By Matt Fredmonsky

Record-Courier staff writer

The theme of this year's Cuyahoga River Day in Kent is "Rediscover the Cuyahoga: New Connections," as activities throughout the day will focus on new recreational developments near the water's edge.

The 18th annual event begins Saturday at 10 a.m. in the parking lot of Family and Community Services at 143 Gougler Ave. Early functions will include updats about how The Portage Hike and Bike Trail will expand into Kent along the river and the status of the proposed white water park.

John Idone, director of the Kent Parks and Recreation department, said this year his department will spend close to $1.75 million on construction of the Cuyahoga River Segment of the county-wide bike trail.

"This certainly is by far our largest year for capital improvements and will be the biggest impact in hike and bike trails in Kent that we've ever had," Idone said. "Typically our capital budget is anywhere from $150,00 to $200,000 a year, so this is certainly a significant year for us."

Construction of The Portage in Kent is financially separate from the proposed white water park. Funding sources, in part, for the bike and hike trail expansion include the Clean Ohio Trail Fund Act and federal transportation grants.

Proponents of the whitewater park, like Main Street Kent volunteer Don Schjeldahl, recently submitted a grant request to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources seeking approximately $1.5 million through a cooperative boating access grant program. If approved, construction of the park will be fully reimbursed through the grant.

Schjeldahl said the grant awards will be announced in August.

"In the meantime, we are working to develop a master plan for the river," he said. "We are talking about master planning on the west side of the river in looking at how the whitewater park will interface with the trail system."

Three legs of The Cuyahoga Segment of The Portage are currently in the planning phases.

Construction on the trail extension from Middlebury Road where it crosses the river north to Fred Fuller Park is expected to begin within the next month and could be complete by November. Work will begin on the 1.3-mile segment extending north from Crain Avenue to the River Bend subdivision in June and could be finished by the end of September. The segment involving the new Fairchild Avenue bridge and pedestrian bridge remains in the planning stages.

Saturday, Schjeldahl will talk to residents about how the Kent Historical Society, Main Street Kent, Kent State University, Kent parks and the Kent Environmental Council are planning for new business and educational elements in conjunction with the white water park.

"One would be to create some type of a welcome center to capture more tourists," Schjeldahl said. "People who are coming to the whitewater park and are going to be on the bike trail, we want to capture them, give them information on the community and get them out to spend some money in the town."