Cable Park at Nichols Boat Works

[phazle5499]

To send written testimony about the cable park, use the contact links provided in the above post by arthurb, the Major of Hood River. That way you can be certain your testimony will be received, passed on and recorded by the right person.

[jota]

To 4Rest or Forrest,

Frankly I don't have a huge problem with this project; just some concerns, so I'm not gearing up huge arguments or anything - I can see it being fun for me and my family too.

I guess my concerns center on the fact that this is simply a ploy by Naito to get their motel built, and that there might not be much real consideration given to who is going to operate this thing, and the very real possibility that the basin will close up at any time (will they be allowed to dredge?), and that there might not be enough business in the short season to even justify it. If this was a legit project, I'd assume the developer would do their research on it, but since it's really just a ploy to get motel financing, they probably don't care too much.

I am not going to research it now but I do remember lots of information that these things are loud, and that the developer's "facts" about noise levels and oxygenating the water for the fish are pretty much BS.

And yes, locals have been concerned about the development of the waterfront for decades and a lot of bad plans fell by the wayside, thankfully. Building the event site was great, as well as the waterfront park, and the Sandbar cafe, and having a new proposed pub by the park sounds great too. So do we want this huge disneyland ride with a big ugly building (what is that for, anyway? What will be there the rest of the year), new parking lots, and an influx of motor-driven sports tourists, right at the entrance to the waterfront?

It's a legitimate question, and calling people uneducated assholes (that wasn't you, it was Inept_Fun) doesn't add to the discussion (speaking of uneducated, have you read some of the kiters' posts lately?) Finally, for the record, I am a local, a windsurfer, and now stoked kiter who may be selling the rest of my WS gear soon.

[billgfc]

I am absolutely gearing up huge objections!

I just read this and am beyond disgusted . How dare the Columbia Gorge Kite Association and other wind sport enthusiasts come out in support of an electric mechanism in an area used by fisherman, paddlers, swimmers windsurfers and kiters at times. These are all sports which do not used energy once on the water!

Shame on CGKA for trying to pull this crap! There are plenty of places to put and amusement park ride. Thousands of places around the planet where a cable park is fine. It works well for example in front of Starboards Headquarter on a lake in Thailand.

But Hood River, HUH? Shame on CGKA to be so greedy for more money and business! If you are not kiting enough, then go get a bigger kite! Carpool to Stevenson! You can kite and windsurf 5 to six days a wk with right gear!

I trust kiters, windsurfers, users and all citizens will oppose this with vigor and you lose miserably on this one!

[4rest]

Jota, right on. The community is stronger with lots of testimony from both sides so that we can meet in the middle and enjoy our area until we're all old and grumpy, and casting shame on people.

billgfc, I'm not exactly sure what you're on about... Use of energy? You just told me to drive to Stevenson which will use more energy than the cable will use during an entire day off operation.

[billgfc]

my intent was not promote driving to Stevenson. Even in Hood River there are plenty of days to kite or sail with right gear.

The cable thing is an awful idea in that location. Save it for eco friendly self propelled sport. Wrong location.

Better yet. ride a bike other exercise on windless day.

[isobars]

Why can a corporation build an amusement park in the Gorge when a homeowner can't even trim a tree in his own yard for a better view of the river?

[Thx.]

I think it will be really fun, but such a stupid location it makes me want to puke. I hate it every time I see another building pop up down near the water front. Do we have to keep building more shit?

[4rest]

One of the sad facts of the NSA. I hear ya though, I've been looking to upgrade to a bigger house now that my family is growing and I won't buy outside of the city limit unless I'm south of Belmont.

Perrydave, it's a perfect location. Read my post above about it being the only realistic location where anyone has attempted to build one. I suppose the Hook would be an okay location as well, but the Hook has even more challenges.

[phazle5499]

Forrest (aka 4rest)
Welcome to the iwindsurf mb. With 3818 posts on the NWKite message board and 15 posts on the iwindsurf mb have you switched over from kiting to windsurfing??
Just ask'in!

[jsampiero]

I have a few thoughts and would like to chime in.

For the record, I consider myself environmentally aware and concerned, although not overzealous. I've been a summer visitor to HR for many years, and have lived here basically full time for nearly two years.

I happen to live in a location where the proposed installation would be in plain view from my house.

I'm a windsurfer, kiteboarder, SUPer, and wakeboarder. While living in Orlando, I visited the Orlando Cable Park complex on a fairly regular basis.

To wit:

Noise

By all reasonable measures, this is not even a salient point for argument. You want to complain noise? Start with the freeway or the train.

Environmental Impact
Many people get to ride all day for less oil burned that a boat - or, as Forrest pointed out, one car driving to Stevenson. Sorry, Bill, but you could make the argument that in terms of hours of entertainment:per person:per energy consumed, this is the MOST environmentally form of recreating we could possibly have!

Whether or not you believe the studies that say the water aerated by constant riders improves QUOLI for the fishies, it's hard to argue that it's anything worse than the Columbia, where plenty of windsurfers, kiters, powerboats, and oh, yeah, barges occupy the water.

Water access

We live on a river. A BIG one. There's TONS of under-utilized water access. Use the Marina. Go to Bingen. Or the hook. I don't see the SUP'ers fighting for parking spots yet.

Better yet, deal with a local vendor to get a legitimate SUP/kayak concession just outside the cable park area.

I am curious about the draining/dredging thing, and what environmental impact that would have were it to become necessary for the continued operation of this business.


Gastropub/Retailer/Cable Park Management

We've got a lot of great places to eat here given the size of our town, but I'd still be hard-pressed to say variety is our strong point. I'm not whining about a new place to eat/drink, and heck, by the water where I can watch the cable kids rip, sounds kinda fun.

I've been paying attention, and from what I can discern, the management of the cable will be completely separate from the hotel. This seems reasonable.

The Hotel

First off: Have you ever tried to book a room here in July for a visiting friend or colleague? Damn near impossible on the weekends. More hotel rooms will get filled - at least three months of the year.

Hampton Inn may not be the ritz, but it's a damn good step above a Motel 6 (Or Prater's). It's a national franchise with pretty strict standards for conducting business. Not to mention this one will have fairly high visibilty, guaranteeing a higher standard. It's certainly not going to be a dump.

Traffic and Parking


From what I understand, exit traffic on the freeway can get pretty terrible as is. Not sure this is going to make it all that much worse. Another 200 cars a day is small fries - if it's going to be that much.

I'm not sure what the concern is about parking. Clearly, it's too far away from the event site launch. The kiters should be the most concerned, but I don't think it's much of a problem for them too. GETTING to the spit might be impacted, but hopefully careful planning can lessen that.

The CGKA

Damn straight the CGKA supports this. The cable park is the best kiteboarding instructional tool there is (and the safest.) The cable WILL create more kiteboarders. I'm stoked for them.

Aesthetics

Given that aesthetics, is, and always will be, a matter of personal opinion, there is of course validity to this argument.

My thoughts: What's there ain't exactly breathtaking. It's certainly no example of a pristine Gorge ecosystem. IMHO, a new, environmentally-conscious building would be an improvement.

You may disagree. However, consider one of the other suggestions for that land use, put forth by a Port Councilman: fill in the basin and build a fruit cannery/manufacturing plant there. What are the environmental and aesthetic implications of that?


To sum up:

It's not loud.

It's not that ugly - and arguably better looking than other options.

More hotel rooms will be beneficial to HR visitors and local retailers over the busy season.

Environmental impact is much less than perceived.


I wonder if the people who are opposed to the cable park use ski lifts. What's the difference?