Title
Consideration of Parks and Recreation Board Recommendation Regarding Reallocation of Funds for Trail Improvements
Recommended Action
I move that Council approve the allocation of $100,000 from the CIP funds for Mountain bike flow trail to address work delineated in International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) 2017 report to further pursue bronze level of ride center status.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council consider the motion as presented.
Board’s Recommendation
At the August 8, 2019 Parks and Recreation Board meeting, the following action was taken:
“Vice Chair Pesenson moved the Parks and Recreation Board request from County Council,[and] that 100,000 of the remaining funds originally allocated for the development of a gravity bike park, be designed to achieving a bronze level of ride center status as recognized by the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) guided by the existing report provided (IMBA) during the Los Alamos previous 2017 Ride Center application, emphasizing immediate improvements, such as Trail Signage, Trail Improvements specifically without requesting producing further studies for this project. Member Mathews seconded the motion. Motion passed by a unanimous vote of 6-0.”
Body
In November of 2017 the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) was contracted by Los Alamos County to be considered for designation as an IMBA Ride Center. Part of this service was the provision of a report scoring where Los Alamos County ranked regarding a Bronze, Silver or Gold Ride Center status. Overall Los Alamos County fell short of achieving a Bronze Level status by 9 points (60 points required for Bronze Level) in the category of “Services, Destination Best Practices and Trail Types” and fell short of achieving Bronze Level Status by 1 point (10 required for Bronze Level) in the category of “Quality Trail Experience”. The report received from IMBA is shown in attachment A.
After several discussions with Parks and Recreation Board, the following four tasks are recommended:
1. Improved and Increased Signage and Wayfinding: Includes a substantial amount of signage to be contracted out or purchasing of a sign plotter. The total effort required for this item would cost approximately $40,000.
2. Improved trailhead kiosks and restrooms (concrete pit toilets): A kiosk effort is currently on-going. Concrete pit toilets cost approximately $15,000 for a single unisex restroom. Recommendation is to place pit toilets at three trailheads; Quemazon, Mitchell and North Mesa Road at the round-about. Additionally, the Quemazon and North Mesa trailheads’ parking will be improved by the placement of basecourse / millings. The total effort would cost approximately $50,000.
3. Installation of a skills park: This would focus primarily on beginner and intermediate skills; wood plank “skinnies” and logs close to the ground and some smaller wood plank “drops”. One possible location is next to the skate park near Mesa Public Library. This effort would likely cost approximately $5,000.
4. Installation of a pump track: A portable modular pump track, shown in Attachment B, could be installed as part of the skills park adjacent to the skate park at Mesa Public Library. This effort is estimated to cost approximately $40,000.
The first three items are recommended by staff to commence this project and could be completed within the requested $100,000 funding. The final item would need to be budgeted in the future and could be considered during the FY21 budget development process.
The efforts described above and the fact that Pajarito Mountain now rents mountain bikes could gain Los Alamos County 10 points in the category of “Services, Destination Best Practices and Trail Types” (9 points required to achieve IMBA Ride Center Bronze Level) and 2 points in the category of “Quality Trail Experience” (one point required to achieve IMBA Ride Center Bronze Level).
Alternatives
Council could choose to fund this effort through other general fund sources, could choose not to fund this effort, or could choose to fund this effort at a later date.
Fiscal and Staff Impact/Planned Item
Staff could start work on these items at the beginning of next fiscal year. Of the $500,000 allocated for the mountain bike flow trails, $50,000 was allocated to construct a flow trail on County property but to date only $3,434 has been spent. Approval of this item would segregate $100,000 for the work indicated above.
Attachments
A - IMBA Ride Center Report
B - Example of Portable, Modular Pump Tracks