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An artist's rendering shows what is envisioned for the American Canoe Association's permanent headquarters in Celebrate Virginia. |
It could be a few years before the American Canoe Association moves into a permanent headquarters in Celebrate Virginia.
In the meantime, the group hopes to establish an interim office closer to Fredericksburg's downtown and the Rappahannock River.
Executive Director Martin Bartels has been scouting out potential locations along the downtown riverfront this week.
The national group, which conducts training, events and advocacy for water sports and waterways, moved to Fredericksburg two years ago.
Since then, it has occupied rent-free offices in Central Park, courtesy of the Silver Cos.
The ACA has also made headway on plans for a permanent headquarters and National Paddlesports Center on an acre of land that Silver donated to the group in Celebrate Virginia.
The site is adjacent to the land Silver donated to the U.S. National Slavery Museum. It abuts Fredericksburg's 4,200-acre conservation easement on the Rappahannock.
Silver's contributions were part of an incentives package that caused the group to choose Fredericksburg over two other cities it had been looking at.
The vision for the headquarters is for a sustainable building project that would use renewable energy sources and could welcome tourists to start river trips or learn about river and watersports history.
The estimated price tag is $3.5 million. Bartels said the group is pursuing possible state and federal funding, as well as private fundraising. He said the ACA would like to have at least half of that money secured before it breaks ground.
The plans are also somewhat dependent on the further development of the Celebrate Virginia tourism complex, since that would bring utilities closer to the ACA site.
Bartels sees strong possibilities for ACA programs to partner with the proposed Kalahari Resorts water park hotel, which is currently on hold as Kalahari looks for financing for the more than $250 million project.
That means the group can expect to be in temporary space for another three or four years.
Bartels said the ACA wants to spend that time becoming more visible in the Fredericksburg community.
The current agreement for the group's office space in Central Park runs out in spring of next year.
That's why Bartels is now looking at land along the city's downtown riverfront for potential future homes.
City officials have been helping with that search. The city is in the process of trying to make its own improvements along the river.
After Saturday's Heritage Festival, it will put out to bid a set of plans that calls for the Wings on the Water property the city bought earlier this year to be demolished, and other improvements made to the land around it as an interim step toward a downtown riverfront park.
The ACA had been considering the Wings property as a potential home, but is now focusing more on privately owned parcels that Bartels could not disclose in an interview this week.
Bartels said he thinks that if the ACA ends up downtown, it could help build the momentum the city is trying to create on the river.
"It's an opportunity to bring a lot of interests together and really create a meaningful way for the city to begin to use the river as a true recreational asset," he said.
Bill Micks, a canoe outfitter and co-owner of the Virginia Outdoor Center, has been helping link the ACA with city officials and other local resources. He said downtown would be a good temporary home for the group.
"The city has been very gracious by keeping their eyes open and tossing out possibilities they think might work for them," he said.
Emily Battle: 540/374-5413
Email: ebattle@freelancestar.com
