# Seeking OGF comments on boathouse project for Griggs



## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

I'm asking the central Ohio fishing community for input on the proposed boathouse project on Griggs. As Chairman of the Friends of the Scioto River, I have been placed on a citizens advisory committee who will negotiate with the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, the Greater Columbus Rowing Association, and OSU. At stake is the future character of Griggs.

Here's the background: As far back as 1996, and as recently as 2005, OSU and the city have been developing plans and soliciting (some) community input on the proposed Andy Geiger boathouse on Duranceau Park which is with Indian Village Camp on the west bank of Griggs. Since then OSU and GCRA have drawn up plans for a ~$5 million, 20,000 sq-ft facility to go into the riverbank where there is now a picnic area with mature trees. OSU would pay for the facility, the city would own it, and lease it to OSU/GCRA with some space reserved for city rec programs. The project is so far along that a lease has already been signed.

Why is OSU looking to drop $5 million for the womens rowing crew? (There is no mens crew, but GCRA has male rowers.) The answer is, NCAA Title IX which says schools have to provide comparable facilities for both mens and womens athletics - so the long shadow of Brutus Buckeye is cast across this.

OSU, CRPD and GCRA insist that there will be no net increase in park traffic due to this facility because its use will be restricted to OSU and GCRA and a few IVC programs like kids rowing. The local residents (and FOSR) remain unconvinced that this is so, for many reasons including city plans to rent meeting space and GCRA information that talks of developing local rowing programs. But all the local high schools are shut out.

The city and GCRA really REALLY want to site this in Durenceau Park, close to existing facilities and IVC, and the residents are fighting just as hard to get it moved to the east side, where there are utilities (last we heard the city does not yet know how they will get water and sewer to their preferred site) and the traffic in Duranceau would not increase. OSU says they would have to redesign the facility for a different site - a consequence of going this far without public input. 

Be aware that discussions of alternate sites include possibilities like the ramp and lot south of the Fishinger bridge - people are observing that lot to see whether it is being used by boaters, or sitting vacant taking up space.

I will attend a June 4 meeting, so I ask you for comments from the fishing community that I can take to the table. They will already have input from rowers, residents, and the powerboat crowd (who BTW are deeply suspicious that the investment in rowing facilities hints that in the long-term city plan, powerboating will be pushed off that water).

So what say the fishermen?


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## fishingredhawk (Apr 14, 2004)

I feel that I am qualified to speak on this subject for two reasons. First, I am a devoted Central Ohio bass fisherman (you can find me out on Griggs at least once a week pursuing bass). And second, due to recent first-hand observations of the rowing activities on this body of water, I think I can foreshadow the negative impact that bringing such a facility to Griggs will have on fishermen.

Setting aside my personal views regarding the attitude of rowers at Griggs, here are my thoughts on the negative impact the addition of the proposed facility will bring. 

First, I am of the opinion that all on-the-water activities should be given equal access to our public waters. Limiting ANY group&#8217;s use of public, navigable waters is a slippery slope&#8212;one that I am not willing to tread. Constructing this facility will undoubtedly lead to an enormous increase in the number of regattas hosted on Griggs. Currently, every time there is a regatta the city shuts down the lake to all boaters. Imagine all the Saturday regattas that will be hosted now that OSU has dumped $5 mil into the facility? That means curbing public access to Griggs on those days and preventing ALL other groups from accessing this limited public resource. Why is it that the city will shut down the lake for a regatta, but not for a fishing tournament? 

Second, I also predict that construction of the facility will result in portions of the South end of the reservoir being marked as &#8220;off limits&#8221; to fishing. This is one of the best bass habitats on the lake. If the city marks areas off limits to fishing, will they also mark proportionate areas off limits to rowing?

Finally, the idea of constructing the facility over the existing ramps if the current planned location fails is absurd. Those ramps are used on a regular basis by hundreds of boaters a week. Removing them will cause an uproar from the community.

Therefore, my gut reaction is that constructing a $5 million boathouse on such a small, intimate fishery is ominous news for all Griggs anglers. I do believe that if managed in such a way that public access will not be limited in ANY WAY, this project could get the support of the general public.


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

OK, that gives me some points to take to the table. Can you point to some supporting information about the bass habitat? That could be a strong point.


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## CHOPIQ (Apr 6, 2004)

I live about a mile from where they want to place the boathouse on the west bank. I'm all for it. Duranceau park where they are talking about building the boathouse is usually only occupied by some fishermen, myself included, kids getting high and alot of "alternate lifestyle guys" looking for a quickee. There are always a couple of cars in the parking lot waiting for a date. As for the people living there I can't see the traffic being a problem. The road that runs along Griggs is seperated from the subdivision and does not run thru it at any point. From talking to some of the people that live in the gated subdivision by Griggs I got the feeling that because of who they think they are they shouldn't have a boathouse near their expensive homes. I only talked to a couple of them but they came across stuck up rich people who feel rowing is beneath them.
I do see your point fishingredhawk about the lake being off limits during regattas, it has happened to me before. I went down with my boat only to find out they were having a regatta and I couldn't launch that day. Maybe a solution to that could a ramp built somewhere further North. It wouldn't have to be anything fancy but open it only when there is a regatta. I feel the skiers are a bigger nuisance than the rowers but I agree the lake should be open to all boaters.


