In preperation for a proposal and visit for enhancement of the Beech Fork grade control structure to include whitewater recreation, the following items are being gatherd by the City of bardstown to help streamline the process.

1. Narritive of how well USGS 03301000 BEECH FORK AT BARDSTOWN represents the site and any major upstream reservoir or diversion projects that may affect the historic data record.
2. FEMA Flood Rate Maps
3. FEMA Flood Insurance Study
4. FEMA HEC2 Backup Data
5. Hydrology and Hydraulics report for the New Bridge
6. Geotechnical Borings at the new Bridge.
7. Drawings of the new bridge.
8. Contact for Corps of Engineers
9. Contact for Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
10. Contact for adjacent landowners
11. Aerial Photographs (with flown dates) of the site (tiff or sid preferred)
12. Topographic mapping of the site (AutoCAD prefered)
13. Known utilities mapping of the site
14. Contact for Division of Water or any other jurisdictions
15. List of potential required City, County and State permits.
16. Contact for Local PE that would be willing to work with us.
17. Contact for local surveyor.
18. Contact for local Geotechnical Lab.
19. Narritive on how the pump diversion is operated.

In attendance: Jason Ballard, Matt Peak & Spalding Hurst of the Bardstown Boaters, Dawn Ballard with the department of Tourism, Nicky Rapier with Economic Development, Mayor Dick Heaton, City Engineer Larry Hamilton, Administrator Larry Green and Financial Officer Mike Abell.

The meeting was held to discuss hiring RiverRestoration.org to do a conceptual desing on the Beechfork Whitewater Park. It was decided upon to use various funds raised through website design trade by Spalding Hurst, fundraising by the Bardstown Boaters, funds from the City of Bardstown and Tourism money to pay for the preliminary work.

Currently an official proposal for the work is being awaited from RiverRestoraion.org. Also Larry Hamilton will be in touch with the Colorado based firm to discuss more details about the conceptual design work.

Working with Riverrestoration.org in the redesign of their website for trade towards bring in their engineers to provide a conceptual design of the Bardstown Whitewater Park.

The Bardstown Boaters have contacted all the parties involved to begin a dialogue again about the whitewater park and to schedule a date for the conceptual designing phase of the whitewater park. The conceptual design work will be completed by the Stream Institute of the University of Louisville.

Art Parola and the University of Louisville have commented that they plan to begin surveying for the conceptual designs of the Bardstown Whitewater Park early this December.

The city is discussing whether the Tourism Commission or the City should be the primary applicant/sponsor. In the meantime they will be contacting the University of Louisville to discuss when they would plan to do the work and what will be needed to establish the preapplication work necessary on defining the project.

The Bardstown-Nelson County tourist board talked of ideas and promotions for the area including the Bardstown Whitewater Park on Tuesday September the 18th. Here is what the Kentucky Standard reported in the September 19th edition of the paper.

Proposed efforts to create a whitewater park for canoe and kayak enthusiasts near the Bardstown city dam. Although no new action has been taken by city government on the matter, the Bardstown Boaters group is still promoting the idea. Tourism chair Nicky Rapier said city officials have been receptive to the proposition as there is already a need to do some work on the spillway area.

Contacted all involved Bardstown officials, updating them on the current state of the Bardstown Whitewater Park. Suggested we continue researching whitewater feature designs by visiting other parks and by holding a meeting at the Rubble Dam of the Beech Fork.

Updates to the Park Design page were also made.

A meeting was held at City Hall in Bardstown. In attendance were Mayor Dick Heaton, City Engineer Larry Hamilton, UofL engineers Art Parola and Ben, Bardstown Boaters Spalding Hurst and Justin Janes and from Horizon Hoppers, Mike Hammons.

This meeting was held to discuss bringing in the expertise of Art Parola and his team from the University of Louisville. Larry Hamilton also presented his findings from data he had collected at the rubble dam on the Beech Fork.

