I want to be able to add links to my static river, also allow designers access to be able to completely change the look and feel.

The result is a feature that allows you to specify an OPML file that contains a template through which we will render the river.

You can store the template anywhere, as long as it has a public address. This is the template for daveriver.scripting.com (at least now, may change later).

Added a page to the user prefs for River2 that allow you to enter the URL of the template. Choose Prefs from your River2 site to find the page.

When you change the template, look for the new rendering in the log page on your River2 site.