Mountain Bike Park to become new kind of Grand Rapids public park

Grand Rapids mountain biking enthusiasts will be able to hit the trails next spring without leaving the city, thanks to an initiative to turn a former Little League site into a mountain biking trail park.

According to excerpts from the story:

Unanimous approval by the Grand Rapids City Commission this month cleared the way for a mountain bike park on the former Southwest Little League site at 580 Kirtland St. SW, said Nate Phelps, president of the Michigan Mountain Biking Association.

Work is expected to proceed quickly, Phelps said. The mile-and-a-half-long trail and "skills" area could be completed by late spring.

"Getting this through wasn't a slam dunk," said Phelps, former president of the West Michigan MMBA chapter.

"The project got hung up. The city wanted a lease agreement, but we said it is to be open to the public, not a private park. It belongs to the city and will have normal park hours. The gate there will eventually come down."

Read the complete story here.



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