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## supercanoe (Jun 12, 2006)

I am against any building in the riparian zone of Griggs. As Chopiq stated that area has a lot of men backing in to parking spots, but that can be fixed very easily by some police patrols. This area is very scenic and peaceful for being in the middle of the city. We need to stop our net loss of green space to development. Once it's developed, it's gone forever. And I get very irritated when a public waterway is closed down to the public, and only a certain group is permitted it's use. Building a boathouse will only increase the activity on an already crowded and stressed waterway. I don't spend time at Griggs anymore, but grew up fishing and boating there. I like fishing there, the fishing is good, but it is too crowded and developed for me. This boathouse project will just add to the current problem of over use and crowding.


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

Last summer there were a few assaults in parks with the usual "a man emerged from the bushes and..." There's a fresh one in today's news.

Every September we have cut honeysuckle with BMW Financial Services volunteers and the parks people, and last year I called the vice squad and asked where in the city parks they would most like to have brush cleared.

Their first pick was that wooded ravine in Duranceau, between the playground and the parking lot. Police patrols couldn't see into it so it was a nest of activity.

We cleared it out and now you can see across it. It's actually a neat stony little ravine, a good place to take kids for some light clambering around on rocks.


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## fishingredhawk (Apr 14, 2004)

The south end of the reservoir is good bass spawning habitat for several reasons. First, the abundance of wood, brush, stumps and rock provide excellent cover for largemouth. Second, the area has several flats that abut deeper water, making a logical place for fish to spawn and feed. And finally, the no-wake restrictions allow for shoreline cover to grow by eliminating severe erosion, etc.

I for one will be very vocal if I find out that public access to Griggs is going to be limited in any way by the building of this boathouse.


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## supercanoe (Jun 12, 2006)

When I fished Griggs I concentrated on that area a lot as well. When the water skiers are out that area and the far north end are the only areas where you can get out of the chop. The amount of skiers/wakeboarders on that little 350 acre waterway are out of control.


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## harry1 (Apr 17, 2004)

it just another way to limit fishing access. that's all that ever happens when there is a change along the rivers in columbus. people with money gain private access and those with out, lose out. god forbid you should be an old black man looking for a place to fish in columbus..


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## XRacer (Feb 12, 2007)

FOSR First thanks for your time to help preserve Griggs for all to use. I would also bring up there may be an increase in boating at Griggs this year due to the increase in gas prices. Griggs is usually my week night boating area since its close and normally would head to Erie Alum CJ ect for the weekend. With the high fuel costs I would rather put the gas in the boat than the truck so we will be on Griggs alot more on the weekends. 
On a personal note I find it funny how different one is treated by the "groups" on Griggs depending what kind of boat you are in.


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## BennyLovesSaugeyes (May 1, 2008)

I was fishing the East bank of griggs by the Fishinger Road bridge early may this year. I was jigging by the docks down by the dam and police station for smallies and eyes. 

Around 7 am rowers started to show up, their coach came over to me and told me that fishing by the docks was not allowed and asked me to move. I was fishing from the bank (right by a public shelter house!!!) and told him this is a public park, and fishing ON the docks is not allowed, bank fishing where I'm casting to the docks is allowed. Not to mention I was atleast 30 feet from the rowers, not causing them any problems.

So the coach went over and started up the 9.9 engine on a jon boat, and after ten minutes have having it run (and him hitting the gas) I finally moved down below the dam. 

Not to mention rowers pay no attention to bank fishermen either. I've seen rowers completely run over peoples lines on the west bank by the indiana row camp/scioto boat club. The rowers could easily move 50 more feet off shore, but instead they seem to hug the shore line on the west bank.

I am AGAINST any row house/boat house being built in that area. 

The rowers have no RESPECT for people fishing, and it can only hurt the fishing in this area. The area between Fishinger Road bridge and the Griggs Res. Dam is my favorite area for hitting AM Smallies off those rocks. With increased Rowers, all that bank shore fishing will be ruined since they cruise 20 feet from the bank on their runs all morning long, disturbing all the fish in that area accessible to Bank fishermen like me.


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

You can read the GCRA fundraising page about the project

http://columbusrowing.org/BoathouseFundraising

I'm a bit surprised this is still online because it does not square with the claim that because there will be no more rowing activity than there is now, there will be little or no increase in traffic.



> An important feature of this new facility is that it will serve as a community resource to attract and train future rowers from throughout greater Columbus. In this way the Andy Geiger Boathouse will provide a strong connection to the community that will help rowing prosper and attract support in central Ohio.


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Against. Not a fan of the rowers due to their bad attitudes and haughty demeanors. I am also not for the development of that park. It is beautiful, and people who live near it love it as it is. Just notice all the signs--"save our park!" On a third note, construction near a stream or water body is always detremental to its health.


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

The planners seem confident that they do not need any EPA or Corps of Engineers permits because this construction is not "on" the river - which sounds wrong to me, how can you build a facility with docks and not affect the river? I have written to the Ohio Environmental Council and Ohio EPA about this but have received no response.

I really fear that they will start to dig, then get stopped in court, leaving a gash in the park. Something like that happened up at Bellepoint, where someone wanted to put a Kroger on filled floodplain without permits. Screeeech.


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## Boom Boom (May 31, 2005)

an interesting thought about crews.

Although they use chaser boats, why don't the shells need to follow the rules like any other boat.

From the ODNR January 9, 1997-
Agreement of Ohio Boating Law with Federal Regulations: Ohio boating laws are now in agreement with several recent federal boating regulations. Now boats 16 feet or greater in length must carry aboard one Type 1, 2, or 3 personal flotation device (PFD) for each person aboard and one Type 4 PFD. Boats less than 16 feet in length, and canoes and kayaks of any length, must now carry a wearable Type 1, 2 or 3 PFD for each person aboard. A Type 5 inflatable PFD may be carried in lieu of a Type 1, 2 or3 PFD.

Just something to ponder and question...


