Local kids at heart of new bike park
With a new $1.3 million skatepark just about to open, young people in Masterton can also look forward to the construction of a new mountain bike park in their town.
Masterton District Council had agreed to let a mountain biking group use a section of hillside on the northern edge of town for a series of professionally designed and built tracks.
Project organiser Sam McDonald said they were excited to release details of the plan, including designs of three kilometres of track to be built in Lansdowne.
McDonald and Daryn Murphy had been championing the project since 2016 and now with the track-builders signed up, it was time to launch into full fundraising mode.
Construction was due to begin sometime after April next year.
McDonald said their goal was always to build something to give young people in Wairarapa another outlet for their energy.
‘‘Masterton has been lacking this kind of thing.’’
A keen mountain biker himself, McDonald said the tracks would be suitable for all levels from beginners through to experienced riders.
There will be shaped berms, a pump track, wooden features and
some tabletop jumps among the four planned tracks, with the possibility to develop more in the future.
‘‘This project is making the sport accessible to all local kids, which is the heart of the project.’’
The project has led to the establishment of the Central Wairarapa Mountain Bike Club which will manage the facility, he said.
In October 2018, the Masterton District Council approved the proposal to be located on council land within the Lansdowne Recreational Trail. It agreed to provide $3000 per
year for upkeep and will also provide signage.
The project backers were now seeking commercial and private sponsors for the tracks.
They have signed on a main sponsor in the form of Jennian Homes which will match up to $25,000 dollar-for-dollar towards the $90,000 project.
Nationally recognised track building company Southstar had been contracted to build the trails.
Masterton was given $1.3m to build a new skatepark from the Provincial Growth Fund, which was close to being completed.