovations of a dam a couple miles south of their downtown. Either way I could see Tulsa's having the larger impact. Granted I have no idea if that might lead to more people willing to make a trip to OKC or decide do not need to travel for it.

[BG918]

It looks kind of similar (though maybe longer) with what Tulsa is putting in one of the renovations of a dam a couple miles south of their downtown. Either way I could see Tulsa's having the larger impact. Granted I have no idea if that might lead to more people willing to make a trip to OKC or decide do not need to travel for it.

The one on the Upper Illinois will be a lot larger and longer than what is planned in Tulsa. The one in Tulsa will have an 80 ft long flume and 100 ft standing wave on the Arkansas.

[mattjank]

The one on the Upper Illinois will be a lot larger and longer than what is planned in Tulsa. The one in Tulsa will have an 80 ft long flume and 100 ft standing wave on the Arkansas.

The Upper Illinois park will probably keep kayakers from traveling to OKC as it is much closer to a higher quantity of whitewater paddlers in Ark who sometime make the drive to OKC in the summer when the rain dependent creeks are not running. I would imagine for rafters the location of the Illinois course with not much else to do may be a hindrance.

[HOT ROD]

the nicest thing I see immediately from that rendering that OKC doesn't have nor planned to have - the pedestrian overlook.

Why ??? does OKC not have this?

[BG918]

the nicest thing I see immediately from that rendering that OKC doesn't have nor planned to have - the pedestrian overlook.

Why ??? does OKC not have this?

The flume in Tulsa is on the Arkansas River where Zink Dam drops the pool elevation by 10 ft. The pedestrian bridge crosses the river just to the north of it. Very different than in OKC where the whitewater course is not actually part of the river.

[jerrywall]

So is flume here the same type of flume I'm picturing (like, I've seen them in Hawaii but they were elevated - basically like a log flume) or is it something different here?

[Bellaboo]

So is flume here the same type of flume I'm picturing (like, I've seen them in Hawaii but they were elevated - basically like a log flume) or is it something different here?

I think it is the water channel that you float through.

[thunderbird]

the nicest thing I see immediately from that rendering that OKC doesn't have nor planned to have - the pedestrian overlook.

Why ??? does OKC not have this?

As other have said, it's not over the actual river but they did build 3? 4? bridges over the channel that you can view from.

[PhiAlpha]

the nicest thing I see immediately from that rendering that OKC doesn't have nor planned to have - the pedestrian overlook.

Why ??? does OKC not have this?

I believe that’s the new pedestrian bridge over the Arkansas River it’s not directly related to the whitewater channel

[Dob Hooligan]

The Tulsa World Article that started this thread bump says the new Whitewater project is on the Arkansas state line, will cost $33 million, draw 85,000 people a year and have an economic impact of $900,000 per year. Primarily funded by Walton money.

Help me understand why OKC should try to do something like this?

[Plutonic Panda]

Help me understand where anyone here said OKC should try and do this?

[Dob Hooligan]

Help me understand where anyone here said OKC should try and do this?

Post #887 from Hot Rod

[HOT ROD]

i said the pedestrian overlook. ..

no offense but "reading is fundamental"

the nicest thing I see immediately from that rendering that OKC doesn't have nor planned to have - the pedestrian overlook.

Why ??? does OKC not have this?

[Plutonic Panda]

Post #887 from Hot Rod

I was going to say the same thing Hot Rod said just got distracted. He only suggest an improvement not what you said.