Team Dirt Clod Forums

[Andy Kravetz]

can we boat there yet or is it still up to the governor?
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And so it goes ......



Andy Kravetz

andy@rivers-end.org

[Danno]

I have not heard any news lately about when the work will begin or how soon the river will be open.

The last report I got was that everything is on hold until the law suit is settled. That could take a very long time, or it could be settled already. Who knows what will happen.

Rep. Mautino has been quoted several times saying that the work will begin soon and that the river should be open any time now, but those reports have obviously been premature and misleading to say the least.

I am not necessarily for or against Gov. Pat Quinn, but I don't think he is to blame in this instance. Everything is in place and awaiting his signature, but the law suit has to be cleared up first, then he'll sign off on it and the work will begin so that the river can be re-opened.

It is a sad state of affairs here in Illinois for whitewater paddlers. The only significant natural whitewater river in Illinois is closed and work has stopped on the new whitewater park at Yorkville...and nobody seems to know when either one might be open.

I was up at the Yorkville site a few weeks ago. It looks to me like they've got a lot of the work done, yet there looks like a lot has to be done to complete it. It looks like it would be a really nice whitewater park, if it was finished. It was apparent that no significant work has been done for a long time. It's too bad the State of Illinois has spent so much time and tax dollars on the project, but we still don't have anything usable to show for it. Who knows if we ever will.

I asked around with some of the locals up in Yorkville about why work has stopped on the whitewater park. No one seems to know for sure. They were just as puzzled with the situation as me. They've been told that the state is waiting on some kind of inspection that needs to be done before they can proceed. They've also been told that there is some kind of labor dispute, that the state was late with payments to the contractors, and several other variations of that. No one seemed to know what the real reason is or when work would resume.
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Dan Faust



That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

http://instructor.home.mchsi.com/index.htm

[Andy Kravetz]

I saw the video for the Yorkville park. It looked pretty close to being done to me. No one knows why it is in limbo? Could it be the budget crisis?
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And so it goes ......



Andy Kravetz

andy@rivers-end.org

[Gabriel]

Andy,

The latest from google alerts:

http://wlponews.wordpress.com/2010/08/04/vermilion-river-agreement-awaits-governors-signature/

Gabe

[Danno]

Vermilion River agreement close but not ready

Friday, August 06, 2010
By Jeff Dankert
perureporter@newstrib.com

A Vermilion River agreement is near but still not ready between the state of Illinois and Buzzi Unicem, a cement company in Oglesby.
The agreement would allow renovation of the company’s low-head dam on the Vermilion River, and allow reopening of the river at the dam.
David S. Rifkind, vice president and general counsel for Buzzi Unicem in Bethlehem, Pa., said the company and state are working out final issues.
Chris McCloud, communications manager with Illinois Department of Natural Resources said “the DNR is handling the contract negotiations.”
“We are waiting for the cement company’s approval of the contract we sent to them,” McCloud said. “Obviously work on the dam cannot begin until a signed agreement is in place.”
State Rep. Frank Mautino (D-Spring Valley) said he spoke with DNR director Marc Miller on Thursday and learned the agreement is awaiting signatures.
Three rafting accidents in 2009 at Buzzi Unicem’s dam left one person dead and several people injured. Buzzi closed the dam and the river on its property, affecting rafting and kayak enthusiasts and a business, Vermilion River Rafting upstream in Lowell.
Illinois Conservation Police have ticketed suspected trespassing violators at the site.
The agreement would allow the DNR to place cement blocks in the deep water below the dam, eliminating dangerous circulating currents, and place signs and buoys.

On June 25, 2009 a rafting passenger, Jennifer M. Wehling, 36, of DeKalb drowned after the raft was caught in those currents below the dam.
Two people in that incident were charged with operating under the influence of alcohol. Janelle Veseling, 24, of St. Charles pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year conditional discharge and fined $440. Timothy Ruse, 39, of Sarasota, Fla. has an Aug. 20 hearing scheduled before Judge William P. Balestri, according to La Salle County court records.
The executor for Wehling filed a lawsuit in June against the cement company and the rafting company.

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I got this article from a link in a posting to PPP by Tom Lindblade. It seems to contradict part of the article in the previous post. State Rep. Frank Mautino (D-Spring Valley) may be hopeful about the river opening up this Summer, but the Summer is quickly coming to an end. If they don't start doing something soon another season will be lost. The same goes for the Yorkville Whitewater Park. They need to move sooner rather than later.

I feel like these updates are just a ploy to buy some time and string us along. I'll believe it when I see it.
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Dan Faust



That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

http://instructor.home.mchsi.com/index.htm

[Andy Kravetz]

I still don't know why Yorkville is delayed. And the V isn't going to open this summer. I just wonder how long that rafting company can last. My guess is that the guy who owns it does that as a very minor side business.
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And so it goes ......



Andy Kravetz

andy@rivers-end.org