Have wonder where the executive director of the U.S. National Whitewater Center has gone considering the Uptown paper of record can’t find the guy.
In a story catching up to last week’s news, Victoria Cherrie finds that the center is indeed on a path to cost taxpayers up to $1 million to cover operating losses — basically debt service on the $38 million log flume ride — during this its first year of operation.
Even more interesting is Wise’s evident unavailability to talk to a reporter about what he and his kayaking banker buddies are doing with public money. He had to know that answering questions about the center’s finances is a big part of his job.
We also need to put into perspective the complaining from Wise about road access to the center, as if that is going impact the project’s bottom-line one way or another. Yes, it is a little bass-ackwards to drive thru a goat farm in order to make it to the center. But let’s think about that. Your basic whitewater freak or mountain biker — the center’s avowed target group — is not going to be put off by a little five minute detour through the woods. Those people love that stuff.
There is simply no evidence that a new “parkway” entrance to the center — to be built with $1.8 million in scarce NCDOT money! — will bring in significantly more paying customers to the center. You do not impluse buy a $200 six-person log flume ride.
News that the city — via the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority — paid $65,000 to have Hawfield Road paved in time for the U.S. Canoe/Kayak Team Trials two weekends ago is more evidence that this thing has an inside claim to public money that it just does not merit.
