Two much-anticipated new recreation facilities will be coming to the Albion area soon.
The new Albion Mountain Bike Skills Park will be located in Albion Park, fronting 102nd Avenue, in the southeast corner of the park.
Sylvia Pendl, District of Maple Ridge parks planning technician, explained the park is designed to be a place where riders of all levels can learn and advance in their cycling skills, practising on a variety of features, similar in use and function to a skateboard park.
Pendl said people can’t wait for this park. Construction is under way, and people are taking their bikes to the park at night to try out the features – something she is discouraging.
“It will be substantially complete in a week or two,” said Pendl.
The enthusiasm is understandable.
“This community has a great history of outdoor trail use and mountain biking,” she said.
The parks department finds jumps and other features that people have constructed in parks throughout the district, and these often have to be “decommissioned” for safety reasons.
“This provides a more managed area, and it’s for beginners to experts,” she said. “You can bring your kids there, and you can also ride and be challenged.”
As park projects go, it is not expensive. The budget for the park started at $20,000, and has risen to $40,000.
“That’s been a challenge, but people have contributed a lot to this project,” said Pendl.
It will have many of the features that are popular at bike skills parks in other communities, such as Langley. There will be a pump track, dirt jumps, graduated drops with wooden features, a trials area – which is an obstacle course with natural and man-made features, and a trail will circumnavigate the entire park. There will also be ladder bridges that go up or down, and are designed to protect certain natural areas.
“It’ll be a great asset,” predicts Pendl. “People have been asking about this park for a long time.”
Stan Hunter of the Fraser Valley Mountain Biking Association has been working with the district on the project. On a Facebook page for the new park, called Maple Ridge Bike Skills Park, he announced a Sept. 28 official opening.
“Want to ask as well that you all keep an eye on here for the next few weeks as we will be putting a call out for volunteers to assist in the final touches. There will be some final shaping on features to be done, signage to be installed and some “re-greening” in the form of plants, seeding and brush management,” he said on the page.
The work is being done by contractor Cory Derpak of ESP Parks.
Water park
Construction is also set to start on a new water park at Albion Sports Complex, which will be located just off the main parking area along 105th Avenue.
Bruce McLeod, district manager of parks planning and development, explained that it will be a 15,000-square-foot park, which is a little smaller than other spray parks in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. It will feature common spray equipment, as well as a new play element that will make it unique. This will be a water runnel – a concrete channel with a pair of weirs that children can use to change the water level. They will be able to float boats, use a hand pump and there will be a sand area.
“It’s all to create opportunities for creative play for children,” said McLeod.
He said some of the features at the new park have been used successfully at a spray park in New Westminster.
The budget for the new facility is $315,000.
Because many of the elements at the park do not involve children having water sprayed at them, he said kids will still be able to play in the park after summertime weather. The park is designed for children aged toddler to 12.
Work is beginning soon, and the taps will be turned on in September.
