BOISE — Phase two of the J.A. & Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation White Water Park is open and the City of Boise held a special ceremony to introduce this park within a park.
The white water park has three brand new features that kayakers, surfers and people can enjoy in the heart of Boise which connects to Esther Simplot Park and the rest of the aquatic complex in the area.
"We know for a fact there is nothing like this in the United States," said Doug Holloway the director of the Boise Parks & Rec Department.
The three new features include a hydraulic wave that is for experts only and right now it is tuned for world class surfers and kayakers, wave technicians told me they are still working on perfecting this wave.
The bottom two features include natural hyrdraulics created by rocks, these waves are similar to the kind of features paddlers would find on a white water river and a good spot for beginners and intermediate paddlers to practice their skills.
“Kudos to the City of Boise, kudos to McMillen who did all the construction out here," said three time Olympic kayaker Scott Shipley. "It’s a tough job if you build in a real river you have to think about fish, you got to think about habitat and you got to think about who is going to use it and when.”
This $10 million project became a possibility when the J.A. Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation donated $4 million towards the project.
However, it was also a community effort as it wouldn't have been possible to build the park without an agreement with the Farmers Union Canal and it took two years just to obtain the permits needed to work in the river.
This project opened up the Boise River while taking dangerous concrete and rebar out of the river, improvements were made to the Greenbelt along with bank restoration and rocks were put in to give people a place to hang out and watch the action.
“When we are all gone they won’t remember us but they will love this space and this park for generations to come," said Mayor Dave Bieter.
Here is a link to more information on the project which includes a wave cam and a spot to check the river flows.
