8)I just hope "after" isnt as ambiguous as it sounds.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/ ... 185632.htm
Whitewater center working on temporary road
Public opening will follow 1st competition
SCOTT DODD
[email protected]
Charlotte's U.S. National Whitewater Center began work on a temporary entrance road Wednesday and is on track to hold its first event at the end of the month -- but it won't be opening to the public at that time.
The center's executive director, Jeff Wise, said the facility plans to be operational and to hold the U.S. National Whitewater Slalom Championships Aug. 25-26, as expected.
However, the public opening won't be until after the competition. The center still needs to pass all county inspections and obtain a certificate of occupancy.
Wise said reports in other media that the center would open on Aug. 21 are inaccurate, although he hopes the slalom athletes can start practicing for their event at that time under a temporary certificate of occupancy.
The center's opening has been delayed since early June. Last week, the American Canoe Association moved an Aug. 18-20 event from the center to the N.C. mountains because it wasn't clear the facility would be ready.
But USA Canoe/Kayak, the group organizing the slalom championships, said Friday that it would stick with plans to hold the later competition at the $35 million whitewater center in western Mecklenburg County.
Yet another wrinkle in the center's tricky development arose Wednesday: The N.C. Board of Transportation, which was set to approve $75,000 today to help improve the center's temporary entrance road, had to bump that item from its agenda.
The board won't approve state money for the project until Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have passed a resolution supporting the expenditure, said Barry Moose, N.C. Department of Transportation division engineer. "It's just validation for us that the local government is in support of what we're doing."
But Wise said the center already has local government support. Charlotte City Council authorized spending $100,000 on road improvements on June 26, he said -- so he's confused about the state's concern.
"I don't know what other action the city has to take," he said.
The board next meets in September and could authorize the funds then, Moose said, if the city and county have given their OK.
Either way, Wise said, the state's delay shouldn't be a problem. The center is going ahead with the road construction and can be reimbursed later.
"Based on what I know right now, it should not affect us," Wise said. "The road's moving forward. We should be fine."
In a memo to City Council members Wednesday, Assistant City Manager Ron Kimble said work on the road is expected to be finished within three weeks.
The facility squabbled for months with neighbors over building an entrance road, until a deal was reached in late June.
Rural Hawfield Road will serve as a temporary entry until the planned entrance road -- Whitewater Parkway -- is built in two years. City and state officials agreed to spend taxpayer money to help upgrade Hawfield for the extra traffic because they were already planning to put funds toward improving the road.
Wise said Wednesday that the center is on the path to overcoming recent difficulties and believes it will make its goal of putting on the slalom event.
"Everybody has become very focused on that objective," he said.
Kayaking Nationals
Kayakers from China, France, Canada and other countries around the world are expected to compete in the 50th anniversary of the U.S. National Whitewater Slalom Championships on Aug. 25-26 in Charlotte.
USA Canoe/Kayak, the U.S. Olympic governing body for paddling sports, is organizing the event and expects about 120 athletes to participate.