Kent State Canoe Livery Returning to the Cuyahoga

The canoe and kayak livery run by Kent State University in downtown Kent is returning for the 2011 season.

The to operate the livery at on the Cuyahoga River. Crooked River Adventures will pay the $150 monthly, plus 5 percent of the total gross sales, to operate the livery from April 1 to Oct. 31.

Kim Rufra, associate director of recreational services at Kent State, said they are discussing the option of adding guided tours and inner tube rentals this year.

"Our goal this year is to continue with the same type of set-up we had last year,” Rufra said.  “We still have some things that are up in the air, but we’re clearly excited about our second season.”

Prices for canoe trips will drop this year by $3 per person to try and encourage more family use of the canoes, Rufra said. The 4.25-mile trip from Kent to Brust Park in Munroe Falls will cost $15 per person this year. The longer 6.5-mile trip, to , will cost $20 per person in a canoe this season.

“The kayaks were our most popular boats,” Rufra said. "We've reduced costs for canoe rental to entice more people to rent them."

While nothing is final, Rufra said they are also exploring adding inner tube rentals for use just in the downtown Kent area. They are also considering guided river tours with a professional naturalist.

The tube rentals would require shoes and a life vest, and renters would walk up the River Edge Park trail to the Main Street Bridge, put in at and float down to the livery operation at Tannery Park.

“The tubes … that’s tentative," Rufra said. "That’s not something we’ve decided for sure. We’re in the process of doing some planning for this upcoming season. The next month and a half is going to be critical for us when we decide what we’re doing and not doing.

"It all would be contingent on water levels," she said. "Safety of the participant is always going to be taken into consideration first and foremost in everything we do.

The livery managed more than 2,300 total canoe and kayak trips last season. According to a Kent State survey, the program attracted customers from states all over the country, including California, Oregon, Florida, Texas and Tennessee. More than 80 percent of the customers identified themselves as not Kent State students.

Kent Parks and Recreation Director John Idone said the lease remains largely the same as it was last year. The livery will be run out of a pull-behind trailer, which will be removed at the end of the season.

One addition this year is for electrical service. The parks department will install an electric service outlet for the livery for an additional $100 per month, Idone said.

“This year, because we can only do one-year contracts, we did put in the ability for the city to have two one-year renewals," he said. "Rather than bidding the project every year, we have the ability now to extend their lease for two one-year periods.”