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Resident urges village to include mountain bike trails at Tower Hill Park
Summary
A Menomonee Falls resident urged the Village Board to support mountain bike trails at Tower Hill Park and highlighted the presence of a local interscholastic mountain bike program and teen trail corps opportunities.
Paul Schmidt, a Menomonee Falls resident, used the public comment period on March 17 to urge the Village Board to support mountain bike trails at Tower Hill Park and to note benefits for youth and community recreation. "Mountain biking is a non motorized sport," Schmidt said, adding that it is low-impact and quiet.
Schmidt said the local high school and middle school field mountain bike teams and that the competitive league connected to those teams—he identified it as the National Interscholastic Cycling Association—includes a "teen trail corps" that teaches students to build and maintain trails. "Youth development through the sport of mountain biking," Schmidt said, describing the league as a youth development program rather than a pure racing circuit.
Schmidt told the board the village's current practice locations (Rotary Park and other nearby trails) are less suitable than a dedicated facility and that proximity would benefit student athletes who now travel to other systems that are 30 to 45 minutes away. He also said the Metro Mountain Bikers had previously investigated Menomonee Falls as a potential trail location and suggested local volunteer and club support could be available if the village pursued trail development.
Village officials did not make commitments during the public comment period; board members thanked Schmidt and said the idea is "on the radar." During discussion later in the meeting—while adopting the Comprehensive Outdoor Recreational Plan—trustees noted the village is considering a range of park amenities and that mountain biking had been raised in public input.
The public comment period rules read by the Village President limited remarks to three minutes and said trustees would not debate matters during the public comment period. Schmidt exceeded the allotted time but remained after his remarks to answer questions informally from attendees in the room.
The recreation plan adopted the same evening provides the framework for applying for state grants and identifying park improvements; if the village prioritizes mountain biking as an element of park planning it could be eligible to pursue matching grant funding under future applications.
