Bike park working group urges North Mesa site; board defers recommendation to county council until July 22 update

Members of the Los Alamos Bike Park working group presented a multi-month study to the Los Alamos County Parks and Recreation Board, reporting strong community support for a bike park and identifying North Mesa (Los Alamos) and Overlook Park (White Rock) as preferred sites, with North Mesa the clear community favorite.

Presenters included Kyle Dickman and Nathan Mayer (working-group members representing local cycling organizations Tough Tikes and Tough Riders). They said the working group surveyed the community, held listening sessions and conducted site visits to assess zoning, access, existing infrastructure and conflicts. The group reported more than 270 survey respondents, with 89% supporting a bike park and 85% of respondents preferring the North Mesa location. The presenters said 55% of survey respondents were not active members of formal bike groups.

The working group described standard bike-park elements as a paved pump track and a progression skills area with berms, jumps and flow trails. They gave cost estimates of about $250,000 for an initial pump track and $500,000–$800,000 for a full bike park with progression features; they said grants and outside funding could reasonably reduce the county’s share. The group emphasized partnering with local trail builders and the bike community to reduce construction and maintenance burdens and recommended asphalt surfaces for pump tracks for durability.

Presenters also described outreach to the equestrian community to reduce conflict and said Kathy Miller served as a liaison; the working group said the equestrian community largely supported the proposed designs after buffer and access concerns were addressed. The group noted prior county allocations for a BMX track at North Mesa that were not spent and, according to staff at the meeting, had been reabsorbed into other CIP projects; the working group said it would investigate past grant or external-funding relationships if requested.

Board members and residents asked about maintenance costs, longevity of asphalt pump tracks, governance and whether the bike park would be open to the public without gates (the presenters compared the facility to a skate park—generally open with signage but not gated). Staff and presenters said maintenance would be required but that local volunteer groups such as Tough Riders could help with upkeep; precise ongoing maintenance budgets were not provided.

A motion in the meeting packet read: “I moved that the Parks and Recreation Board extends thanks to the bike park working group for their presentation and recommend to council the bike park concept. Furthermore, I move that the presentation be forwarded to council for their consideration.” A board member read that motion aloud but indicated they were not the maker; the board then heard from County staff (Corey Styron) that a final public presentation of the North Mesa Master Plan is scheduled for July 22 and staff asked that the bike-park concept be considered in the context of that larger plan. Board members agreed to defer formal referral to County Council until after the July 22 public presentation and follow-up discussions between staff, the working group and interested board members. The chair announced the action would be tabled and the presentation was otherwise received with praise.

Next steps identified at the meeting: the working group and county staff will meet after the July 22 North Mesa Master Plan presentation to coordinate whether and how to forward a bike-park recommendation to County Council; the working group indicated it will continue pursuing grant opportunities and community outreach.