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Bike park advocates press county for larger North Mesa site after survey shows broad support
Summary
Volunteers and local biking groups urged County Council to back a 5‑acre, full-featured bike park at North Mesa, citing a community survey and funding opportunities; Site Southwest’s draft master plan currently allocates 3 acres, prompting requests to expand the footprint and preserve equestrian access.
Members of the bike park working group told the County Council on Oct. 7 that Los Alamos County has enough community interest and outside funding opportunities to support a full-featured bike park at North Mesa.
The working group’s presentation, led by founders Kyle Dickman and Nathan Mayer, said a community survey of 272 participants found broad backing for a bike park in the county and that organizers prefer a 5‑acre facility with a paved pump track and progression features. “We had 272 participants in this survey,” Dickman said, “and 89% supported a bike park.”
Why it matters: supporters said a 5‑acre park could serve families, youth programs and local riders while providing a destination amenity that supports recreation, health and local businesses. The group estimated a fully featured 5‑acre park would cost between $500,000 and $800,000 and pointed to matching grant opportunities, state trail accelerator funds and nonprofit partners as likely sources to reduce county cost.
Site Southwest, the county’s consultant on the North Mesa master plan, released two conceptual designs that include a bike park but allocate roughly 3 acres for it. Working group members said the smaller allocation would force the design to omit intermediate or progression features that keep riders engaged as they improve skills. “If we’re going to put a bike park in North Mesa, let’s build something that can serve the community now and in the future,” Mayer said during the presentation.
Councilors and staff questioned tradeoffs between open space, equestrian uses and other amenities. Several stable owners and representatives of the Equine and Livestock Working Group attended and urged careful site design to avoid conflicts with horses; volunteers demonstrated ways cyclists can alert horses on trails, and presenters said signage and education are part of the working group’s plan.
Funding and next steps: presenters said the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) and the state trail accelerator program are potential funding partners; the working group offered to pursue grant applications with county support. Members of the bike community also cited a recent 5‑acre bike park built in Pueblo, N.M., as a case study where a facility cost less than $500,000 and produced strong opening-day attendance.
Council response: Councilors asked technical questions about the Site Southwest designs, past BMX efforts and potential conflicts with other users. Staff (Corey Steyrn, Open Space Specialist Eric Peterson) said public input on North Mesa had been robust and that the parks and recreation board would consider the master plan in an upcoming meeting. No formal county decision on design or funding was made at the Oct. 7 meeting.
Ending: Working group members asked the county to consider a larger footprint in the final North Mesa plan, offered to help write grants and to provide volunteer maintenance resources if the county approves a larger, professionally built facility.
