Trees uprooted, bedrock shattered, soil upchurned, habitats destroyed, rare plant species disrupted. Bulldozers are about to demolish the peaceful riverside grove which is the heart of our beloved Duranceaux Park, located on the west side of the Scioto River south of Fishinger Road. The City of Columbus is poised to give away public land for private use by the Ohio State University women’s varsity rowing team and the Greater Columbus Rowing Association (GCRA), a members-only adult rowing club. The involvement of OSU changed the project from finding a permanent facility for GRCA and high school rowing to constructing a major facility for a developing a Big Ten varsity rowing program.

The City was tempted by a $5 million, 22,000 square foot boathouse that would be funded by OSU but owned by the City. The City has characterized the OSU/GCRA boathouse as “a gracious gift” on the part of OSU. Was the city unaware that it was giving a valuable gift of public green space in return?

The public will receive no benefit from owning this facility. Improvements to roads in the park are not within the scope of the boathouse project. Limited parking complicates any decision to expand usage of the facility. Nonetheless, CRPD is proposing to generate revenues by utilizing the multi-purpose room on the top floor of the facility as rentable event space to offset the building's maintenance and operating costs. The public would trade a quiet secluded park for a party house planned to be serving alcohol and open until midnight.

The boathouse would be located on last remaining piece of open space available to the public on the west side of Griggs Reservoir, and one of the few remaining relatively natural areas of riverfront on the entire reservoir. The building itself would cover 110 feet of the riverbank, and the facility site of 250 feet on the riverbank would receive serious impact.

Legislation was passed at Columbus City Council in June of 2007 allowing Alan McKnight, Director of Columbus Recreation and Parks Department (CRPD) to enter into a lease agreement with OSU and “to waive competitive bidding and Land Review Commission requirements of the Columbus City Code and to declare an emergency”. The architects had been hired and the plans for the building were virtually complete when the first public notice was given on March 13, 2008. Area residents were informed of a public meeting to take place that same evening with just several hours advance notice. Residents are disappointed that McKnight and CRPD have been advocating for this project instead of for park green space and the river corridor.

Public outrage about the boathouse among area residents put a temporary halt to forward motion on the project. After a contentious meeting in May of 2008, CRPD formed a Working Committee to explore alternative sites for the boathouse. The Working Committee was abruptly ended when CRPD and OSU announced that they had determined Duranceaux Park to be the best site for the boathouse. CRPD misrepresented this as consensus reached via the committee process.

Opponents argue that the study was flawed in its representation of costs, environmental impact, safety and projected use. The area now being used by GRCA on the east side of the reservoir was not considered in the study. While OSU cited safety of its rowers as reason for choosing Duranceaux, they ignored the impact of this enormous facility on the safety of the campers and rowers in the Indian Village Youth Camp currently located in that area.

Plans of private interests to appropriate public land are not rare. If OSU had to purchase private land for a boathouse, costs would escalate and a location would be difficult to find.

A committee member who prepared an informative power point presentation was denied the opportunity to make the presentation to the Columbus Recreation and Parks Commission (a 9-member board that oversees the work of CRPD) or to Columbus City Council. On Jan. 13, Councilmember Priscilla Tyson, Chair of the Recreation and Parks Committee, conducted what was termed the “final hearing” regarding the boathouse at Duranceaux Park. Boathouse supporters, including CRPD and OSU, were allowed more than two hours of testimony at the beginning of the hearing. Those opposed were limited to only 18 minutes which was split into six three-minute individual testimonies. On Jan. 14, the Recreation and Parks Commission voted to approve the construction bid for the boathouse in Duranceaux Park. Commissioner Kaplin objected to the decision, finding the 40-year lease with a 40-year renewal under the same terms and conditions to be unreasonable. He was passionate in presenting the view that “the land belongs to the people”. He also questioned how the City could afford to pay operating expenses for new projects when they are unable to fund existing programs, and recreation centers are now being boarded up due to the budget crisis.

CRPD would be liable for maintenance and operating costs proportional to its tenancy of the building. On the east bank, this would be $0, as it would not be a tenant. On the west bank in Duranceaux, this will be approximately 1/6 of the total costs.