By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
New ramp alternatives planned for the skills loop area at the Rudolph Bike Park will give cyclists a safer ride and work crews less time on maintenance.
The Wood County Park District Board of Commissioners recently agreed to spend $13,176 for the American Ramp Company to make the site improvements at 14045 Mermill Road, Rudolph.
Program Naturalist Craig Spicer and Operations Manager Rob Brian “have come up with some really good, interesting ramp alternatives,” said WCPD Director Chris Smalley.
The bike park opened in 2022. In the skills loop area, the substrate was supposed to be a super-crushed limestone that should have compacted similarly to some of the walking trails, said Spicer. “What actually rose to the surface was a lot of bigger grade stone, and that stuff just eats bikes and tires wash out on it.”
Installing three new banked turn features will provide “a more reliable surface to be on,” he said. “It’s not going to move out from under.” The company will install two 180-degree banked hairpin turns and a third turn that is not as angled.
The structure will also hold up from erosion. The plan is to scrape the higher-grade stone, lay dirt down and have the stone act as a shore, so the material that is already there is not wasted, he explained.
The process will help prevent erosion of the soil that is put down and tamped down “to ride a lot more like a natural single-track bike trail,” like what people would encounter on an actual single-track mountain biking trail, Spicer said.
The biggest benefit is that they have a more reliable surface to ride on.
“They can maintain their speed, so it’ll actually increase the fun factor of the skills loop,” he said. “And most importantly, they’re not going to wash out and scrape themselves. They can have a little more confidence while they’re riding.”
Reuthinger Memorial Preserve update
Alex Helwig, new park district stewardship manager, reported the stewardship staff has had a busy summer managing invasive species by spraying and mowing over 100 acres throughout the park district.
Earlier this year, they seeded 33 native plants species from Ohio Prairie Nursery on approximately 28 acres at the new farm field that is part of the J.C. Reuthinger Memorial Preserve, 20730 Oregon Road, Perrysburg.
They recently mowed the field for the first time. At least 12 of the 33 species have already bloomed, “which is pretty cool for a first-year prairie,” she said. One of the plants added is whorled milkweed, a native plant that is different from the milkweed most common in the area.
Park Commissioner Jonathan Smith is planning to plant milkweed in his family’s backyard to attract monarch butterflies and other pollinators. He asked about the difference between the common milkweed and whorled milkweed for pollinators.
Monarch caterpillars love both varieties of milkweed, Helwig said. Common milkweed has wider leaves and a pinkish bloom and spreads more like a weed. The whorled milkweed is white, has shorter, skinnier leaves, and at about two feet tall can be bushier.
Smalley to represent parks in Thompson estate proceedings
Smalley was authorized to represent the park district and the board regarding estate proceedings for the estate of George C. Thompson III, who died Oct. 30, 2022, in Naples, Florida. He was a former park commissioner, long-time advocate and prominent figure in the district, serving for 24 years and playing a key role in the park district’s development.
In other business:
- Board President Becca Ferguson swore in new park police officer Andrew Burmeister.
- Ferguson announced upcoming events, including Blossoming Babies (Bats) Oct. 7 from 10:30-11:30 a.m.; Native Nursery Nights Sept. 25 to help plant, maintain and harvest seeds from native plants in the nursery; Heritage Farm Festival Oct. 4 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Carter Historic Farm; and the Agricultural History Lecture Series on “More than Corn? The History of Wood County Specialty Crops” on Sunday, Nov. 23 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Carter Historic Farm.
- Jessie Walton-Summers, community and communications specialist, talked about fundraising efforts for the Chessie Circle Trail project and a new partnership with Bowling Green State University’s In the Round, Native American Creative Speaker Series. This year’s series, which features presentations by poets, lawmakers, and filmmakers at BGSU, is about native plants. The park district will host several programs at some of the county parks.
- The board authorized Smalley to declare two wooden benches and a former maintenance truck as surplus to dispose of appropriately. They also agreed to pay up to $10,000 for InTech IT Solutions to replace the district’s network server.
