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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBikefill Bike Park Project Narrative for CONR 01-08-19Conceptual Proposal Project Narrative: Bike Park at City Landfill Submitted by Gallatin Valley Land Trust 1/7/19 The concept Approximately 90-acres of land at the City of Bozeman’s landfill immediately south and east of Snowfill Recreation Area has not been used for solid waste storage and is not planned for that purpose in the future. The unused site has excellent terrain, location, and is an ideal size for a bike park. Professional bike park designers were engaged in 2014 and a comprehensive design package developed but the project stalled primarily due to operational issues at the landfill. The biking community is excited to reinvigorate this concept with Bozeman Parks and Recreation and take a leadership role in fundraising and maintenance. The bike park concept is informally called “Bikefill”. Bike parks are becoming more popular throughout the West and many cities now have them as part of their city park systems. These parks provide terrain for people of all ages and abilities to develop skills and practice off-road biking. In Bozeman, such a park would also provide excellent opportunities for riding close to town and during the shoulder seasons, when other areas are too wet or snowy for riding. It would be an outstanding amenity for Southwest Montana and draw visitors from around the region. The fully built bike park is envisioned to include mountain bike trails with technical features, pump tracks, youth training areas, cross-bike areas, and other bike facilities. Development of Bikefill would occur in phases, with creation of initial terrain features and single-track trails. Eventually, the park would be developed further for events and broader uses. Design considerations for the bike park will include: Early phases: Fencing to separate the park from actively used City of Bozeman Solid Waste Department lands. A small gravel parking area off McIlhattan Road to accommodate 25 – 50 cars, with the option to expand the parking to accommodate 100 cars in the future. Bike-specific flow trails, single-track trails with technical features such as berms and ramps, and initial terrain features. These features would be designed to create interest in the park and set the stage for more complete park build-out as funding becomes available. Natural surface trails in the right-of-way along McIlhattan Road to access the bike park and adjacent Snowfill Recreation Area. Possible future phases: Parking expansion. Bathroom facilities (pit latrine). More complex and comprehensive trail development and terrain sculpting for cross-bike, BMX, and other bicycling events. The Needs & Benefits A new outdoor amenity for Bozeman. The City of Bozeman does not currently have as comprehensive of a facility that meets the wide variety of needs and off-road cycling that is a growing sport. The park would be administered as a City Park, with operational and maintenance agreements established with user groups. Creates an economic development opportunity. A bike park capable of providing early and late-season riding, hosting events, and allowing training opportunities would draw in visitors from across our region, attracting tourists to Bozeman and customers to our outdoor industry retailers. Execution of the PROST Plan. Use of the City landfill land for recreation ties directly into the Snowfill Recreation Area and existing trail networks, and was identified as a future use in the 2007 Park Recreation Open Space and Trails Plan (PROST). Supported by the Solid Waste Department. Use of the landfill land for recreational purposes could utilize unused land within the landfill and put it to use as a valued community asset. The Solid Waste Department Superintendent supports this proposed use of the land. The issues In order to begin seriously exploring use of the land for Bikefill bike park, the following issues require input: Use of Solid Waste lands as a Bike Park. The exploratory group submitting this proposal has met with Solid Waste Superintendent Kevin Handelin and Parks & Recreation Director Mitch Overton and both are in support of the project. Is there a concern to authorize use of the City’s landfill land for the bike park? Mr. Handelin’s primary concerns with the bike park relate to excluding the public from their operational areas and closed landfill areas; the concept plan includes fencing and a gate to achieve this separation. Improvements to McIlhattan Road. Development of the bike park at the landfill will require review by the Planning Department to analyze whether the development will trigger infrastructure improvements to McIlhattan Road and to what extent. Trail Access along McIlhattan Road. For the first phase of the project, a natural surface trail on the east side of McIlhattan Road in the right-of-way could be constructed by moving the Landfill fence. This trail is included in the 2007 PROST Plan. This trail would provide a safe alternative route for bicyclists to access the bike park and would reduce vehicle traffic on McIlhattan Road and supplement initial parking within the park. Would this trail be permissible? Community Support and Operation of the Park If this project moves forward, the Park would be designated as a City Park. Significant community support exists for this project, including the groups Southwest Montana Mountain Bike Association, Bozeman Youth Cycling, Bridger Ski Foundation, Gallatin Valley Bicycle Club, Gallatin Valley Bicycle BMX, Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board, Team Rockford, the cyclocross series, and Gallatin Valley Land Trust. Additionally, a National Interscholastic Cycling Association team is expected to be formed very soon in the area and the bike park could be used for training as well as competition events. Long term maintenance would be assumed by the users groups through a cooperative agreement with the City of Bozeman which will provide the framework for long term fundraising and maintenance. In the short term, grants would be pursued to establish access, establish separation from solid waste facilities and create the basic access trail network through volunteer efforts. An application to the Trails Open Space and Parks bond program is anticipated if the project is allowed to proceed.