Our Design Staff:

 

• Gary Lacy, Owner and Chief Engineer, Professional Engineer, MS in Planning, National Team Athlete, Designer of over 35 Whitewater Parks.  Specialist in Park Planning, Trails, In-Stream Whitewater Design, Dam Re-fit Projects and virtually all aspects of public process, design, and construction.
• Scott Shipley, BA & MS in Mechanical Engineering, 3 x Olympic Kayaker, 3 x World Cup Champion, Specializes in Design Theory, CAE Design, Numerical Methods, Hydraulics, and Super Parks.
• Mike Harvey, BS in Environmental Recreation, Sponsored Rodeo Athlete, Executive Director of Arkansas River Trust, Whitewater Design and Permitting Consultant.  Specialist in Public Process, Project Initiation and Management, Construction Oversight.
• Shane Sigle, BS in Economics, MS in Civil Engineering/Water Resources, National Team member, Elite Athlete in Adventure Racing.  Specialist in Business Planning, Water Resources/Flood Impacts, Public Process, and Design.
• Alison Richards, Design Layout and Rendering, Staff Artist

Chief Engineer Gary Lacy has a background in both civil engineering and recreational planning.  He also possesses a strong commitment to the environment and to the communities where he works.  Gary is the best, and most experienced, whitewater design engineer in the country today.  His design experience began with the South Platte urban renewal project in 1978.  Since then he has designed over 30 channels.  Of these projects more than 18 have included at least partial design of the park itself.  Gary’s background in planning gives him unique expertise in the design of parks that are functional, both on the water and off, for all types of people.  The real proof of Gary’s ability is the success of these parks.  These parks have hosted national level events such as the U.S. Olympic festival and top level rodeo events.  One project, in the town of Golden, Colorado, has been credited with bringing almost two million dollars a year into the local community through special events and regular usage!

 

Designer Mike Harvey has worked with a number of communities over the course of the last two years to successfully guide whitewater park projects through planning, permitting, public-process, design and construction phases.  Mike has worked closely with both municipal governments and citizens groups in order to understand and meet community needs and goals. His personal interests lie in his positions as the director of a youth kayaking program and sponsored freestyle kayaker.  As both an instructor and competitor, Mike has a passion for developing whitewater features that appeal to a wide range of abilities and watercraft, while still being effective for freestyle kayaking. 

 

Engineer Scott Shipley also brings a mixed background to the table.  Scott Shipley is perhaps the best-known American kayaker in the world today.  A veteran of three Olympic games (’92, ’96, ’00) and holder of four world titles, Shipley has more than 25 years experience as a whitewater competitor.  Scott also holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.  Shipley, who has trained and raced on every major artificial course in the world, has vast expertise in both the design and use of whitewater parks.  His expertise helps ensure that these parks meet the needs of all boaters, from recreational to world class. 

 

Artist Alison Richards ads a special touch to Recreational Engineering and Planning’s designs.  Her custom artwork provides a more accurate and detailed image of our designs than computer aided designs are capable of portraying.  Alison’s work is often used not only by the design team in construction, but also to portray to the community what the end product of our designs will look like.  This is often an advantage when working with design teams because it allows the entire team to visualize the end product before construction begins.  This can avoid costly last minute adaptations.