Planning is underway to upgrade the Elks Field Bike Park in Smithers.
The park was built more than ten years ago and the Smithers Mountain Bike Club (SMBA) said it is time for a facelift.
The heavy use has taken a toll on the dirt tracks and jumps. Plus, bike park design has changed a lot since then. To appeal to an increasingly wider range of ages and abilities as mountain biking becomes more popular, and to enhance safety measures some renovations are needed, the club said.
Executive director Jan Wengelin said the bike park is worth improving because it is a popular recreational site that doesn’t require driving, so it’s easily accessible to young kids, teenagers and families of many income levels.
“It is also important to get people out, to get on a bike,” he said. “And regardless if you are going up and down a trail or going around in a bike park, you’re still out there moving.”
SMBA has already invested $9,000 to obtain a professional engineering plan for the upgrades required to bring the park up to current standards. The plan shows that upgrades will cost in the neighbourhood of $150,000. They have already received $5,000 from HyTech Drilling and $20,000 worth of aggregate (gravel) from Vihar Construction to support the project.
They are also applying for a grant from Northern Development Trust’s Recreation Infrastructure Program, which could cover up to 70 per cent of the cost. The Town of Smithers gave them a letter of support to include in their application for that grant.
If grant money comes in, the updates could take place in late fall 2024 or early spring 2025.
The town owns the land the park is on and per the lease agreement, the club has agreed to regularly inspect, repair, and maintain the leased premises to a safe, operational standard.
According to a town staff report to council, this grant would further support enhancing safety measures and developing a design that would appeal to a wider demographic.
The lease also states SMBA would not remove or add any earth, (soil), trees and shrubs, from or to the lands. Therefore, council would need to approve the engineering plans for upgrades before any action is taken.
Mayor Gladys Atrill called it a “cool project” and thinks it is great for the community.
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