The proposed Kansas Outdoor Lifestyle Center at Clinton Lake would be a 1,500-acre facility hosting outdoor activities such as whitewater rafting and kayaking, zip lines, biking, running, hiking, climbing and paddle boarding.

The City of Lawrence is being asked to join with the state to help financially back a $70 million outdoor recreation center at Clinton State Park.

Leaders of Plei, the company that would run the center, told the City Commission at its Tuesday work session that conversations with the state had been positive, but emphasized it would require significant up-front funding.

“It does take a huge, initial capital investment,” said Jeff Wise, Plei managing principal. “And that was why all of our conversation and focus with the folks at the state early on was, ‘Hey, while this looks great and this is extremely exciting and has a huge, huge upside to it, it does come at significant capital cost.'”

The Kansas Outdoor Center would call for a multimillion-dollar investment from the state, city and Douglas County. The center would have a manmade whitewater rafting and kayaking facility, zip lines, rock climbing and a trail system. Plans for the center also include an outdoor amphitheater, restaurant, beer garden and conference center.

State tourism officials said that the most likely financing tool would be Sales Tax Revenue (STAR) Bonds. STAR bonds allow Kansas municipalities to issue bonds to finance the development of commercial, entertainment and tourism areas and use the sales tax revenue from the development to pay off the bonds.

City Manager Tom Markus said the city would probably have to look for money outside of its current budget.

“I think, realistically, it’d have to be new sources,” Markus said. “New development sources plus the sources that would spin off of the retail and the ticket sales that would occur at this location would be critical to determining if this would work.”

Markus said the city staff have been considering the request, but he wanted to get the request out to the commission to put a “public spotlight” on it. At this point, the commission isn’t being asked to decide, he said.

“You don’t want all of a sudden at the last hour to present this sort of thing and then feel like everybody’s being pushed or rushed into these things,” Markus said. “We can do some groundwork at this point without necessarily any kind of commitment to anything.”

Commissioners didn’t indicate their support for the project, and said more information would be needed.

“We have a lot of commitments on all of our money for quite awhile right now, and before we could even think of proceeding, I think with our financial background, we would have to know exactly where every penny was going,” Mayor Mike Amyx said.

State tourism officials said they have been working toward the project for years and will continue to pursue it.

“We’re not quitting until we find out it’s not going to work,” said Robin Jennison, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks secretary. “I can’t emphasize enough how much of a game changer I think this is to Kansas.”

Project leaders will present to the Douglas County Commission Wednesday.