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## seethe303 (Dec 12, 2006)

Am I correct in assuming there will be greater revenue for the city with more rowers/regattas? Is this why they appear to have such disdain towards fishermen?


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

I think so - don't you have to buy a permit if you want to close the lake for an event? There must be some $$ involved. And there are plans to rent meeting space in the facility. Also keep in mind the boat club there does not own that land, they lease it, so that is income for the city at the expense of public access.

And then there's that cell tower at the end of the dam, looming over the whole park - is that leased city park land, too? And, um, the disguised cell tower at Scioto Park, though that's Dublin and not Columbus.

This is the intended site, down the hill from the parking lot. It's hidden by a brushy area but open down by the river, little used - probably because people would have to walk more than 100 feet to get to it.


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## seethe303 (Dec 12, 2006)

I wonder if regattas would bring more people to the city than bass tournaments? This would increase income for local businesses. 

I am not trying to defend their actions as from what little I have read about this issue (this thread) I would side with not building the project. I just am trying to get a clear issue of the city's motivation behind this project.


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## CARP 104 (Apr 19, 2004)

I haven't really had a problem with rowers up until recently. I would not be against the boathouse if it would not restrict my access to any locations or times I am allowed on the lake, but that seems inevitable. 

I was out fishing a month or so ago while they were setting up the regetta course I believe. After coming back from way up north my boat quickly approached the several jon boats setting up the course. I stopped and asked one of them which way I should go in order to go around them (since it was taking up almost all of the river from east to west). The guy pointed to the east bank and said to go that way. I went over to the east bank and was promptly yelled at by another individual in a jon boat telling me to just go straight down the center. So I piloted the boat to the center to find another individual in a job boat yelling at me to go down the west bank, and was insisting that I immediately turn right towards the west bank. I looked over to the right to find they had some sort of floating apparatus tied to something and this guy was telling me to drive right over the rope which was no more than a foot under the surface. So I just gunned the motor and drove right by him down the center...I wasn't going to deal with that any longer.

I didn't really appreciate the disorganization and rude treatment, but I don't want to stereotype that to everyone who participates in these events. I don't support any more of the "regattas" that are currently going on in this waterway. I think it should be kept the way it is.

Also, Mike (fishingredhawk) is spot-on about the fish habitat in the southern area.


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## BennyLovesSaugeyes (May 1, 2008)

FOSR that's my old "Hood. Grew up in the Glen subdivision across the street from dublin road, 

I have fished that exact area my whole life. I've caught everything in that area. Catfish, panfish, warmouth, rockbass, carp, and bass. It's rock slabs, and it gets deep rather quick in that particular park, with a lot of good rock and tree cover in the water. 

It would be a shame to lose all that great shore fishing in that section of the park. Not to mention its the farthest you can go south legally to fish that part of griggs. The rest is private owned clubs. I need to get out there and fish it before it's gone.


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## NLC25 (Jan 21, 2008)

Can't speak for the rowers at Griggs but the ones on the Olentangy sure are rude...seems like they folks in the john boats go out of their way to disturb fisherman.


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## Wolfhook120 (Oct 17, 2007)

I'm against!

Its bad enough we have to deal with the rowers very rude attitudes on Hoover, which has obviously alot more room for them and the fisherman, and no "high speed" fishing boats to really worry about. Accept for their chase boats which have 25 ph motors on them. Whwich brings me to another question off the subject...isn't Hoover 10hp restricted across the board? 
Griggs is an accident waiting to happen for the fact that its too "skinny" of a body of water for both types of water craft I feel. Putting a project like that on Griggs is just begging for trouble and will do nothing but ad to the problems that already exist.


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## StuckAtHome (Apr 29, 2004)

Against twice! Rowers have no respect for other users, and I'm tired of certain groups of people getting special treatment on our public waterways, and they should be held to the same laws as the rest of us.
Swamp 'em!


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## Boom Boom (May 31, 2005)

Wolfhook120-
Are you serious? Chase boats are running 25 HP's on Hoover? Why don't crews have to follow the law like everybody else? Rick, Sean, or any other Hoover regular...have you seen 25's out there?


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

i think there's a very good reason for the allowance of bigger motors on the chase boats.................................it's called safety 
in the event of an emergency of some sort,the bigger motors would provide more speed for quicker rescues,power for towing disabled boats,etc.
i have absolutely nio problem with that.much like the ranger's boat that has lots bigger motors.
as for the rowers themselves,i don't fish griggs,but can understand the concern with the small size and width.behavior is a different story.
by design,those boats can't steer like your typical boat,making it impossible to weave in and out of traffic,which is why areas need to be closed for them.even hoover blocks off the lanes to prevent problems.personally i've never had a "bad" experience on hoover,but again,that is due to it being much bigger than griggs.if i see they are out,i watch for them,and just avoid fishing in the "lane" they are using.
all that said,i can understand the concern with griggs,and hope that a reasonable solution is found.


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## supercanoe (Jun 12, 2006)

Misfit I am going to totally disagree with you on the 25 horse issue. It is a 10 horse lake, that's the law. Sure law enforcement will run a big motor, they are "above" the law. If it is unsafe to row without a back up boat with horsepower exceeding the legal limit, then they should not be there in the first place. It's the same on Oshay. The yacht club has sailboats and a chase boat. The sailboats stay in the south no wake zone, the chase boat tears around at full throttle all over the no wake zone. If someone was in trouble, then I have no problem with them breaking the no wake rule. But to be creating wake for no good reason, that bothers me. It is no wake for a reason. Just like Hoover is 10 horse for a reason. Wouldn't it be safer for fisherman to run bigger motors at Hoover, for situations with quick weather changes in particular? I just feel that our peaceful fishing areas are already slim enough. There's a ton of water that I have to quit fishing by the end of may because I don't like crowds and morons.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

you can disagree all you want,but it won't help 
as for them tearing around the no wake zone for no good reason,they should be ticketed like anyone else,plain and simple.but that does not mean they may not have a legitimate use otherwise.
hell,i've been known to run down the rescue team practicing on hoover,and giving them a pep talk for flying around with the city's 40 hp motor just for fun


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## SwollenGoat (Apr 13, 2005)

misfit said:


> hell,i've been known to run down the rescue team practicing on hoover,and giving them a pep talk for flying around with the city's 40 hp motor just for fun


No!!!  You!!!  

