Valmont Bike Park Blog: 2010

Valmont Bike Park Construction to Begin Monday!

News Flash!

The City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department will commence construction of Valmont City Park Phase One and the Valmont Bike Park on Monday, May 10^th. The construction contract has been awarded to J-2 Construction of Greeley, CO, and Alpine Bike Parks of Vancouver, BC. J-2 will handle the utilities, concrete, drainage and park infrastructure, and Alpine Bike Parks will build out the trails and all bike features.

Alpine Bike Parks is led by Judd DeVall, and he is bringing the A List of trail builders with him into town. DeVall and his team have built some of the finest facilities in the country, and we are truly grateful to have them working for us. Depending on the weather and other factors, we should have the foundation of the facility built in 90 days for a fall opening, with other park amenities and more landscaping added in 2011.

We want to thank you for your patience and help along the way, between picking up trash, dropping 20's in our donation buckets, and helping build enthusiasm for the project, this could not have happened without your support.

We are working with Alpine and J-2 to schedule volunteer days on site, please stay tuned to the BMA newsletters for details. We hope you ride by the site and watch the park materialize over the next few months. Please, DO NOT ENTER THE PARK UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. J-2 Construction legally owns the site over the next 90 days, and will be vigilant in protecting their equipment and enforcing the no trespassing rule. If there are riders caught on site, it will delay the project. J-2 will have to hire security and erect more fencing, and this will come out of the money for the bike features and trails. Please, do not trespass.

The design team, lead by DeVall, is brining years of experience to the table. They will be creating facilities that will cater to riders of all ability levels and ages. Our vision of a world class facility is within reach, just a few more months!

$500,000 Fundraising Goal Met

We Did It!
When we started this project back in 2008, we set a lofty fundraising goal of a half million dollars. It seemed like an enormous stretch, but we took aim and went to work. In less than two years, we've reached this milestone with cash donations, grants, and other gifts. To everyone who played a role: THANK YOU.
The community support has been simply awesome. Our biggest thanks go to the Great Outdoors Colorado grant program, which awarded a $200,000 chunk to our effort. But all donors big and small deserve a slap on the back. The funds will be used to supplement the City's budget for bike trails and terrain. The partnership between BMA and the Parks Department is stronger than ever and everyone is extremely proud of what we've accomplished together.

Construction Update

Many of you are asking, "When is the park going to open?" As with any large construction project, it is difficult to pinpoint a completion date. Our goal remains to open the park as soon as possible. At this stage, we are realistically aiming at late this summer or early fall for the first phase to be ready to ride. Rest assured, City staff and BMA volunteers are working diligently to keep this project moving.
The City is now preparing the final construction bid documents and we hope to select a group of contractors quickly and commence building later this spring.
The Parks Department originally hoped to build the park in one push. However, due to budget constraints and the complexity of the project, the strategy now is to build the park in phases as City funds become available. The good news is that a large portion of the bike park is scheduled to be built this year in 2010 - about two miles of cross country and cyclocross trails, the downhill slopestyle trails for all abilities, the race start/finish lane, and the kid's learning loop. The Parks Department is working hard to secure as much funding for the 2010 construction season as they can, and we'll add more trails and technical terrain as soon as possible.
When the park planning process began, our goal was to begin construction in 2009. We met that goal with a ceremonial groundbreaking and by completing the major earthmoving. But the sheer complexity of the project required many more steps navigating the City of Boulder's Land Use Review process than anticipated, and the primary construction got pushed into 2010.
On the plus side, in 2009 we held two awesome volunteer workdays, a super fun groundbreaking and 'cross race, and a huge amount of earth-moving was completed. We also raised a truck load of money thanks to you!
Stay tuned to the BMA newsletter for construction updates over the spring. We will ride there one day soon!

Final Donor Report

Now that our fundraising campaign is winding down and construction will soon start, this will be the last Valmont Donor email report. We are merging future Valmont Park communications into the regular BMA newsletter. All donors were awarded a BMA annual membership at the time of their donation. Many of these memberships are now up for renewal. We urge you to renew your membership and stay part of the team to help make Boulder County a great place for bicycling. If you have questions about your BMA membership, send us a message at http://bma-mtb.org/contact/
Your ongoing BMA membership is important!
In addition to working with the Parks Department on the fundraising and construction phase of Valmont, BMA will also be an active partner for trail maintenance, programming and events after the Park is complete. Your support of BMA is critical to our long-term participation and stewardship of Valmont Bike Park.

Last Donor Report? How to Stay informed

In our effort to streamline our communications with you, future Valmont Bike Park news will be folded into the newsletter of our partner organization Boulder Mountainbike Alliance (BMA). Through the BMA Newsletter, you'll learn about other off-road cycling trails, advocacy efforts, and partnerships just like what we're doing for Valmont Bike Park. We're confident that you'll love the information you receive in this newsletter.
However, if you do not wish to receive the combined newsletter, follow unsubscribe link at the bottom of the this email... but please continue to check the Valmont Bike Park Website and blog for updates! If you don't opt out now, we'll simply add you to the usual BMA list before the next newsletter. You can always opt out of the BMA Newsletter later with a single click, so you've got nothing to lose and everything about mountain bikes in Boulder County to gain.

Happy trails in 2010!

Valmont City Park sign