One option discussed for the general design of the park would be to rebuild and repair the rubble dam to it's original height of about 9 ft. This would require bringing rock in to the location. Possibly 1000 cubic yards. Then from this we could build 3 runs varying in the water flow needed, the number of drops and difficulty in class. Each run could be built separately at different points in time if we wish.

So for example we could have a whitewater park in Bardstown consisting of 3 runs through the dam, ranging from class II, class II-III and class III+, runnable in low (150cfs) to high (1000cfs) flows, consisting of up to 9 drops total.

A meeting was held at the Salt River in Shepherdsville with University of Louisville Engineers Art Parola and Bill Vesely, Bob White, Mike Hammons, Bullit County Torism Commissioner Elaine Wilson. We looked at at the possibilities of a park on the Salt River. I discussed with Art Parola his ideas about the Bardstown Whitewater Park.

We held a benefit texas holdem tournament with 32 players, raising $800 for the whitewater park fund. This brings us to $2800 total at this date.

Conducted a meeting today with the Mayor Dick Heaton, City engineers Larry Hamilton, George Greenwell and Tourism member Nicky Rapier.

The city is going to consult with an engineering firm they are currently working with on another city project and ask them a few questions we have about our whitewater project. Mainly about getting the ok from the core of engineers to do work on the rubble dam and possibly instructions on creating a whitewater feature. Then we hope to actually make the modifications this summer when when the water is at it's lowest.

• Forum Link

Had a meeting with Bardstown city engineer Larry Hamilton. Talked about the history of the rubble dam and the whitewater park in general.

Larry Hamilton becomes a new city engineer.

• KY Standard Article

With the rest of the funds secured, the Bardstown Boaters meet with the new Mayor, Dick Heaton, to discuss a $2200 donation from the city to go towards the site assessment from the McLaughlin Group. The mayor plans to make this request in February at the city council meeting.

Larry Green, City Administrator, begins finding possible grant money for the park.

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Bob White, a large proponent for the whitewater park, leaves the Kentucky Standard.

• Blog Entry

The Bardstown Boaters hold their fifth meeting with Bardstown Tourism.

The Viking Canoe Club donates $500 to the Bardstown Whitewater Park.

Dick Heaton becomes the new city Mayor. Link

The Bardstown Tourism Commission commits $2,000 towards the site assessment.

Private donations begin rolling in for the site assessment of the Bardstown whitewater park. A petition is started to show support for the park.

The Poker Run is held to raise money for the whitewater park site assessment. Over $900 is raised.

• KY Standard Article 01
• KY Standard Article 02

The Bardstown Boaters meet with the City Council to inform them of the whitewater park.

About 20 people in support of a proposal to reconstruct a rock dam near the New Haven Road bridge over Beech Fork into a navigable whitewater feature showed up for a formal presentation to City Council Tuesday.

• KY Standard Article

The Bardstown Boaters begin talking to The McLaughlin Whitewater Group about having a site assessment completed at our propesed site in bardstown.

The Bardstown Boaters meet with the Mayor, Dixie Hibbs to discuss the project. She liked hearing our ideas and was very impressed with our presentations.

The Bardstown Boaters have a fourth meeting with Bardstown Tourism.

Right now we are researching other parks and compiling all the information we find. I hope to have answer to every question concerning building a park in Bardstown answered by this meeting. Then we can go over them and start thinking about making a pitch to city officials to get their thoughts about the project.

The Bardstown Boaters have a third meeting with Bardstown Tourism.

The Bardstown Boaters have a second meeting with Bardstown Tourism.

• KY Standard Article

The Bardstown Boaters compile a report on the potential for a whitewater feature in bardstown.

• Bardstown Whitewater Park Report

The Kentucky Standard reports there could be whitewater kayaking in Bardstown's Future.

• KY Standard Article

The Bardstown Tourism Commission holds a sports marketing meeting.

The Tourist Commission invites you to attend a sports marketing meeting with Coach Steve Small on Thursday, May 18, 7:30 pm in the Fiscal Court room of the Old Courthouse. This open forum is an opportunity to discuss tournament, sports event and recreation ideas.

• KY Standard Article