Ishpeming council approves pump track and beginner trail at Brass Wire Campground

The Ishpeming City Council approved a request from the Range Area Mountain Bike Association to construct a pump track and a beginner trail at Brass Wire Campground and directed the city attorney and city manager to incorporate those installations into a forthcoming trail agreement.

Council members cited the time-sensitive nature of volunteer work: association volunteers planned initial work over the coming weekend, prompting the council to act at a special meeting so the installations would not be impeded. Randy and Glenn, association representatives at the meeting, described the proposal and the urgency.

Glenn, speaking for the association, described a roughly three-quarter-mile beginner trail with minimal elevation and a separate pump track "an easy version of, like a small BMX track" with bermed turns and bumps intended to teach riders how to accelerate by "pumping" rather than pedaling. He said the trail and pump track would be non-motorized.

Council members noted the association already performs trail repair and maintenance in the area and said the new installations should be included in a broader lease or trail agreement the city is developing. The motion approved by the council authorized the association to construct the pump track and beginner trail at Brass Wire Campground and required that those installations be added to the new trail agreement; the motion passed on an affirmative vote with no recorded opposition.

City staff and the association said they are continuing to draft a lease or agreement for the broader campsite and trail network. Councilors asked that the attorney and city manager fold the new installations into that document before finalizing longer-term access and maintenance terms.

Next steps: Association volunteers may proceed with initial work; the city attorney and city manager will include the installations in the new trail agreement under development.