I am not opposed to a bike skills park. I am opposed to its location.
The Bike Skills Park would begin at the cul-de-sac at the south end of 100 East behind the Rustic Inn and extend along the Millcreek Pedestrian-Bike Parkway, continuing around the corner toward 200 East, next to Crispin Bailey’s Memorial Bench.
Trail Mix proposed this project over a year ago. So any public notices that the city posted in relation to it has been obscured by time. Hardly anyone I have spoken with knows that the City approved this project for $60,000 of funding.
$30,000 of that funding would go to a public restroom on the cul-de-sac of 100 East. The other $30,000 would help fund the novice mountain bike skills park. An additional $10,000 would pay for yearly maintenance.
The Bike Jump Park (Anonymous Park) on 5th West was created and is maintained by volunteers. They even installed a bathroom at their own expense. They receive nothing.
Combining both bike parks in one location could split funding that the City has offered to support just the one bike playground at the 100 East cul-de-sac.
Trail Mix provided a video intended as an example of a kids’ Bike Skills Park filmed in another community. The tree-lined trails for the “Gnome Park” are very similar to the treed area behind the 5th West Anonymous Jump Park.
I am disappointed and angry that the City did not make an extra effort to seek input from adjacent neighbors or organizations involved with volunteer caretaking of the Parkway or the folks involved with creation and self-maintenance of Anonymous Park.
I request the city postpone this project for additional public input.
Kaki Hunter
Moab
Editor’s note: The proposed bike skills park is a project of the Grand County Active Transportation and Trails Department, which works closely with the Trail Mix Advisory Committee.
For full coverage of the proposed Millcreek Bike Park, read “Beginner bike skills park planned along Millcreek path” from our 6/4 edition online at www.moabsunnews.org