I can't believe it! 

--
For what its worth, I've not had any problems on Hoover with the rowers. A few of their chase boats have come a bit close while I was trolling or drifting, but no harm done. Also at Hoover they do not shut down the lake to host their regattas, in fact I was out fishing during this year's. I just stay away from their lanes (which are clearly marked) and let them have their space.

I'll gladly put up with the rowers on Hoover, as long as they keep the hooligans at Alum.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> No!!! You!!!
> 
> I can't believe it!


i know that's out of character,but i couldn't help myself.toad got a laugh out of it,LOL.
just to clear things up,they were not the boat club boat,but the city boat being used by the fire dept rescue team.i wondered why they wee all dressed the same 


> I'll gladly put up with the rowers on Hoover, as long as they keep the hooligans at Alum.


i second that


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## DrChip (Sep 6, 2004)

Maybe I'm just uninformed, but my experience with rowers on Griggs is just that what they do doesn't make sense to me. I try to be a very courteous person and stay away from drifting / anchored / boats and rowing folks on Griggs. And, I try to stay away from the shorelines for the shore fishermen. I mostly fish in the no-wake zones north and south, so I make a full speed run in between those two places a lot.

But, they have set up bouys out from shore on the *West* side north of Fishinger (I presume for rowing folks?) that make running at speed on the West side -- or even moving over to that side at speed -- problematic. Then, I find all the rowing practices on weekday afternoons is happening along the *East* side. So, rowers on the East, but the buoys on the West. That means I have to run right down the middle and can't get too far away from the rowers on the East side when I approach them. Wouldn't it make sense that they row where they have the buoys set up (and away from the shore fishermen on the East side)? That would seem to serve their interests as well as everyone elses.

Someone please tell me if I'm the one who's not making sense...


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## GarryS (Apr 5, 2004)

I've been holding off and not saying anything about this subject..... I can't hold it any longer..... I am AGAINST this in all ways!! I hope what everyone is saying here will get back to the right people. It has NEVER made any sense to me for them to put rowing shells on a waterways with unlimited HP!! 

As for the chase boats.... I agree that they don't care about anyone on Griggs but themselfs. They don't care how close they are to someone when the run by a fisherman.... On the bank or in a boat!! As far as the rowers..... They don't have a chance out there.... I am just waiting on one of them to get hit... I did see one of the rowing shells run into a bass boat one day.... The guy in the bass boat was fishing...Just luck none of them got hurt. I've had to yell a couple of times or they would have ran into me.

I used to love to fish Griggs..... NOT ANYMORE....With the big WAKE BOARDER boats you can't fish much once they hit the water.... I don't see how those rowers stay in their shells once one of them pass by....

As far as what the fisherman say it does't do any good. Thats just how I feel.

AGAINST!!
GarryS


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

GarryS said:


> As far as what the fisherman say it does't do any good. Thats just how I feel.


No, man, that's why I started this thread. Organize and be heard, that's what the residents are doing. 

I was at a meeting this evening, run by the city parks planning people, with residents and rowers and a few other groups like the Scioto Boat Club and FOSR. Alan McKnight said the short-term business was to determine a site for the boathouse and proceed, because this has been in the works for years and the groups involved can't wait forever. 

But the longer-term goal is to gather community input on uses for Griggs, into the future. As you folks well know, there are competing interests for the use of the park and the waterway. A compromise must be reached. So, weigh in on the negotiations and make your concerns and needs known, and try to move the balance more toward your favor. 

McKnight made a point of saying they do not want to let any one group take over the lake and push others out. So, this will not become a rowing-only lake, but I did say it would be nice if is was under the same 10hp limit as most city waters.

Oh, and one funny thing - we were explaining the city code about vessel size limits, and the marine police representative said there's a 50-lb minimum on watercraft "to keep the Inflatable Wal-Mart toys off the lake."


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## supercanoe (Jun 12, 2006)

FOSR I agree on the 10 hp limit, I've always imagined how nice that would be. They should atleast make the area north of Hayden Run Road a no wake zone. The guy who wants to go out and do some peaceful fishing is pretty much screwed on Griggs.


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## fishingredhawk (Apr 14, 2004)

supercanoe said:


> FOSR I agree on the 10 hp limit, I've always imagined how nice that would be. They should atleast make the area north of Hayden Run Road a no wake zone. The guy who wants to go out and do some peaceful fishing is pretty much screwed on Griggs.


Not quite sure what you are talking about? The far south end is no-wake, as is a large stretch to the north of the island.


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## supercanoe (Jun 12, 2006)

I'm talking about the area from Hayden Run bridge to the island. When a ski wakeboard/boat does continous circles in this small area it makes it very hard to fish. It would be a really nice area to have as no wake since it's pretty small for water sport purposes.


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## ontheattack (Aug 27, 2006)

I have never fished this lake as of yet, but I would be against any group having priority over the fisherman or pleasure boater, its public water period. If they want to spend 5 million, they should go buy land and build there own private lake.


