West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on July 23.
The Raccoon River Park Boathouse, located at 2500 Grand Avenue, is set to open at noon on Thursday, July 23.
Construction on the state-of-the-art facility began in fall 2019. The facility will offer boat lockers, restrooms and non-motorized boat rentals including canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddle boards and more. The Boathouse serves as a water trail and land trail hub and offers plenty of parking for easy access to Blue Heron Lake.
“We want everyone to have a chance to experience the beauty of Blue Heron Lake whether they own a boat or not. There are so many really nice areas that can only be explored from the water, and rentals at the Boathouse will make that possible,” said Sally Ortgies, Director of Parks and Recreation.
CanoeSport Outfitters was selected as the Boathouse Concessionaire earlier this year following a Request for Proposal (RFP) process. CanoeSport Outfitters has been providing quality paddle-sport instruction and adventure travel for 25 plus years. They have been successfully operating the Lake Ahquabi Boat Rental and Beach Concession for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources since 1994.
The Raccoon River Boathouse was funded by LOSST (Local Option Sales and Services Tax) monies and an Iowa Department of Natural Resources REAP (Resource Enhancement and Protection) grant. The Raccoon River Boathouse is the first component of the City’s Five Waters Project to be completed.
Below is additional information on hours of operation and pricing. The Boathouse will be open Sunday - Friday, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. The Boathouse will close due to bad weather which may include rain, storm warnings and watches and wind.
| Type | Capacity | ½ Hour Fee | Hour Fee |
| Paddleboat | 2-3 people | $8 | $11 |
| Canoe | 2-3 people | $10 | $13 |
| Kayak | 1 person | $10 | $13 |
| Double Kayak | 2 people | $13 | $17 |
| Fishing Kayak | 1 person | $13 | $17 |
| Stand-up Paddleboard | 1 person | $10 | $13 |
* Paddles and lifejackets are included with all rentals
Original source can be found here.
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