(Owensboro) – Daviess County Fiscal Court contracted with Strategic Adventures to conduct a feasibility study on the potential for an outdoor adventure park.
The proposed project included a 40-element aerial park, office space, and parking area. The park would be run by a third-party operator slated to oversee the day-to-day management of the site.
Strategic Adventures surveyed three sites: Yellow Creek Park, Panther Creek Park, and the Blackford Creek property along North Chestnut Grove Road.
Yellow Creek Park was recommended for the commercial operation, with the aerial adventure park best suited near the south entrance along Reid Road.
With a projected visitor count of 15,000 for the first year, Strategic Adventures found the park would operate with a positive net margin. However, a third-party operator would require higher returns. Additional challenges in the current economy include staffing and material costs, which are at record high prices due to the pandemic.
Strategic Adventures indicated that Panther Creek Park has two great locations for a canopy walk. The western section of the park, near the existing elevated trails, could be a unique walkway experience for visitors, while the southern stretch is on a rise following the creek. The canopy walk would be a free-to-use attraction and not require any staff other than periodic maintenance inspections.
Strategic Adventures described the Blackford Creek property as a “spectacular raw piece of land” that could be used for hiking and/or mountain bike trails. The study identified two potential access points, one of which is near the intersection of Kelly Cemetery Road and North Chestnut Grove Road.
