Boyle County approves $1.025 million contract to build mountain‑bike park; skate‑park, ballfield and playground upgrades advance

Danville, Ky. — Boyle County Fiscal Court on Aug. 12 approved a $1,025,000 design‑build contract to develop a multiuse mountain‑bike park and advanced several other parks and recreation capital projects, officials said.

The court voted to award the contract to Parsons Construction after a county review committee recommended the firm as the lowest responsive bidder. County and city staff said the project will be built on a former county landfill and will be configured for multiple users — hikers and riders — with maintenance and scheduling to be handled by Parks and Recreation.

The project lead, Tommy Burton, director of Parks and Recreation, said the mountain‑bike project has broad local input and a committee of city, county and community volunteers guiding design. “That project is moving ahead, with a lot of speed,” Burton told the court. He said the county is relying on outside trail experts and local mountain‑bike coaches for trail layout and design.

Why it matters: county officials described the program as both a recreation and economic‑development investment. Committee members showed park examples from other states to illustrate what the county’s $400,000 skate‑park budget would buy and to frame options if additional funds are secured.

Projects approved or discussed at the meeting include: - Parsons Construction design‑build contract for the multiuse (mountain‑bike) park, awarded at $1,025,000; the court approved the contract and authorized signatures to move the project forward. - A proposed concrete skate park, for which the court reviewed consultant designs and set a planning path; staff described a working budget figure of about $400,000 and said the project will likely be a multi‑year effort that may require additional city or county funds. - Rehabilitation of three baseball/softball fields. Burton said the county budgeted $150,000 for the work and will begin construction after the final fall tournament season; crews expect to start mid‑October and aim to finish by December. - Millennium Park site and building upgrades, including replacement of worn doors, addition of security cameras and outside AEDs, and magnetic locking systems for restroom doors; Burton said the county has budgeted $50,000 for site furnishings and in‑house work on building repairs. - Improvements to the Millennium Park main playground surface; Burton said the county and city have committed funding for a new surface rather than wood chips to improve durability and safety.

Burton and other presenters showed examples from two commercial skate‑park firms and said available builders are often booked a year out. The court discussed timing: if an RFP is issued promptly, the earliest significant construction start for larger projects would be in fiscal 2026. A magistrate noted that a two‑year timeline for skate‑park construction would be realistic given supplier schedules.

Several members of the court stressed community benefits. “It is economic development,” one magistrate said of the parks work, noting that tournaments and regional visitors support local restaurants and hotels. Council members pointed to the county’s existing tournament calendar — more than two dozen weekends a year — as reason to invest in higher‑quality fields and facilities.

Court members asked staff to continue RFP and procurement work for the mountain‑bike and skate‑park components and to return with refined budgets and timelines. City staff and county staff said they would coordinate on RFP language and scheduling.

The court approved the Parsons contract by voice vote; no roll‑call tally was recorded in the minutes. A separate, detailed procurement schedule, project RFPs and consultant reports were discussed in committee and will appear in future packets.

The county plans outreach and community meetings as designs are finalized; staff said a city commission update is planned before further contract work proceeds.