City seeks $450K grant for bike track project

Belgrade councilmembers voted unanimously May 18 to ask the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks for $450,000 for a recreational track suitable for bicycles, skateboards, skates, scooters, and more at Mayfair Meadows Park.

The monies are available through the Land and Water Conservation Fund program administered by the National Parks Service. Montana FWP acts as an intermediary in the application process.

The grant would be used for Phase 1 of the Mayfair Meadows Bike and Community Park, which is estimated to cost $1,028,382.

“Phase 1 includes the construction of the bike pump track, bathroom, parking lot, access routes, some trail pathways, water/sewer/electric utilities, irrigation, some landscaping, and fencing,” reads a city staff report to the council.

Bike pump tracks consist of continuous loops of rollers and berms designed to be ridden without pedaling. Momentum is generated using the rider's body movements.

“This is very exciting,” Belgrade Mayor Michael D. Meis said of the project during the May 18 meeting. “I can’t wait for this work to start.”

If awarded the grant, the city would provide matching funds, some of which have been donated. The county provided $100,000, and the Belgrade Regional Parks, Trails, and Recreation District allocated $400,000 for the project.

Mayfair Meadows Park also will eventually include bleachers or other seating so onlookers can watch people use the track, in addition to a pavilion, according to previous statements from Jordan Green, the city’s director of Parks, Trails and Recreation.

“This bike pump track is probably the most substantial component of the master plan for Mayfair Meadows Park, which was created about a year ago between the city and the Belgrade Community Coalition,” Green told councilmembers at their Jan. 20 meeting.

The track will be equipped to host national and international bike competitions, according to Belgrade Community Coalition (BCC), which has spearheaded the project.

“We want to make sure that this park is available to as many people as possible, so it is optimized for toddlers on strider bikes as well as Olympic hopefuls, everywhere in between — skates, skateboards, scooters,” said BCC Board Member Emily Decker in January. “And it is adaptive-optimized for people with disabilities. So really, it's for everybody.”

In January, councilmembers approved a contract with American Ramp Company for construction of the track. The contract specifies a not-to-exceed amount of $299,999, payable to the company.