The overgrown KDL Bike Park is getting a much needed makeover thanks in part to the hard work of Jason Barr, past president of the now defunct FSJ Bike Club, who originally helped in building the bike park.
The bike park first opened in 2008 as a skills park for all ages, the 2 acre park featured jumps, a pump track and slopes for mountain bike riders. In the past few years the maintenance of the park fell to the wayside and it became overgrown and unused, Barr said.
“It’s just nothing but grass in there and you can’t even tell there’s something there,” he said.
Barr made application for funding to the district in October, 2014, for funding to get the bike park back up to its original state and the district approved the budget to rebuild the park. He said there were close to 60 people who filled out a survey on using the park trail if it were re-built.
“We did up a survey and it sounded like people were interested, so council approved the budget for rebuilding (the bike park).”
Barr, runs maintenance in Vanderhoof for its bike park and consequently picked up the contract for maintenance on the park in Fort St. James. He said his service will ensure maintenance isn’t dependent of volunteers, which are difficult to keep up over time.
“It’s too much work for volunteers to maintain,” he said. “You need to have someone come in with equipment to do that.”
He said he will be out the first week in June getting the park cleared of grass and hopes by June 7, to be ready for volunteers to come out and give direction on what the final trail will look like.
“Hopefully people will come out on the Sunday when things are just about done and help with the final bits of (the park).”