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Rec board funds bike-park designs

The Durango Parks and Recreation Advisory Board unanimously voted to fund the first planning phase of a potential Chapman Hill Bike Park.

The board appropriated $30,000 for the plan from its $100,000 budget, which will go directly to Alpine Bike Parks. The company will do the design work for the first three trails of the planned park.

The president of Trails 2000, Mary Monroe Brown presented the first phase plan to the board. The phase includes two flow trails and one commuter trail. They would be located between Florida Road and Rim Drive.

Flow trails allow the rider to coast down hill and are normally built on a 12 percent grade. The commuter trail would fit into the city’s master multi-modal plan.

Monroe Brown’s club, which manages all the city’s trails, has been presenting the idea of the park to the board since 2010.

“This has been on the table for a long time,” said Board Member Bill Zimsky.

The design phase is expected to take about four to five months and the club’s goal is to complete the trails by 2016, Monroe Brown said.

Once the design is complete, Trails 2000 will work to fund the construction and also organize volunteers to help with the project.

Later phases of the park are planned to include BMX bike trails and a freestyle training center that could be used by skiers, snowboarders among other features.

Trails 2000 has been talking about a potential bike park since 2006. They pursued grants from Great Outdoors Colorado in 2011 and 2012 and a grant from Bell Helmets in 2013.

But having a design could make it easier to get funding, said Kevin Hall, the assistant community development director.

“When you have something ready to come off the shelf it’s easier,” he said.

Monroe Brown was pleased to see the project move forward because she has heard many community members express interest.

“It’s good to keep the project going,” she said.

mshinn@durangoherald.com

Feb 13, 2015
Chapman Hill Bike Park ramps up


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