La Grande Pump Track Project Receives Generous Support with Multiple Grant Awards
By Garrett Christensen on Monday, December 11th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – (Release from the Blue Mountain Singletracks Club) The excitement is palpable in La Grande as the community rallies behind the ambitious La Grande Pump Track Project, thanks to the recent success in securing multiple grants to fund its development. The project, which aims to create a state-of-the-art outdoor pump track, recently received a generous grant from Cycle Oregon, which puts funding near 90% for the project. Along with the Cycle Oregon Grant, the project has received financial backing from Oregon State Parks, Wildhorse Foundation, Union County Tourism, Ford Family Foundation, and the Roundhouse Foundation.
A pump track is an asphalt track featuring banked corners and rollers, and will be located in Pioneer Park near downtown La Grande. It will provide a safe and user-friendly environment for a range of activities including cycling, skateboarding, rollerblading, scootering and roller skating. Initially designed for BMX riders, the pump track has evolved to accommodate mountain bikes, strider bikes, wheelchairs and scooters.
Fundraising and organization of the pump track project has been made successful by a partnership between The City of La Grande Parks and Recreation Department and the Blue Mountain Singletrack Trails Club. In expressing gratitude for the support received, Tyler Brooks, President of the Blue Mountain Singletrack Trails Club stated, “We are immensely grateful to all of the grant organizations, local businesses, and individuals for their generous contributions to the La Grande Pump Track Project. These grants and community support represent a significant step forward in turning our vision into reality and creating a recreational space that will benefit individuals and families for years to come. Also, huge thank you needs to be awarded to Stu Spence at La Grande Parks and Recreation. His enthusiasm for the project has been a guiding factor, for sure.'”
Stu Spence of La Grande Parks and Recreation stated “We’re excited for the added feature next to the skate park at Pioneer Park that will give all ages a new ‘bicycle playground’ to enjoy. The local committee has been very busy gaining the funding support on behalf of this important parks project and we’re excited to move forward with construction in the spring of 2024.” “The City of La Grande is extremely grateful for $75,000 in funding from the Oregon State Parks Local Government Grant Program (LGGP). The LGGP is a voter approved, State lottery funded grant program administrated by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Local governments are eligible for projects that are consistent with the outdoor recreation goals and objectives contained in the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan. The development of outdoor amenities like the Pump Track met all the criteria and the City was awarded the funding in October”
The La Grande Pump Track Project team is now gearing up for the next phase of development, leveraging the newfound financial support to bring the vision to life. The project is set to break ground in 2024 with completion by the end of the year.
Blue Mountain Singletrack Trails Club, which is a Union County based non-profit organization with the mission of constructing and maintaining local non-motorized trails and building a strong outdoor recreation community. For more information about Blue Mountain Singletrack and the pump track project, please visit www.bluemountainstc.org.
