Lamborn supports 'Over the River' project

Rep. Doug Lamborn has thrown his support behind the "Over the River" monumental art project, which, if approved, would drape fabric over about nearly six miles of the Arkansas River between Cañon City and Salida.

Lamborn said he met with the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude on Tuesday and they convinced him their massive art piece would be a benefit to Colorado.

He said he's sympathetic with area residents concerned about the impact of half a million people descending on the valley.

"I know it will cause traffic problems, or I should say MORE traffic problems," he said.

Still, he says the few weeks of inconvenience will be vastly offset by the an increase in tourism dollars and international visibility for the region.

Before Christo and Jeanne-Claude, known for such large-scale projects as "The Gates" in Central Park, can begin installation of "Over the River," the project must pass the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's approval process, which includes an environmental impact statement. That process is expected to be completed in 2010, and, should the project be approved, the artists hope to start erecting the giant drapes by 2012.

Lamborn said he looks forward to seeing it but it won't be from the roadside.

"I want to see it from underneath in a raft," he said.

OTHER PROJECT SUPPORTS

(listed on christojeanneclaude.net)

• Arkansas River Outfitters Association
• Art Works For the Heart of the Rockies
• Barbara O'Brien, Lieutenant Governor of Colorado
• Canon City Chamber of Commerce
• Richard F. Celeste, President of Colorado College
• Chaffee County Visitor's Bureau
• Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
• Colorado Council on the Arts
• Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (COPPeR)
• Dvorak Expeditions
• Fremont Center for the Arts
• Fremont County Tourism Council
• Dr. Robin Gooldy, Superintendent of Canon City Schools
• John W. Hickenlooper, Mayor of the City & County of Denver
• The Mountain Mail
• Pueblo Chieftain Editorial by Maggie Divelbiss, Doug Shane and Bill Dvorak
• Sangre de Cristo Arts Center Board of Trustees
• Lewis Sharp, Denver Art Museum Director
• George Turner, Former Executive Director, Canon City Chamber of Commerce
• Visit Denver - The Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Whitewater Adventure Outfitters

THE OPPOSITION

The group Rags Over the Arkansas River has ways you can join the opposition at roarcolorado.org.

Among their concerns:

• How the influx of the projected 600,000-1,000,000 tourists will create a traffic nightmare on the narrow 2-lane canyon highway (U.S. 50).
• How emergency and fire personnel will have great difficulty responding to accidents or fires in the canyon or surrounding area.
• Concerns as to the increase in visitors also bringing more litter and human waste to the canyon.
• Permanent defacement of the riverbanks.
• Bighorn sheep, elk, deer and other wildlife kept from accessing the river for water.
• Bald and golden eagles kept from fishing and hunting.
• Difficulty, or even impossibility, of fishing of these waters.
• Negative economic impact on commercial and recreation industries that travel the canyon daily.