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Barrier to bringing white water rapids to St. Charles shrinks

St. Charles aldermen have not yet bought into plans to make the Fox River the centerpiece of the city's downtown. But the ante just became a lot cheaper.

Members of the city's Active River Task Force believe a riverwalk that allows access to the waters of the Fox River will revitalize the downtown. Adding kayaking, white water rafting and a children's splash pad right in the river would make St. Charles a unique destination for people with active lifestyles, they say.

An engineering study to prove St. Charles' portion of the river can host such activities is a big first step. Until now, the $1 million expected price tag for the study made it an ominous first step as well. But after bidding out the study, the price dropped to $115,000.

“This is a very favorable proposal,” task force member John Rabchuk said. “In theory, the cost could be shared by the city, park district and (Fox) River Corridor (Foundation of St. Charles), but those discussions have yet to take place.”

That discussion will begin at the city council level May 23. Rabchuk will pitch the study to aldermen at the government services committee meeting that night.

Rabchuk last appeared before the city council in January. At that time, some aldermen said $1 million was a lot to spend. They first wanted some indication from the state it will sign off on removing the dam by city hall. Removing the dam is a key part of the plan. Without the correct water speeds and depths, the on-water activities can't happen. But task force members believe the state won't consider removing the dam until engineering is complete that shows the impact on water quality.

Rabchuk hopes the smaller price tag will solve that chicken-and-egg problem. In the meantime, the task force is moving forward with several of the smaller elements of the concept plan.

They applied for $85,000 in grants to add landscaping, benches and pads for new sculptures to the Bob Leonard Walk on the west side of the Fox River. One of the sculptures envisioned will stand 30 feet and be lit in the evening via solar panels.

The St. Charles Park District is also working to restore Boy Scout Island into a true island. Floating gardens in the lagoon area would accent that project. The river corridor foundation is designing a wider bicycle/pedestrian pathway between the river and Route 25 from Prairie Street to the south end of Langum Park. That area in the concept plan includes fishing platforms that extend into the river.

A field trip for city officials is also in the works. The people who created Falls Park in Greenville, South Carolina, have invited St. Charles officials to see what their project did for their community. Task force members are using Falls Park as one of their models for the plan. That project cost about $13.9 million. Before Falls Park, about one in four storefronts in Greenville's downtown was vacant. Now the downtown is almost 50 percent larger, and there is a waiting list of businesses seeking space in the downtown.

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