It's not hard to imagine a meandering river. That's the primary thing. Everything else flows from the cleanup. We have an opportunity to create a beautiful park and an economic development project that would mean numerous businesses starting up and eventually expanding and putting people to work outdoors. Lacy's seen it happen all over the West.
Most people are short on time and want recreation that's close to home.
These parks give people a place where they can literally go out their back door and paddle, surf and practice their skills. More than 300,000 people took commercial raft trips down the Arkansas last summer. By restoring the Arkansas as it flows through Salida, the town can do a better job of capturing some of those boaters - and their money, said Michael Harvey, executive director of the Arkansas River Trust. What Gary Lacy has done elsewhere is, he has taken these parks and turned them into real centerpieces. We want that for Salida.