By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – As we reported back in October, Port Angeles Parks and Recreation is planning a major new facility at Erickson Playfield called a pumptrack, and there’s new progress to report.
Think of a pumptrack as a cross between the Lincoln Park BMX track and the skatepark at the playfield.
Pumptracks are designed to accommodate almost anything on wheels, as long as it’s people-powered, and features a large circuit of rollers, bank turns, and bowls designed to be ridden without pedaling: riders generate momentum by up-and-down body movements, or pumping, much as you would to get a swing going.
The City Council, who got an update on the effort Tuesday night, were told that funding is falling into place to get the track completed this year.
Parks Director Corey Delikat says much of the credit goes to the volunteers of the non-profit group Lincoln Park BMX.
“The Lincoln Park BMX folks have done an amazing job fundraising for this. They’ve received $100,000 in the lodging tax through the city, they’ve received $100,000 through a lodging tax to the county, we’re on 7th on the list for an RCO grant for $350,000, and they’ve also secured money from other donations and service clubs. So it is about a $700,000 project and we’re hoping to get started in September.”
Pumptracks are free to use and open year-round. Ours was designed by world-class bike park builders Velosolutions.
Organizers have set up a Facebook page called Port Angeles Pumptrack where you can learn more about the fundraising effort, see a rendering of the planned design, and there’s a link to watch a video shot at the Leavenworth track to get a better idea of what’s coming.
Delikat believes the big improvements coming to Erickson Playfield are timed perfectly with an overall downtown renaissance that’s taking place.
“But I’m not only excited about the pumptrack, but just about Erickson playfield in general. It’s a centralized park, we have the new Dream Playground going in this year, the pumptrack. We have a great relationship and new things going on at the tennis courts, we have the callisthenic park there, and I just really think that Erickson Playfield is going to be such a huge asset to the community. Not just the pumptrack itself.”