lol, Blackstrap!?! And who shuttered that facility?
Still confident on the hydro and pedestrian bridge. No comment from the provincial government says a lot about their attitude towards public parks.
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Whitewater talks continue
Opposition group calls project 'another Blackstrap in the making'
By David Hutton, The Star Phoenix August 25, 2010 Comments (2)
Two open houses in June didn't provide enough input to make a decision on the future of the whitewater park and hydro facility proposed for the weir, a city official says.
The city is now planning to hold another public forum in early October -- this time giving residents a chance to speak publicly -- before making a decision on whether to go forward with the next phase of study. The $2-million to $4-million study would provide a detailed examination of the project's feasibility and a more comprehensive environmental assessment.
The decision on whether to go to the next phase, initially slated for August, will be made before the end of the year, said Saskatoon Light and Power's Kevin Hudson.
"We heard a lot of feedback after those meetings that a lot of people want an open public forum for hearing their opinions and any concerns about those developments," Hudson said. "That was the reason we scheduled an additional meeting in October."
The estimated $65-million concept on the east side of the river at the weir includes a whitewater rafting course and a standing river wave for surfing -- funded by the province -- along with a hydroelectric facility and pedestrian walkway spanning the river and funded by the city. During the last year, groups with strong views supporting and opposing the redevelopment have sprung up, starting online petitions and websites.
The city will also be asking the province if it remains interested in cost-sharing the whitewater park portion of the next study. The city could still choose to go forward with the hydro project if the provincial government pulls out of the whitewater rafting park, but if the city chooses not to go further with hydropower the whitewater project would likely die.
The hydro project remains "technically and economically positive," but the final say goes to city council, Hudson said.
A group has formed to fight the weir redevelopment, listing a number of environmental, social, safety and cost issues with the project. In a letter the group calls the project "another Blackstrap in the making . . . another project for which increased tourism was touted as a panacea for complex financial problems," referring to the now-defunct ski hill south of Saskatoon.
The opportunity to speak up at a public forum wasn't allowed at the spring open houses so another chance to voice concerns is welcome, said John Penner, 60, the city's former urban design co-ordinator and a member of the protest group.
"It didn't allow for us to develop any kind of solidarity with other people that might be opposed to the whitewater project so it didn't allow us to find out what other people were thinking," Penner said. "They were promotional sessions and there was no chance to listen to the community's concerns."
The weir is one of the city's most popular public sites, Penner said, and the proposed development is out of sync with the existing use.
"It's one of the nicest public urban spaces in the city and the implications of building a whitewater facility and the hydro project is like it's turning it into kind've a recreational and industrial site," Penner said.
"It would be like if you were to put a manufacturing plant or a soccer field in the south downtown. It would have a significant impact on the existing enjoyment of the site."
dhutton@sp.canwest.com
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