Plans for a bike skills course in O’Hara are cruising along.
The project is planned for Raymond A. Schafer Jr. Memorial Park in the township’s Montrose Hill section.
The topography of Schafer Park at the top of the hill, combined with the township’s acquired land at the bottom of Powers Run, lends itself to use for a skills course, Manager Julie Jakubec said.
“We basically want to be able to give residents a place to go ride from the top of the hill to the bottom and back to the top,” township engineer Charles Steinert Jr. added.
“We’ll probably walk the hillside, lay out a course and kind of go from there.”
Dips, jumps and other obstacles are expected along the way.
Steinert said it will be similar to the bike trail in North Park, which features jump lines, skinny logs, rock gardens and drop lines. The North Park bike area also includes a pump track and freeride trails.
Bike skills courses are designated areas where cyclists can improve their riding abilities and practice safety. They include challenges that simulate real-world biking conditions such as sharp turns, cones and gravel patches.
Bike courses have become increasingly popular since the pandemic, when more people turned to cycling for recreation and transportation, according to the League of American Bicyclists.
Steinert credits Jakubec for the idea.
The course is a benefit for the community because it’s an amenity not found in the township or nearby, Jakubec said.
Council agreed and voted to seek a $250,000 state grant to help pay for construction. If approved, money would come through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. There would be a 50% match, meaning the township would have to come up with $125,000 toward the work.
Total project cost is expected to be about $430,000. The township could seek additional grants to cover the balance.
The deadline for the application is early April. It is unclear when approvals are granted.
Based on funding, the course probably would be built in 2027, Jakubec said.
“The design is preliminary, but it will be cool when it is done,” she said.
Steinert, who described himself as a recreational mountain biker who avoids the extreme, also said the bike course will be a great asset.
The amenity is something that officials have been eyeing for some time. The township sought grant funding twice last year for the course but was denied.
Steinert believes they have a better chance this year, he said.
“Anything we can give the residents for recreation is a plus for everyone,” he said.