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## CARP 104 (Apr 19, 2004)

Making Griggs 10HP is just going to make the boat traffic on O'shay twice as bad.


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

Yesterday we were pulling garlic mustard at Indian Village Camp, and while we were on lunch break I saw this floating by - looked like an _interesting_ way to use boats.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

i really don't have a horse in this race,but in the spirit of fairness,thought i'd post some facts that haven't been addressed here.i received the following from a friend.it is from the director of columbus recreation and parks department,which gives more detail on what this project actually entails,and the intended purpose(s).
one thing i noted when reading it,is there are no intentions whatsoever of increasing boat numbers,etc due to the restrictions already in force regarding boat traffic on city waterways,no new permits for tourneys or regattas will be allowed,among other points.
again,i have no personal interest in the issue,but it seems that a little more information might be beneficial to those who are interested in the other side.
this is kinda long,but worth the read.

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Griggs Boat House, Columbus Recreation and Parks Department April 2008

Background:
The Columbus Recreation and Parks Department (CRPD) has proposed and designed the construction of a CRPD boat house in Duranceaux Park to be built into the slope at the river&#8217;s west shoreline. The boat house will house the CRPD youth rowing programs (canoe and kayak) and lease the remaining space to The Ohio State University (OSU) Women&#8217;s Varsity Rowing Team and the Greater Columbus Rowing Association (GCRA). 

Public Response:
On March 13, 2008, the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, along with representatives from the Division of Power and Water, The Ohio State University Department of Athletics, the Greater Columbus Rowing Association and the City of Columbus Marine Park Police, held a public meeting at the Indian Village Camp building for the general public to discuss the building site, initial design, impact to Duranceaux Park and the move of existing programming from Indian Village Camp to the new boat house.

Following the March 13 public meeting, twenty-three (23) written individual comments on the project have been received to date. Subsequent to the public meeting, the Scioto Boat Club posted a user survey on their website and received 139 responses that were forwarded to the City. The group, Friends of the Scioto River, submitted their items of concern. Eleven (11) letters were sent to the CRPD Director, City Council members and the City Attorney.

To answer residents&#8217; concerns raised at the March public meeting and subsequent correspondence, the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department has prepared the following information for all concerned.

Planning Process:
Many of the comments received regarding the proposed Boat House questioned the late public notice and lack of public participation during the planning process. On behalf of the City and the Recreation and Parks Department, there was no intent to disguise the project. The boat house project has been planned for the past twelve (12) years. We made wrong assumptions that the local residential community was aware of the project through past history and discussions with various residents regarding the project. In discussion with various individuals, including Scioto Trace Civic Association, we were informed that there was a network of communication to local residents and assumed information on the meeting was distributed. A CRPD letter mailed to all residents surrounding the park was sent one week before the March 13 public meeting as a meeting date reminder and provided background information on the project. For this assumptive error in judgment, we apologize to local residents and the general public.

Boat House Historical Information:
The CRPD&#8217;s plan to relocate the existing rowing programs from Indian Village Camp to a new boat house began with a recommendation from the 1995 Griggs Reservoir Waterways Management Plan and has our support. This comprehensive waterways management plan with CRPD and the Division of Power and Water began in the summer of 1989 with a task force of representatives from many groups with an interest in our reservoirs, including boaters, fishermen, rowers, skiers, adjacent property owners and environmental groups. In addition to the task force, there were four public workshops, newsletters and an information telephone line. The Griggs Reservoir waterways management plan was adopted in 1995. 

In the subsequent years, CRPD implemented some of the plan&#8217;s recommendations which included walkways, parking, shelter building and playground in Duranceau Park, public access to Hayden Falls, expanded Outdoor Education programs at Indian Village Camp, renovation of the main lodge, east road improvements, establishment of nature preserves, removal of invasive plant species, encroachment, enforcement and various park improvements.

The decision to relocate the existing rowing programs from Indian Village Camp to a new boat house facility stemmed from the following plan recommendations:

1.	Rebuild the camp and enhance programming to become an outdoor-oriented recreation and environmental education center for Columbus-area youths. This includes increasing CRPD staff to have year-round programming and larger youth camp programming. 
2.	Encourage the development of a safe-boating program to include canoe, kayak and rowing skills for youths. 
3.	Determine an appropriate location for the GCRA. The club should solicit private donations to build a new facility and explore possible grant options to assist in the development. The facility should be publicly owned and leased back to the club. 

It is Recreation and Parks&#8217; desire to house our youth rowing in a convenient facility within walking proximity to the camp with an improved and safe launch area. CRPD partnered with GCRA, several high school rowing teams and the OSU Department of Athletics &#8211; all with rowing programs leasing building and outdoor space adjacent to the Indian Village Camp main lodge. 

In 1999, CRPD contracted with Moody Nolan Architects to develop program requirements, a conceptual design for a boathouse and a construction cost estimate for the project. The Moody-Nolan plan called for a city-owned eight (8) bay boat house located on the west bank of the Scioto River at Griggs that could house our CRPD youth rowing program, the OSU women&#8217;s varsity team, GCRA and the high school rowing teams. The initial boat house design was a two-story facility with showers, lockers and offices above the secured boat bays for storage. Several locations were studied, including keeping the facility within Indian Village, siting the building at Fishinger Road or in Duranceaux Park, on the west shoreline in close proximity to youth programming. 

