Oklahoma River gets new river cruiser

Oklahoma River gets new river cruiser

	Published : Wed, 31 Oct 2007 23:11 By : Agencies Print this Story

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Devon Discovery is safely afloat on the Oklahoma River.

The 65-foot-long cruiser, the first of three passenger boats that eventually will cruise along the river just south of downtown of Oklahoma City, was hoisted by a crane off the truck that had carried it to the riverbank and gently lowered into the water on Wednesday afternoon as about 100 people watched.

Allied Steel Construction of Oklahoma City provided the crane used to move the boat at no cost to the city, former Oklahoma City Mayor Ron Norick said. Once the boat touched the water, Hornblower Marine Services assumed operational responsibility for the vessel.

The river taxi service, expected to start next spring, will use the 49-passenger boats to ferry passengers between a dock under construction near Meridian Avenue and Interstate 40 and one planned near the Chesapeake Boathouse and within walking distance of the canal that runs through the Bricktown entertainment district.

Another station will be built near the city's stockyards. Norick, who now is the chairman of the city's River Development Authority, said the idea is to take the people who stay in thousands of hotel rooms on the city's west side and bring them downtown in a memorable fashion.

'As this river develops more and more commercially ... it will give people a different perception of what is going on on the river itself,' Norick said. 'It's really going to be a neat deal, and every year it's going to change. Every year, there's going to be something new happening down on the river.'

Devon Energy Corp., an Oklahoma City-based oil and natural gas exploration company, gave $2 million toward the $3 million river-taxi project. The boats are being built at the Scarano Boats yard in Albany, N.Y.

'The Oklahoma River brings lasting and dramatic potential to the future of Oklahoma City's long-term development,' said Larry Nichols, the chairman and chief executive officer of Devon Energy. 'It is a privilege to be involved in this development effort, and it is exciting for us to play a role in establishing a transportation system that will make the river even more accessible.'

The Devon Discovery will serve as the lead boat in the company's centennial parade on Nov. 17, and from Nov. 20-28, a limited series of complimentary cruises will be offered. From Nov. 29-31, chartered holiday preview cruises will be offered to groups.

Individual ticket sales will begin after Jan. 1, although the boat will be inactive during the winter months.

Construction on the second boat, the Devon Explorer, will be finished in six weeks, but the vessel will be kept at its builder in New York until the spring. The third boat, the Devon Pioneer, will be finished by April or May, Norick said.

The river, once known as the North Canadian, was mostly dry before lock-and-dam systems were installed as part of a city initiative in the last decade that has spurred development.

The Chesapeake Boathouse, which opened in January 2006, is the first of several planned along the river. The river now is the site of an annual regatta and next April, the U.S. Olympic trials for sprint canoe and kayak will be conducted there.