Park district opens canoe launch at Riverview Preserve

NEWARK – Residents will now have a new reason to visit Riverview Preserve after the Licking Park District debuted the park's canoe and kayak launch on Friday, providing easy, safe access to the Licking River.

The canoe launch was one of many updates promised by the park district's five-year levy, and it can be considered a promise kept, said Bob Williams, director of the Licking Park District.

"Before this was just a muddy path down to the water, and now it's a 10-foot-wide safe place to access the Licking River," Williams said. "We're just so excited to share this asset with (the community)."

The park district celebrated the opening of the canoe launch with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday, inviting the public to try out the canoe launch with a brief float down the Licking River.

Steve Holloway, board chair for the park district, called Riverview Preserve a "hidden gem" in the city and hopes the canoe launch will bring more people out to the park in the coming months. For those who visit the park, Holloway said, they should prepare for even more renovations in the future.

"This is just the beginning," he said. "Real improvements are coming with shelter houses and other additions. We really want people to come down with their families and enjoy it."

With the help of a Boating Safety Education Grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Watercraft, the park district was able to buy eight canoes and eight kayaks as well as paddles and safety equipment to be used for its paddle sports programming.

Standup paddle boards are planned to be added in the future, and park district staff will receive training from the American Canoe Association.

Licking County Commissioner Tim Bubb attended the ceremony on Friday, saying he was happy to see the park district doing well since the levy passed in 2012.

"We don't want to lose that momentum. Let's move it to a different level so that the next park district levy isn't even a question, people will vote for it because they don't want to lose it," Bubb said.

emaddern@newarkadvocate.com

740-328-8513

Twitter: @emmaddern

Paddle sports Program schedule

• May 30: American Canoe Association (ACA) Quick Start your Kayak, noon to 3 p.m., Infirmary Mound Park. Try It! Paddle sports, 3 to 5 p.m., Infirmary Mound Park.

• May 30: Try It! Paddle sports, 3 to 5 p.m., Infirmary Mound Park.

• June 6: National Trails Day, all day, Riverview Preserve.

• July 11: ACA Quick Start your Canoe, noon to 4 p.m., Infirmary Mound Park. Try It! Paddle sports, 4 to 6 p.m., Infirmary Mound Park.

•Aug. 1: HERO USA Paddle in the City, Licking River Edition, Blackhand Gorge

•Aug. 8: ACA Standup Paddle boards Skills Course, 10 a.m., Infirmary Mound Park. Try It! Standup Paddle boards, noon to 2 p.m., Infirmary Mound Park.