麻豆社区

The community was given a platform to voice their opinion yesterday at the Rock the River open house held at the Old Fire Hall.

The information session held on Monday afternoon and evening allowed for communication between local residents and some of the faces behind the project.

Rock the River is a proposed urban whitewater sport and recreation park in the east channel of the Yukon River.

The project was allocated $140,000 in the 2012 Whitehorse city budget for the current feasibility study.

It would create multiple man-made waves and eddies in addition to a slalom course on the Robert Service Channel and public viewing areas.

The feasibility funding came in grants from the Canadian Development Fund and the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency but was handled by the city.

John Quinsey, president of the Yukon Canoe and Kayak Club (YCKC) described the open house as a very important piece of the puzzle.

"This is needed input,鈥� he said. "It allows the public to understand what this is, express opinions and concerns and hopefully go away thinking this is awesome.鈥�

In addition to the open house the club has also handed out surveys to paddlers and questionnaires to local businesses.

So far, the feedback has been positive, said Quinsey.

"We've had great support from the businesses,鈥� he said. "Yukon Tourism and the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce are excited about the idea.鈥�

Quinsey said local businesses recognize the tourism potential of the project.

"People travel here as a destination place,鈥� he said. "To be in the wild and be adventurous, projects like this attract people to the community.鈥�

Jason Carey, a principal river engineer with River Restoration, a firm based out of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, is the leading engineer on the project.

He said he hopes people come away from the open house realizing that Rock the River is more than a special interest project.

"This is a holistic project that finds the broader benefit for the community,鈥� he said.

"It's something that can benefit the community as well as the fish and wildlife.鈥�

Carey first became involved in the project in 2006 when YCKC enlisted his firm to conduct a whole system analysis of the river.

The results revealed significant potential to "enrich the recreational, social and economic fabric of Whitehorse via recreational enhancements.鈥�

In addition to the recreational and socioeconomic benefits, the project has the potential to improve the health of the river through the stabilization of eroding riverbanks, creating fish habitats and slowing the river riverbed scouring and coarsening.

David Gendron, a local paddling instructor and a member of the YCKC, voiced his concern that the project should be designed to benefit paddlers of all abilities.

"We need to make sure it's not just a big playing wave. If there's nothing to lead you to that wave you're never going to be able to get on it,鈥� he said.

"Right now, we have a really tiny, tiny wave and after that we have a fairly intimidating playhole and we need something between the two to bring people to that next level.

"This new facility can help make that progression and that's really important.鈥�

Gendron said by creating a place locally for paddlers to develop their skills, the accessibility opens the sport to younger athletes.

"Instead of driving an hour out of town we can have it right here and that's really important when training kids,鈥� he said.

"It's much safer and the risk management drops quite a bit compared to going outside of town. You'll have more parents that let their kids go on outdoor programs because they will feel better about it.鈥�

Gendron also noted the potential tourism benefit, comparing the project to the growth of the annual Slave River Paddlefest in N.W.T.

"They started a small festival there with only 20 people and now about five years later there's over 200 people that go every year from across Canada and the United States,鈥� he said. "That's 200 more people that will spread the message when they return home and continue to build it up.鈥�

Ian Robertson, a senior planner with Inukshuk Planning and Development, the lead development team on the project, also highlighted the potential tourism benefits.

"One of the challenges in Whitehorse is getting people to stay another day,鈥� he said.

"This can add value to the community from a recreational standpoint and for people visiting the community. The question we're asking here today is whether or not there is sufficient community support for river improvements.鈥�

Robertson emphasized the holistic approach of Rock the River.

"Anything we propose we want to benefit the river, not work against it,鈥� he said.

"We have to do the technical studies, which involve mapping the river floor, and the hydraulic modeling that tells us how the river really works. From that we know the implications with bird and fish habitat and safety issues. It also allows us to come up with solutions to the erosion problems.鈥�

There are three main proposals in the project: the modification of existing freestyle features, the construction of a slalom course and the addition of new freestyle features.

There are currently four whitewater areas on the Yukon River that could be improved with slight modifications and the removal of bedrock.

They are the laval wave located upstream of the Centennial Bridge, the spine wave and canoe wave under the bridge and the intake wave. These improvements are highlighted as recreational and socioeconomic in nature.

The proposed slalom course would be developed in the Robert Service channel on the west end of the river. The construction would create year round flow through the channel which could also improve salmon spawning habitat.

The additional freestyle features would focus largely in improving the river's health by reducing sediment loss, installing grade control structures, reducing hydraulic forces along the riverbanks and moving forward with bank stabilization efforts.

These improvements are for the benefit of the community, said Robertson.

"We hope to establish that there is broad public support and it's not just the paddling community,鈥� he said.

"If we're able to demonstrate there is a reasonable business case here, we'll go forward for additional funding.鈥�

Robertson noted that the project is a long process in a series of stages.

So far, there's been "a certain amount of healthy skepticism from the community.鈥�

"They don't necessarily see all the pieces yet,鈥� he said.

"We don't know the answers until we do the technical studies, so you're pushing ahead but you're also trying to do it in a very methodical way to make sure what we're doing has more benefits and minimizes any negative impacts.鈥�

Members of the community can take a survey on the project at: www.surveymonkey.com/s/6DVD7KC and also join the conversation on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/rocktheriverproject.