By Scott Turner
No one will confuse MidCity in Huntsville with the Ocoee or the Nantahala rapids, but within a couple of years residents will be kayaking not far from where others will be working on their golf swing or listening to some of the country’s top music acts.
That’s because construction is about to begin on the expansion of Apollo Park, which will include a kayak course. The 10-acre park is adjacent to Top Golf and the Orion Amphitheater east of Research Park Boulevard and south of University Boulevard.
The Huntsville Planning Commission approved the location and character of the second phase of the park at its meeting last week. The expansion is a public-private venture between the city and MidCity developers.
The project will run from the existing part of the park, which includes the current portion of the pond built in 2017 and the bridge to Top Golf and will run down to the food village and dome next to the Orion Amphitheater.
It will have connectivity to the Orion, but the path will be closed during events at the Orion.
This phase of the park will more than double the size of the existing pond. There will be 30-foot flumes for the kayak course, and a pump station to circulate the water for the streams, according to Andy Dinges of Garver Engineers, who is working with the city on park expansion.