The initial $2,150,946.00 estimated cost for the Moody-Nolan designed boat house was unfunded. On April 1, 2000, the CRPD applied for a State of Ohio Natural Resource Grant for a 50&#37; match to build the boat house on the west bank of the river in Duranceau Park. (Legislation March 26, 2000) The application was denied due to number of state budget applications and the lack of available funding. In the autumn of 2001, The Ohio State University Department of Athletics and its Athletic Development Office spearheaded a fund-raising drive to raise funds to build a new boat house facility. 

Over time, the congestion of Indian Village Camp and traffic in the park became an issue with local residents as more high school rowing programs vied for space. In 2003, the high school rowing teams relocated to the east side of the Scioto River. Fund-raising by both GCRA and OSU continued in the following years. 

In 2005, Moody Nolan Architects, reviewed the project again and revised their construction cost estimate to $3,530,000.00. A Memo of Understanding (MOU) was drafted between Ohio State University and the City of Columbus to commence the start of the current project. 

In 2007, The Ohio State University and Columbus Recreation and Parks with the City Attorney&#8217;s office, drafted a lease agreement to allow OSU&#8217;s lease payments to be paid in advance to pay for all architectural fees and construction costs to build the boat house. The building would be owned and managed by the City of Columbus. This lease was termed for forty years at a newly-revised estimated cost of $4,870,000. As a lessee tenant, The Ohio State University Department of Athletics will pay a pro-rata share of the building&#8217;s annual operating costs of the facility, although it will be a seasonal user. GCRA will lease its space from CRPD in a separate lease agreement, as they do today. 

On June 18, 2007, legislation was passed by Columbus City Council to enter into an agreement with The Ohio State University for architectural services and construction of the boat house. The architectural firm of Schooley Caldwell Associates was contracted (October 2007 legislation) to design the boat house on the west bank of Griggs, utilizing an existing parking lot and slope conditions conducive to a two-level building that would house boat bays and boat storage on the lower level and shower, locker and office facilities on the upper floor with direct access from the parking lot. 

The building&#8217;s lower level will have 11,000 square feet of boat storage in six (6) individual boat bays. One bay will store all of CRPD&#8217;s canoes and kayaks. GCRA will lease two bays and OSU will lease two bays and a work bay. The upper floor will have shower and locker facilities, laundry, team space, offices and a multi-purpose room. Not originally planned, CRPD saw an opportunity to generate incremental revenues and utilize the multi-purpose room as rentable event space to offset the building&#8217;s maintenance and operating costs, and to provide the public with affordable rental space when the facility is not used by the rowing programs. 

CRPD views the new boat house facility as an improvement to both the Indian Village Camp and Duranceaux Park in general. The new boat house will provide the opportunity for better services to our youth for rowing/boating. The City will also develop an overnight program in the currently leased lodge. The new boat house will also relocate rowers now parking at the playground area to the parking lot adjacent to the boat house.

Traffic &#8211; Speeding and Pedestrian Safety:
Many of the comments received at the public meeting concerned a perceived increase in traffic volume, speeding by park users and through-park drivers, and pedestrian safety. 

Excessive speed by some park users was noted from public meeting comments. CRPD policy has always been that parks are destinations and should not be used as through streets. In two locations of particular concern, pedestrians share the park road with vehicles to cross a swale area near the parking lot and the narrow roadway along the river. 

CRPD, at the recommendation of the 1995 plan, changed and restricted vehicles entering from Fishinger Road onto the park road along the river to a one-way south direction. CRPD later advocated closing the road to vehicular traffic, leaving access only for pedestrians and bikes. However, public opposition from local fishermen discouraged the plan. 

From the west entrance, Thoburn Road is a short and narrow township road from Dublin Road (two-way road) that connects to the park road. 

The lack of safe pedestrian use where roadways are shared needs to be addressed. CRPD will have a traffic study done for the park and will work through consensus to slow park traffic and improve pedestrian safety with adjacent property owners, park users and the Division of Power and Water and Public Safety. 


Traffic Volume:
Currently, the Indian Village Camp site is home to the OSU, GCRA and CRPD rowing programs. The existing programs on site at Indian Village will move their operations to the new boat house facility. Thus, CRPD does not anticipate any change in the volume of vehicles entering the park when the new boat house is built. However, what will change is some of the existing traffic pattern in the park. 

Currently, OSU and GCRA rowers are required to park in Duranceaux Park near the playground and walk into the Indian Village Camp. When the new facility is open, rowers will drive east to the boat house parking lot from Thoburn Road, instead of turning south on the park road towards Indian Village. Boat trailers will not enter the park activity area from Fishinger Road. Indian Village Camp and Scioto Boat Club users will still use their same traffic pattern. 

The concern that CRPD will permit additional rowing use at the new facility is unfounded. The 1995 Waterways Task Force utilized a formula from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ONDR). The Griggs boat carrying capacity is 385 acres, and using ODNR&#8217;s calculation of three (3) acres per vessel, boating capacity is at its maximum. CRPD will not permit any additional boating organizations on the river. Existing programs cannot expand membership due to the moratorium on boating, and the physical design of the boat house itself. No other crew teams or clubs will be housed in the building. 

Nearly half of the boat house facility capacity is specifically designed for the OSU Women&#8217;s Varsity Rowing Team of 80 women. There are 80 lockers designed in the team locker room. The two boat bays for GCRA and the two boat bays for OSU are filled to capacity storing their existing number of boats at the Indian Village Camp site. CRPD&#8217;s boat bay will house the canoe and kayak boats, and related equipment now stored outdoors on site. The sixth boat bay will be a work area to provide indoor space to repair and refinish boats as needed. 

It should be noted that the two largest users of the new boat house (OSU and GCRA) are seasonal, not year-round, users of the facility. As an illustration, the following is a breakdown of current rowing use at Indian Village Camp.


