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BMA Banquet - Get Tickets Now
Friday Feb. 6th, 7pm
If you've made it to our banquet, you know how much fun it is. If you haven't made it yet, get there this year!
Once a year, we put on our finest threads and gather with City Council, County Commissioners, public land managers, bike & active sports industry business members, and riders and friends just like you to enjoy each other's company & a tasty dinner prepared by the St Julien.
In addition to a yummy sit-down meal, the evening includes live and silent auctions for great items, and tons of door prizes... including a stay at the St. Julien Hotel & Spa. Oskar Blues beer will be on tap as a part of your admission. More beverages will be available at the cash bar.
All proceeds go to accomplishing BMA's "Better Trails for Boulder County" so we can capitalize on opportunities coming our way in the next 18 months.
This event sells out every year, so get your tickets early!
Visit the link below to buy your ticket and support mountain biking in Boulder County
The banquet menu is available at:
Call or email Hersch with questions:
303.570.9177
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Advocacy never takes a vacation
What's cooking for 2009
The work never stops. With three agencies to deal with, somebody is always planning something and we need to keep tabs on all of it. BMA is in the meeting rooms making sure cyclists are not short changed or forgotten. Some of these projects will be completed in 2009, some will take many years to see the light of day. Patience and perseverance are necessary to prevail, after all, it took twelve years to get Picture Rock done!
If you have an interest on any of these projects, contact Mike!
1) Betasso - BCPOS staff spent a large part of 2008 trying to sort out the possibilities on this property. They hired IMBA Trail Solutions to put together trail options to consider. The biggest challenge are the landowners who live in proximity of Betasso, they have endured years of trespassing hikers, bikers, and horsemen across their properties, a valid gripe. But there's also a healthy amount of NIMBYism going on as well. Can we come up with a plan that maximizes the recreation potential on this property while being good neighbors to those living in the area? We will find out very soon; public meetings should resume within 60 days.
2) West TSA - This is the marathon planning process that will reward the people that stick with it, read all the documents (mountains of it) comment on them, and show up at every meeting. We are working through the mountains of studies, inventories and planning documents right now. But so far, we have reason to be optimistic about getting a route east of the Mesa Trail and south of Baseline. There will be plenty to do on this one in 2009, but the plan will not be done till 2010.
3) The Boulder Feeder Canal - This corridor which runs from the Boulder Res to Lyons would be a fantastic route between Boulder and Lyons. Planning is ramping up. Meetings begin this week, but it will be at least a year if not more before we see anything happening on the ground. But think about it.... Boulder to Boulder Valley Ranch to Heil, the Hall, then back on the Canal!
4) Eldo to Walker Ranch - A complex project - With three agencies to coordinate, this plains to mountains connection is still alive thanks to the in the West TSA planning process. OSMP plans to write a 'planning grant ' for this project to help make this project a reality. The section that crosses the State Park is the hardest to construct and is not eligible for GOCO monies, so we will need to get creative on how to fund that section. The management plan revision for Walker Ranch is due to start 2010. This is going to happen, but not quickly.
5) The Dirty Bismarck - The connector from Cowdrey Draw to Singletree trail is on the BCPOS workplan for 2009 and trails staff have been onsite in the last week looking at alignments. We are working toward having a big National Trails Day event in June to get much of the tread cut. There are three ditch crossings and a wetlands to traverse, and they will take time and effort to complete. The connection from Coalton Road to Singletree Trail will be built this summer. It is quite possible that both of these projects will be done and the loop complete by the end of this year. We have put BCPOS on notice that the Coalton Road corridor is no longer an acceptable recreation amenity. We are asking for trails in the block of county open space to the southeast of Coalton Road.
Just another quiet year on the advocacy front.... not! |
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Valmont Bike Park Vision
As we write this newsletter, gears are turning furiously to complete the final design and gain thumbs up from the City of Boulder planning department and other city officials that oversee things like transportation, fire, utilities, natural resources and forestry. Like any large, municipal project, there are endless details and hurdles to overcome before the digging can begin. The final design details are being drawn this winter by a team that includes city staff, a group of design specialists, and members of the cycling community. For the biking-related amenities, the pro design team includes the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), gravity specialists from Alpine Bike Parks, and designers from Alta Planning and Design.
The city hopes to put the construction work out to bid later this spring and begin building during the summer. It is a complicated project with various uncertainties, so it is impossible to predict an opening date, but everyone is working hard to get it completed as soon as possible.
Although not final, the plans include: a 3-4 mile network of flowing trails for all abilities, a new-school dual slalom race course, a gravity-fed slopestyle area with beginner, intermediate and expert lines, a 250'- long dirt jump area, lots of technical features, and two pumptracks. Also planned is a "learning loop", a cyclocross staircase, wheel-sucking sandpits, spectator plazas, a start/finish straight, and even a tricycle track for the munchkins.
Earlier this fall, the design team hatched the idea of converting the big old steel warehouse building on Valmont Road into a covered bike terrain park. The building, formerly a poultry operation, has been vacant for years and was slated to be torn down. But many people felt that "recycling" the building into a community asset might be better than sending it off to the scrap yard. Initial plans call for the walls to be removed, leaving just a roof that will provide protection from the snow, rain and summer sun. Visualize a giant pavilion filled with dirt and sculpted bike terrain. At this time, the City is conducting a feasibility study to determine if the building is structurally sound and how much a renovation would cost. Of course the cycling community fully supports the concept and we are standing by to help make it a reality.
Stay tuned for future updates and opportunities for volunteer workdays later this year. |
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New Look!
If you've made it this far through the newsletter, you know. We've got a brand new look for the New Year. After a few years it was time for something different, and we certainly hope it works better for you. If you've got suggestions, shoot us an email! |
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Thank You!
New & Continuing Members
Grant Clayton
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