A Jeffersonville-based nonprofit is bringing a unique recreational amenity to its planned Origin Park along the Ohio River in Clarksville.
River Heritage Conservancy is currently developing what will be known as Wildwater at Origin Park, a kayaking and whitewater rafting course that will serve as a cornerstone of the transformation of the 430-acre location into an urban park and greenspace.
Wildwater is being designed to include a 1,700-foot channel for competition use among kayak enthusiasts and a 2,500-foot channel for recreational whitewater rafting use.
Dennis Schnurbusch, CEO of River Heritage Conservancy, says the idea for Wildwater came very early on in the planning process for Origin Park and fits well with the history of the area.
“When you look at the…981 miles of waterway that the Ohio River encompasses, only about two miles of it are not navigable, and that happens to be right in front of our park. It is due to some naturally occurring rapids,” Schnurbusch said. “Indiana is well known for outdoor recreation, and the people who live here love to do those types of things. Through multiple studies that we’ve done, we’ve shown that this is an opportunity for us to build something that encourages a healthy lifestyle, gets people active. It fits very well within the origins of what the park is and what it was designed around.”
Wildwater is being designed by Calibre-S2O, which designed the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as similar attractions in Montgomery, Alabama, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The firm also designed the Canoe Slalom Venue for the 2012 Olympics in London.
The Clarksville project is being led by Clinton Deckard with Construction Solutions, who is serving as project manager.
Schnurbusch said while admission to Origin Park and viewing the activities at Wildwater will be free to visitors, participating in the whitewater rafting experience will be one of many revenue-generating avenues for the park.
“One of the things that we’ve tried to do is follow the conservancy model, much like you see at the Central Park, where we use philanthropic dollars in order to help build out the property, but it’s earned revenues that helped sustain them, not only for capacity building, but maintaining[the park] long term,” he said.
River Heritage Conservancy is in the midst of raising about $150 million in funding for various aspects of Origin Park, including Wildwater, the Buttonbush Woods natural area, and an event center known as The Vista.
The Wildwater project has already received $37.5 million from the state, which Schnurbusch said is helping to get the project off the ground. The conservancy aims to begin construction on Wildwater in 2026 and be complete as early as 2029.
“We feel like it’s going to be a game changer, not only for southern Indiana, but it’s a destination that will drive people to this region from all over,” he said.
Origin Park itself is a project that has been in the works for the past decade. The goal, according to Schnurbusch, was to transform an area that was occupied by landfills and brownfields, and transform it into a greenspace and tourist destination that can be enjoyed by residents and visitors.
The specific site of Wildwater, he said, will sit on the site of a landfill that the previous owner did not have the ability to clean up.
“When you look at the costs associated with that and the fact that it was an exposed environmental potential hazard, without us addressing it, the state was either going to have to step in, or we had to provide some sort of an opportunity to reclaim that and turn it into something useful. And that’s what we’ve done.”
Schnurbusch said it will be another 10-15 years before the entirety of Origin Park is completed. The conservancy estimates the project will create about 3,000 jobs, most of which are construction jobs. However, the park will have about 300 annual operational positions.
As the conservancy continues preparations to begin work on Wildwater, work is nearly complete on The Vista event center, which is slated to open next spring.
You can learn more about Origin Park by clicking here.