Rowing Schedule: 
Winter:	OSU only depending on weather and ice melt. Occasional afternoons.
Spring: OSU &#8211; Spring quarter mornings 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday; Sunday afternoons until May 1; Sunday early mornings in May.
GCRA Club membership 
Summer: GCRA Club membership 
June through August: CRPD youth programs. 
Indian Village hosts 10 weeks of summer camp from June 16-August 22, Monday-
Friday from 9am-4pm for 6-12 year olds.* In addition to canoeing and kayaking, 
children get to fish, ride in a pontoon boat, hike, do archery,*games, crafts, creeking, 
and many other outdoor activities.
Fall: OSU - September through November (fall quarter) mornings, 
6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday. 
GCRA Club membership.

Attendance: 
OSU	When in session, OSU transports 80 women team members in three (3) passenger vans 
and approximately 8 to 12 cars.
GCRA The current membership is approximately 120 adult members who row predominately 
after work and weekends, participation is heaviest on weekends. 15 to 20 car trips per 
day in the summer, including some late spring and fall use.
CRPD Maximum of 12 staff cars that park at Indian Village Camp. Youth programs run for 
ten (10) weeks. Children are dropped off at Indian Village Camp, approximately 100 
cars per day during the summer. Eighteen (18) camp counselors in training (teen 
volunteers) per week are dropped off by parents. 
SBC	Scioto Boat Club (leased facility); approximately 200 members and their primary use 
in the summer season.

Note: There is no accurate count available for the individual park users of the park.

Special activities on the river, such as regattas and fishing tournaments, must be permitted through the CRPD office and take place on the east side of the river. CRPD will not issue any permits for any regattas or tournaments to be held on the west side of the river. 

CRPD&#8217;s proposed rental of the multi-purpose room, the room capacity is maximized at 120 persons (12-15 tables) and the parking lot has 47 spaces. The multi-purpose room only can be reserved when the facility is NOT in use by rowers (evenings, after dark until 11:00 p.m.) Public reservations of the facility can be done on a trial basis and can be discontinued if deemed a traffic or nuisance problem to the park. 


Boat House:
The boat house, programmed and studied with the expertise of Schooley Caldwell Associates, has been well designed to be fit comfortably into the park. Keying on the character and materials of Griggs Reservoir, the building features a stone and wood fa&#231;ade and shingled roof. The building and gravel area at the boat bays is a footprint area of approximately one acre, excluding the existing parking lot. Our goal is to utilize green design, with bio-swales and rain gardens to capture storm water. There will be no change to the shore line and no fill or disruption to the river. 

An environmental impact statement is not necessary as there are no structures or fill material below the ordinary high water elevation (US Corps of Engineers letter, January 31, 2000). The lower boat bay level is set back 65 to 70 feet from the shore line. The upper level is above the 100-year flood plain and is only accessible from the exterior from the existing parking lot. 

CRPD recognizes that the facility&#8217;s upper level will obstruct the current view of the river from the park, but we will add additional trees to reinforce existing trees both north, south and west of the facility. It will appear as a one-story building on the west side (view from parking lot) and a two-story building from the river side, as it will be built into the existing slope on the shore line. The boat bays are designed to sufficiently store only the existing boats currently used at the Indian Village Camp. No additional capacity to store additional boats is provided. A rowing dock will be added to the shore line, as well as a canoe launch that CRPD feels will be much safer than the current location used to put canoes and kayaks in the water. 

Site Location for the Building:
Questions have been raised by some residents why CRPD chose the west bank for the facility. The same residents asked if it could not be located across the river on the east shore line or on another river. 

Rowing has a 25-year history of using the river south of Fishinger Road due to the unique character of the river. It is relatively calm, straight and narrow waterway. No other river has the same ideal conditions for rowing in Central Ohio. 

The CRPD&#8217;s primary reason to site the facility on the west side is its close proximity to the Indian Village Camp programs. The rowing program is a part of the Outdoor Education camp, allow children to enter a canoe safely and canoe at the edge of the river to the camp. In most cases, it is a part of the camp program and children will walk from the Indian Village Camp lodge to the new boat house. 

Approximately 110 participants canoe or kayak each week, including children 8 and over, teen volunteers and counselors.* The participants are not allowed to venture more than 50 feet from shore.*The relocation of rowing from its present location provides CRPD the opportunity to develop an overnight youth camp bunkhouse at Indian Village.

The sited location on the west bank locates the building with 100 yards of green space and trees between the project site and the nearest property line.* The site avoids the wooded area to the north and the endangered snow trillium and other plant material to the south while maintaining a separation from the Scioto Boat Club docks. It has been designed to be built into the slope to lessen the visual impact of the building on the site. 

The east shore line is heavily used, especially on weekends, as a public boat marina and launch area, houses several high school rowing programs and for individual park use (picnic, fishing, etc.). As previously noted, special activities on the river, such as regattas and fishing tournaments, are permitted and take place on the east side of the river. CRPD will not issue any permits for any regattas or tournaments to be held on the west side of the river. 

Currently, the City has lease agreements with COTA for parking spaces and with the Upper Arlington and Dublin High School crew teams for their dock and caged facility on the east side. Also located on the same side are the Marine Patrol and Watershed Maintenance facilities. 

Flooding is an issue on the east shore line with regard to access to the river for the OSU women&#8217;s rowing team during the spring. The east side&#8217;s propensity to flood results in lost training days for the OSU rowing team, a significant consideration for the competitiveness of this nationally prominent rowing program. 

