by the end of this month.
(Photos: Community Cycling Center)
The Community Cycling Center is currently hard at work building berms, ramps and other details of a Bike Skills Park in the New Columbia neighborhood. The project was funded through a $15,500 grant from the Portland Development Commission.
The CCC’s Melinda Musser sent us an update and a few photos of how the lines are shaping up. It looks awesome! Here’s more from Melinda:
The Bike Skills Park, opening in July, will offer a safe riding area for neighbors of all ages. Participants will learn about skill development through group instruction from We All Can Ride bike committee members and Community Cycling Center staff and volunteers. Additionally, We All Can Ride members are furthering their ride leader training this year and will host summer bike rides so that residents can safely explore their community together on two wheels.
The skills park is located on the corner of N. Trenton and Woolsey, the same parcel of land where the Community Cycling Center opened the Bike Repair Hub back in September. The property is owned by the Home Forward (formerly known as the Housing Authority of Portland) and they will be responsible for maintenance and upkeep of the park. The CCC will be in charge of programs and activities. The skills park is the second phase of a larger project that included the Bike Repair Hub.
The Northwest Trail Alliance has also been involved with this project by donating expertise to the design and construction of the trails and ramps. Prior to breaking ground, professional landscape architects held a neighborhood meeting with residents to garner feedback and input on designs.
Check out the final concept plan to get a better idea of how it will look when all three phases are completed:
And here are examples of the type of features coming to the park:
And a few more construction photos from Melinda:
If you’d like to get involved in making this skills park a reality, the CCC is looking for volunteers for an event this Saturday (6/15) from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. They are also asking for folks to bring their own tools to help sculpt the berms, put finishing touches on the wood ramps, and buff out the trails. They need rotary saws, hand saws, shovels, rakes, a trail compactor, 3″ deck screws, screw guns/battery packs, and wheelbarrows. Anyone interested in volunteering should RSVP to volunteer@communitycyclingcenter.org.