Cycling enthusiasts pumped for the future after City Council approves site location for proposed PUMP Track

Cycling fans are looking forward to seeing a new recreation 
option in place in Prince Rupert, as progress continues for
a PUMP track in the city, with the location of choice McClymont Park

The plans are still a bit off to the future, but with a firm commitment towards a site resolved at Monday's City Council session, plans for a PUMP track facility in Prince Rupert can move forward and that is being received well by members of the North Coast Mountain Bike Association.

The City's Director of Operations Richard Pucci relayed the state of progress of the NCMBA towards development of an all Ages PUMP track in the community, with the Association making a formal request to use land offered by the city along McClymont Park.

"We discussed it internally and we believe that this is a great community asset for us, the NCMBA is actively seeking grants from providers to install the track, we see no issues with having the track go there, as long as they hold the appropriate insurance. We've also been discussing with them about upgrades to the paved access so it could be accessible to everyone, and also with some increase in  lighting."

Following Mr. Pucci's overview, Mayor Bran asked about their funding status, with the Director of Operations noting that they have a significant amount in hand but that with a firm site selection in place they will be able to access further funding.

"I believe they still have some fundraising left, I know they have quite a bit of money to do it, but having an actual place that's agreed to has stopped them from  getting some funding. They actually have to have a place where they're going before some funders will support the project, so this is really important for them to be able to get the rest of the funding they need"

Councillor Wade Niesh had questions related to the site selection and his concerns over potential flood issues with the McClymont location and what measures may be in place to account for that.  Towards those concerns Mr. Pucci noted of recent conversations with the proponents related to required mitigation efforts.

"We've talked about raising the level and making sure that ... using the right kind of rock so that it's coarser and won't wash out. So they're aware of looking at ways to make sure that that new asset is there and won't be washed away"

Councillor Nick Adey asked about access to the site, particularly for that of emergency service providers, Mr. Pucci stated that he hadn't taken that into account but that he would talk with emergency services to ensure that they know of the best route into the location for fastest access.

The Report to Council is available on the City's Agenda page from the Monday Session. 

The next phase as far as the cities duties goes, is to put the process out to the public. That will be done by way of a notification to the local paper.

You can review the full presentation to Council from the City's Video Archive, starting at the thirteen minute mark.

More on the plans of the North Coast Mountain Bike Association can be found through their website and Facebook page.

From the NCMBA social media stream, the process of continuing with the fund raising goes on, spurred on now with a sense that it's not to be too much longer before the McClymont Park area gains another recreation element for the community.

Further items of note from the Monday Council Session can be reviewed here.