EAGLE — Residents of this high country village on Tuesday will decide whether is worth a half-percent bump in their sales tax.
“We have to see this opportunity as our beachfront property,” said Ken Hoeve, an Eagle River Valley waterman whose longtime work to enlist public support for a park in the Eagle River and along its banks could be realized with Tuesday’s vote.
“Everyone keeps talking about a whitewater park when we really need to focus on the term river park,” he said. “This is the park that will show people who would typically just drive by Eagle, because they look over at an eyesore, the things that draws us to this place.”
Eagle has spent years that makes the Eagle River a community gathering place, with parks, bridges and open space that could prod private development of homes near the river.
If the town of 6,500 approves the 20-year tax, it would set off in-stream and river bank improvements that would lead to a sweeping $12 million river corridor revival connecting Eagle’s historic downtown with the neglected river.
The concept calls for converting a dirt parking lot used by sleepy truckers into a terraced green space that leads down to beaches, eddies and waves.
“The before and after sketches are pretty convincing,” said Matt Farrar, the Eagle assistant town planner and former competitive kayaker.
Farrar is standing in a gravel parking lot. A trio of parked semi-trailers growl, their drivers grabbing a few winks before pushing onward. Cars and trucks whir by on Interstate 70, a hundred feet away. A rough cut opening in the dirt parking lot’s chain link fence leads to a trash-strewn path down to the river, which sluices through giant, road-blasted boulders. The river used to amble across the valley but construction of the interstate decades ago forced the river to follow a jagged path of riprap.
“Right now this section of river is not in great shape,” said Farrar, noting the conservation measures will help restore the ailing river’s water quality and riparian habitat.
The pedestrian-friendly park will fit between an existing park and the Eagle County Fairgrounds. The idea is to build from the river out, starting with four whitewater features, a riverside park and bank improvements, including a design that could better enable fish to travel upstream, Eagle hopes to create a lure that could pull people off I-70, enticing them to explore town.
Ideally, higher-density, mixed-used development could eventually bring homes and shops to the empty, privately owned land between downtown Eagle and the river park, connecting the town to the river.
The small visitor center above the dirt truck parking lot gets about 40,000 visitors a year.
“If we are already getting that many people to stop and visit our little visitor center, imagine the potential here,” Farrar said. “This is a place for people to get down to the water and you don’t have too many opportunities for people to do that in Colorado.”
In the , Eagle is learning from its predecessors. Town leaders don’t have to look far to find inspiration. , with at least five major engineering firms headquartered in the state.
This isn’t about a few strategically placed boulders that create waves for paddlers.
Eagle is looking at Salida, Buena Vista and Golden for tips on building a community trophy and gathering place for concerts, contests and events. Park builders and town leaders from those towns have visited Eagle to offer advice. Most everyone tells Eagle leaders that , exponentially more visitors will simply enjoy sitting by the river.
Golden park officials said the town’s pioneering in annual spending by visitors. The developers behind community say their project has thrived thanks to a focus on the river. Salida elevated thanks to its whitewater park, which hosts international paddling competitions.
River park sculptor Scott Shipley, has sketched four whitewater features that could anchor Eagle’s new park, including two designed for stand-up surfing, said the chance to develop a centerpiece within view of the interstate will deliver a big impact for Eagle.
“In terms of getting people off the interstate and into a town that brands itself as an outdoor town, this park will be huge for that,” said Shipley, whose . “This is really about making a community park on top of a whitewater park. This will be outdoor adventure visible from the highway.”
Eagle planners estimate a new river park could draw tens of thousands of new visitors, stirring an economic impact between $600,000 a year and $1.2 million.
“Eagle is a great location due to the fact that it is lower in the watershed, offering more reliable flows, warmer temperatures, but still enough gradient to make fantastic river features,” said Sean Glackin, whose Alpine Quest Sports stores in Edwards and Glenwood Springs are gathering spots for local paddlers. “Eagle could be a biking, hiking and paddling Mecca by truly embracing the summer outdoor lifestyle.”
Jason Blevins: 303-954-1374, jblevins@denverpost.com or @jasonblevins
