Trees would have to be removed to make way for mountain-bike trails with obstacles and ramps that could be as high as 14 feet at Chapman Hill, city officials told the Durango Planning Commission on Monday.
Cathy Metz, the city’s parks and recreation director, and Kevin Hall, assistant director of community development, pledged to keep tree removal and “visual blight” to a minimum at one of the city’s landmark locations.
The mountain-bike trails would descend from College Mesa through dense woods that are northeast of the ski slope. Because the pines and scrub oaks are about 25 feet tall, officials believed the trails would be mostly obscured but “not entirely invisible,” according to a staff memo.
This did not seem to bother Jan Derck, chairman of the Planning Commission.
“You see the ski lift and other things at Chapman Hill,” she said.
It might seem counterintuitive, but there is an environmental motivation for making the trails. By establishing a formal mountain-bike park, officials hope bikers will lose interest in creating their own obstacle courses or “rogue parks,” which blight the natural landscape. Officials said they remove these rogue parks as soon as they are reported.
The commission was unanimous in recommending a conditional-use permit for a mountain-bike park. The proposal is tentatively scheduled to go before the City Council on Aug. 20 for a public hearing and possible approval.
Any project on a hillside with a 30 percent or more slope must come before the Planning Commission and the City Council for a conditional-use permit. As one condition for the mountain-bike park, city officials and project sponsor Trails 2000 promised that the mountain park amenities would not affect the ski slope.
The project has gotten the support of the Durango Winter Sports Foundation.
Mike Elliott, chairman of the Durango Winter Sports Foundation, wrote in a letter that the foundation supports Chapman Hill becoming a year-round park. It’s becoming more common for ski resorts to be used by summer mountain bikers.
Mountain-bike parks are “popping all over. Milwaukee even has one,” Hall said.
As the sport evolves and becomes more challenging, people want to test their abilities. The park is supposed to accommodate all skill levels and age groups. It would be an opportunity for “families to train together,” said Mary Monroe of Trails 2000.
In addition to two down hill flow trails with obstacles, there would be a BMX or pump track and a beginners area by the ice rink.
Existing trails up to Fort Lewis College and Lion’s Den would remain in place. The commuter trail also could be upgraded with pebble surface and a smoother grade.
Alpine Bike Parks, which designed the Valmont bike park in Boulder, has consulted on some preliminary designs for the park with Trails 2000, but a designer must still be hired after a formal bidding process.
Hall said the city would need some expertise in designing routes so mountain bikers don’t cross trails with bicycle commuters.
City officials are hoping a $300,000 grant from Great Outdoors Colorado would fund most of a project, which is estimated to cost $430,000.
The city, however, failed to win an earlier attempt at the grant from the group, which awards state lottery proceeds for park improvements and the acquisition of natural lands.
Officials are hoping the backing of the Planning Commission and City Council will win over Great Outdoors Colorado. The application is due Aug. 28.
If the city gets the funding, construction would begin in spring of 2014.
jhaug@durangoherald.com
