With dignitaries, friends and family watching, Fraser Allen officially opened the Adventure Skills Bike Park with a few trick jumps off some of the large mounds crafted from more than 1,100 cubic metres of dirt.
“It’s cool,” Allen said of the new bike facility located adjacent to the Quesnel and District Arts and Recreation Centre.
“I like the jumps, the big jumps.”
The bike park, designed by Duncan MacKenzie of D Mack Trails and in part by Equip Design, is a partnership between the Cariboo Regional District and the City of Quesnel who made the land available and the Gold Rush Cycling Club who organized the construction of the park.
“On behalf of Quesnel City Council, I thank the community for coming together to make this project a reality and a success,” Quesnel Mayor Mary Sjostrom said.
Indeed the bike park, a year in the making, proved to be a true community effort.
“This new bike park is another fabulous example of how the private and public sectors are building communities together,” CRD Vice-Chair Ted Armstrong said.
The Gold Rush Cycling Club received $30,000 in donations from the Sunrise 2000 Rotary, the Rotary Club of Quesnel and Community Futures.
In addition the park also received generous in-kind donations from Blackwater Environmental Solutions, Quesnel Septic Service, the Hewitt family, Active Rentals and Richbar Golf Course.
Also, Tobi Carifelle constructed benches for the cyclists, Bob and Marg Sales donated their camper trailer so Mackenzie had a place to stay while working on the park and Donny Sales helped with the machinery.
Several of the park users helped with the construction, including Fraser Allan, Jeremy Tresierra and Forbes Campbell.
“We appreciate the efforts of everyone who helped make the bike park a reality,” Lori Carifelle of the Gold Rush Cycling Club said.
“It wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of our community sponsors and volunteers.”
The park includes a freestyle section, pump track, and
kid’s area with features to challenge novice and even the most experienced riders.
Riders must wear bike helmets and should wear other protective gear, Carifelle said.
The next plan for the park is to connect it with the Bryce Trail. To that end the group has made an application for $30,000 Northern Development Initiative Trust.