The Department of Public Utilities, Division of Power and Water, favors siting the new rowing facility as currently planned on the west bank. The use of existing paved areas reduces the need for constructing additional impervious surfaces. Higher ground and gentler slopes at the west bank site are more conducive to passive storm water controls such as bio swales and rain gardens 

Green Space and Public Access:
The reduction of green space and removal of trees are recognized as site impacts. 

A city consultant reviewed the site and assessed the footprint of the building along the slope. It was determined to site the building with the least impact on wooded areas and plant material, although trees will still be removed. 

As park stewards, the loss of trees are a difficult decision to make as development have both positive and negative impacts. For the project, we identified and examined forty-two (42) live trees, and 11 dead trees to be removed: 
Ash - 7 in fair condition, 4 in good condition and 1 large blue ash 
Bitternut - 1 in good condition
Buckeye - 1 in poor condition, 1 in fair condition, 8 in good condition
Catalpa - 1 in fair condition
Elm - 2 in good condition
Hackberry - 1 in good condition
Honey locust - 2 in good condition
Maple - 1 in fair condition
Oak - 2 in fair condition, 2 in good condition
Sycamore - 2 in good condition
Walnut - 1 in poor condition, 5 in fair condition
Unknown tree - 1 fair 
Any tree removed, including buckeyes, will be replaced and replanted with native species around the building and in the park. Walkways and roadways around the building have been adjusted to reduce impact on other existing trees. The project&#8217;s consultant will look at tree wells, wherever possible, to save any of the above trees affected by grades. Honeysuckle and undergrowth brush will be removed and native material will be replanted. 

The facility will be set back off the shore line and will not be fenced nor public access use to the water restricted. Pedestrian access for the public to this portion of the river will be vastly improved with a path/drive and large stone steps on the slope. Picnic tables will be relocated and added to the sides of the facility and along the shore line for public use. Paved areas will be kept to a minimum and pervious aggregate material will be placed at the lower level of the boathouse to reduce surface run off. Surface drainage will be graded to a new bio-swale. The proposed canoe launch may be used by residents currently launching their boats from the shore. 

The existing parking lot remains available for public use and will be repaved and improved with better lighting for security. However, with increased activity from boat house use and improved lighting, it is anticipated that current undesirable activity in the park will naturally relocate out of the park. In the past two years, Columbus Police Vice Squad has made 9 public indecent arrests and 7 under age consumption arrest at Duranceau. They believe that several hundreds have likely occurred, but do not have sufficient evidence to prove guilt. 

The relocation of the GCRA and OSU rowing programs from the south side of the Indian Village Camp will open up green space for better youth programming, more scenic park land (due to the removal and clean up of outside equipment storage), and the opening of the riverfront area previously used by rowing.

Park Improvements:
The surveys also generated requests for picnic tables, public launch for individual canoes and kayaks, more trees and shrubs (native), addition of volleyball, badminton and tennis, more security and lighting. Designation of a dog area was divided, many park users take their dog off leash in the park and objected to enclosed area and other responses felt dogs should be leashed or confined. 



















Alan D. McKnight, Director
The Columbus Recreation and Parks Department


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## puterdude (Jan 27, 2006)

wow misfit you did all that without a nap even.My fingers would have been worn down to the knuckles.But it was worth the read.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

LOL.
if it wasn't for copy and paste,i'd have been asleep by the second paragraph
i don't know how i stayed awake long enough to read the whole thing


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

In the controversy about this project, some people are pushing to have the boathouse built somewhere other than the main intended site, in Duranceau. 

Wherever it is sited, there must be room for the building and yard, and parking (which in some cases could use some existing parking) and a dock. Then there will be a 300-foot no-wake radius around the dock, so some sites would change the mapping of open and no-wake zones on the water.

Mollie O'Donnel, who is a planning administrator for CRPD, has created a series of documents showing other possible sites for the facility, and what effects they would have on the park. With her permission I've uploaded them to the FOSR site.

First, here's the OSU brochure about the boathouse, and rowing, with the plans for the building. BTW they stole a picture of the reservoir from the FOSR homepage for this:

http://sciotoriverfriends.org/boathouse/NewBoathouse.pdf

This is the original intended site, on the west side of the river and north of the Scioto Boat Club. FWIW the building has been designed for this site, so putting it somewhere else will require more cost to redesign:

http://sciotoriverfriends.org/boathouse/duranceau_site.pdf

Or, here's another site on the west side, farther south, between SBC and Indian Village Camp:

http://sciotoriverfriends.org/boathouse/indian&#37;20village.pdf

Still on the west side, this is on the south side of the Fishinger bridge:

http://sciotoriverfriends.org/boathouse/fishinger south.pdf

Now jump to the east side, and put it north of Fishinger:

http://sciotoriverfriends.org/boathouse/fishinger north.pdf

Another site could be near the "dam keeper's house" which is that old stone house they recently cleaned up:

http://sciotoriverfriends.org/boathouse/Damkeeper.pdf

Finally, there's the area where the high school boats are currently kept and launched - one thing about this site, according to the rowers, is that the ice stays longer than on the west side, plus if they put the docks in too soon the ice will "push them over the dam" - the result is, they lose a few weeks of training time each year, which puts them in a competitive disadvantage:

http://sciotoriverfriends.org/boathouse/Dam_east.pdf

(edited to add) I seem to be missing a file for one more location, the sledding hill and trailer-parking area south of Fishinger on the east side.


I suggest you make your concerns known to these members of City Council, who will ultimately make the call:

Councilman Andy Ginther, Chair of the Public Utilities Commisson, via Ken Paul, aide - 855-1600

Councilwoman PriscillaTyson, who chairs the Parks and Recreation Committee:

http://www.tysonforcouncil.com/contact.htm


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