Local cyclists have set their sights on the creation of a bike park, and they’re looking to the municipality for assistance in making that dream come true.
The Jasper Park Cycling Association (JPCA) is proposing a skills park be built on the west end of town—on Connaught Drive across from the Mount Robson Inn—to provide a playground for cyclists of all ages.
“Overall our whole vision is to provide a high quality public recreational facility that enhances the green space while maintaining the natural feel,” Matt Staneland of the JPCA said, during the May 20 council meeting.
To make that vision a reality, the association hopes the municipality will assume the park’s ownership and liability, while the association takes care of its maintenance.
“This is what Hinton established at their bike park,” explained Staneland, noting that the Town of Hinton has annual operating and capital budgets for its park.
When putting together its proposal, the JPCA considered a few locations for a park, including behind Bearhill Lodge, but ultimately it identified the land between the CN right-of-way and the 900 block of Connaught Drive as the optimal spot for a park.
That location is ideal, said Staneland, because it’s close to town, it’s adjacent to the Discovery Trail, there’s sufficient space, as well as street parking, and there’s good drainage.
Currently that land falls under two zoning designations: natural open space and R3b—residential reserve.
Although it’s the association’s desired location, Mayor Richard Ireland raised concerns about it, noting that the land hasn’t yet been released into the municipality’s control.
“It’s within the town boundary, but we don’t have a lease for it,” he explained, “so we would have to negotiate that with Parks Canada and pay a release fee. And, because it’s residential reserve, there is always a possibility we’ll need it for that.”
So, no matter what, a bike park in that location would have to be approved on a temporary basis, to ensure that land is accessible if there is a need, or a proposal, to build housing there.
“It might be better to invest in a cycle skills park where there will not be housing,” said Ireland. “It’s a significant investment and I would rather see it done once, not twice.”
That investment includes between $5,000 and $12,000 to design the park and an additional $40,000 to $250,000 to build it.
To fund the project, the association is looking at applying for grants, as well as seeking out corporate sponsorships and donations from the community.
Although there are challenges with the location and the details haven’t yet been hammered out, members of council expressed support for the park during the May 27 committee-of-the-whole meeting.
“I think independent of all of these little details, we should throw our support behind this,” said Coun. Gilbert Wall. “There are problems with all three of the pieces of land that they have presented, but that’s not saying that we shouldn’t go ahead with some kind of support to see this happen.”
A motion will appear on the June 3 council agenda to support—in principle—the JPCA’s proposal.
If approved, that support won’t tie the municipality to any spending or liability. Rather, it’ll be a sign of goodwill and an agreement to work with the association toward a mountain bike skills park in Jasper.
Nicole Veerman
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