Style Weekly
Sorry, No Sailboats for Byrd Park
by Melissa Scott SinclairEver yearn to heed the siren song of the sea and set sail, a brisk breeze carrying you away from all life's cares?
Well, you can't do it in Byrd Park.
Late last year the city put out the call for a company to provide rental sailboats and sailing lessons on 13-acre Swan Lake. The city asked for at least five sailboats, each no longer than 12 feet, as well as life vests and other equipment. Bids were due Jan. 23.
No one bit. "We did not receive any bids, any formal bids regarding the sailboats. None at all," says Tesha Davis, marketing and public relations manager for the city parks department. So the project was pulled.
If you want to bring your own boat to Byrd Park to try sailing — or any other "creative" sport — you can, Davis says. Mayor Dwight Jones decreed in July 2010 that human-powered boats would be allowed on all of Byrd Park's lakes.
The popular paddleboats also will return to Fountain Lake this year. So you can still get away from your life's cares. Just a little more slowly.
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