WESTBROOK – By the spring of 2017, large-scale changes could alter the landscape of the Presumpscot River near Saccarappa Falls, and a grant for a so-called “play wave” in the river is the newest measure Westbrook has secured to boost activity in the city.

On Monday, the City Council unanimously approved both the hiring of Colorado-based Recreational Engineering and Planning for design of the feature, as well as a $39,200 Community Development Block Grant to cover the majority of the cost.

A play wave, or standing wave, is a stationary wave on a river caused by a high volume of water constricted by flowing over a rock, which creates a wave behind. Riders can use the wave for surfing, paddle boarding and kayaking.

In 2011, Robert Mitchell, owner of HVAC Services in Westbrook, proposed a river park for this section of the river, and since that time, Bill Baker, the city’s assistant city administrator for business and community relations, has pushed the idea to coincide with work to establish fish passage at the nearby Saccarappa Dam.

This spring, it was announced that Sappi Fine Paper, which owns the dam, had agreed with the city and environmental groups to extend a deadline for passage at the dam until May 2017, in order to study the complete removal of the dams.

Baker said Tuesday that the design by Recreational Engineering and Planning allows the city to develop the recreational enhancements in the river “contemporaneously with Sappi on their fish passage. This allows us to proceed on a parallel track with Sappi and the other stakeholders.”

He said that the fish passage options would dictate the options the city has for water features, but he’s hoping the play wave will be implemented either way.

“That’s certainly the result we’re seeking,” he said.

Gary Lacy, the chief engineer for Recreation Engineering and Planning, said Wednesday that he has been to the site twice already, and that he sees the location as a prime space for this type of project.

“I think it has a lot of ingredients to make a great project in terms of location, adequate flow, and good water quality,” he said. “My hope is that everybody works together on the fish passage, but also make it something fun and enjoyable for visitors to come down to paddle or just enjoy the river.”

With the recent news that Westbrook insurance company Disability RMS will be moving to South Portland in 2016, Baker said this falls in line with the “yin and the yang” of the economic development world.

“This work to develop the recreational potential of the river is just a piece of good news,” he said.

The remaining $18,100 for the design will be provided by the Westbrook Environmental Improvement Corp.

According to City Administrator Jerre Bryant’s memo to the council this week, the city chose the Colorado company, which has completed work on many river water parks, based on their “experience and performance of similar projects and price.”