By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The Great Black Swamp has temporarily bogged down plans for the proposed bike park along the Slippery Elm Trail in Rudolph.
At Thursday’s Wood County Park District board meeting, Director Neil Munger reported that work on the parking lot for the bike park had been slowed.
“Things have been stalled a bit with that. We ran into an issue,” he said.
The Liberty Township Trustees halted the parking lot permit due to water issues.
“Apparently, they’re having a lot of stormwater issues in Rudolph,” Munger said. And with basements flooding and standing water in the community, the addition of more paved property is not welcomed.
The Rudolph Bike Park is planned adjacent to the 13.1-mile rails-to-trails Slippery Elm Trail that runs between Bowling Green and North Baltimore. With an average of 275 users per day, the trail is one of the park district’s most utilized amenities.
With the parking lot permit in limbo, the chance of getting the bike park permit is also in question, Munger said.
However, a solution may be possible by sending the stormwater runoff straight to the branch of the Portage River that runs just south of the proposed bike park.
“The problem is, that’s not cheap,” Munger told the board.
An estimate of $38,000 for the work has been received from Jim Palmer, he said.
The park district may find that funding due to a couple other park projects that are on hold. The district had applied for a grant for a mountain biking trail north of Rudolph, with a local pledge of $10,000. But since the district did not receive the grant, it can redirect that $10,000, Munger said.
The park district had also budgeted $24,000 for a shelter house for programming at the proposed bike park. But that may need to be put on hold, and that money shifted over to help with stormwater runoff.
Munger said he hoped to have a drainage plan for both the park and parking lot to present to the board next month.
The bike park has generated a lot of excitement, and Munger said he didn’t want to delay the project. Sponsorships have also been coming in for the bike park, he said.
“The support we have seen in the community is very good,” he said.
The proposed Bike Park will have multiple pump tracks, each for a different skill level. From toddlers learning to ride a bike, to advanced mountain bikers, the Rudolph Bike Park will provide a safe location for skills development on its three pump tracks and mountain bike skills loop.
Once open, the Rudolph Bike Park will be free and open to the public daily from 8 a.m. until 30 minutes past sunset.
In a 2018 public survey with more than 2,000 Wood County respondents, 43.48% of people requested more bike trails and increased access, with 55% of those respondents requesting non-traditional biking opportunities.
Working with the non-profit group, The Right Direction, and its youth development program, the Wood County Park District has taken steps to ensure the bike park offers challenges appropriate for all users, from the strider-biking toddler to the expert BMX racer.
A picnic shelter, accessible parking area, greenspace and bike repair station complete the park.
When presenting a proposal for the bike park last year, Wood County Park District naturalist Craig Spicer explained the mountain biking park and trail would help the district attract teens and young adults. A survey conducted earlier in the year showed only 6 percent of the county park users were college student age.
All parks suffer from the same difficulty luring teens and young adults, Spicer told the park board.
“They are one of the most finicky audiences,” he said.
According to Spicer, off-road and sport biking are growing in popularity.
“This is a good opportunity to ride that wave,” he said.
