CASCADE -- Valley County has been dealing with not one, but two major businesses leaving the area over the past 10 years.
After years of planning, a new whitewater park will soon be opening that officials hope will change the economic outlook in Cascade.
Valley County has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state, that's because two major businesses stopped operation, but Mayor Richard Carter is hopeful that things will turn around.
“It is rough, it is rough, it's tough,” said Carter.
Carter says the small town of Cascade has been treading water following two major blows to the local economy.
"Some of the people at the mill went to work at other mills, but a lot people here were unemployed. And when Tamarack closed down that was another big economic factor on why we have such bad unemployment here," said Carter.
The Cascade Mill closed down about nine years ago, and most recently Tamarack Ski Resort stopped operations last March.
"You grit your teeth and hang on and do the best you can, you know, try to come out of the ashes like a Phoenix," said Carter.
The city is banking on a new whitewater park along the Payette River for rafters and kayakers. They're hoping this will make Cascade a destination for outdoor enthusiasts.
"If you're a kayaker, you know the whitewater on the North Fork of the Payette," said Carter.
When finished, the man-made rapids, with five different water features, will be flowing much faster than the natural river. It will give kayakers a place to practice in different levels of rapids.
"I think it's exciting, I think it'll be good, we have high hopes," said Debbie Gunderson.
Those in the hospitality industry, like Debbie Gunderson, the general manager of the Ashley Inn, are hopeful the new waterpark will help show visitors what Cascade has to offer.
"People don't realize what Cascade has to offer, both with the lake, the hiking, so we've dropped our prices down to where its affordable and giving back so that we can help stir the economy," said Gunderson.
"We think that the people in Idaho are going to come here and there's a real circuit of rivers people can raft and kayak, and we think this one’s going to be the best one there is," said Carter.
Officials expect the new waterpark to open in June.
