Bike Skills Area at Upper Luther Burbank Park
This project has concluded. Please see the New Bike Skills Area at Deane's Children's Park project page for the latest project information and to leave feedback on the proposed Bike Skills Area at Deane’s Children’s Park.
The City of Mercer Island will temporarily close the Bike Skills Area (formerly called the BMX Course) at Upper Luther Burbank Park for approximately six months due to significant operating challenges and safety concerns.
Over the last several years, use of the Bike Skills Area has been impacted by repeated unauthorized expansion of the course, damage to soils and established vegetation, and construction of jumps that exceed park rules. This closure will allow the City to ensure this park area is operating safely and sustainably.
Action Sports Design, a specialized consultant, will perform a full assessment of the site and make recommendations to improve the Bike Skills Area while minimizing environmental impacts. Trees in this area of the park will also be assessed for pruning and removals as necessary, and trees and shrubs will be planted this Winter to revegetate areas that have been damaged.
Public engagement is a preeminent focus during this closure. The City will activate several avenues to share feedback and ideas for the future of the Bike Skills Area, including a virtual public meeting on November 15, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. to discuss the project and answer questions.
Community members are invited to follow the City’s social media profiles for updates and visit this Let’s Talk page for details about the work being performed, engagement opportunities, and more on what’s ahead.
This project has concluded. Please see the New Bike Skills Area at Deane's Children's Park project page for the latest project information and to leave feedback on the proposed Bike Skills Area at Deane’s Children’s Park.
-
City Council Allocates Funding for Design of Bike Skills Area at Deane's Children's Park
Share City Council Allocates Funding for Design of Bike Skills Area at Deane's Children's Park on Facebook Share City Council Allocates Funding for Design of Bike Skills Area at Deane's Children's Park on Twitter Share City Council Allocates Funding for Design of Bike Skills Area at Deane's Children's Park on Linkedin Email City Council Allocates Funding for Design of Bike Skills Area at Deane's Children's Park link
On July 19, 2022, staff provided an update to the City Council on work to date on the Bike Skills Area, including the Parks & Recreation Commission's discussions about the facility and their recommendation to site a new Bike Skills Area facility in Deane's Children's Park. Staff also requested funding to begin the design and public engagement portions of the project.
After a robust discussion with staff and members of the Parks & Recreation Commission, that included consideration of the project schedule, the potential footprint of the BSA in Deane's Children's Park, and community engagement, both past and future, the Council voted to authorize the use of $75,000 from the Capital Improvement Fund balance to begin design of the new facility (5-0-1).
In fall 2022, staff will bring the 30% design of a Deane's Children's Park BSA to the Parks & Recreation Commission for review and feedback, and will kick-off the public engagement process to ensure that the community has an integral voice in this new, upgraded amenity.
-
Parks and Recreation Commission Regular Meeting - July 7, 2022
Share Parks and Recreation Commission Regular Meeting - July 7, 2022 on Facebook Share Parks and Recreation Commission Regular Meeting - July 7, 2022 on Twitter Share Parks and Recreation Commission Regular Meeting - July 7, 2022 on Linkedin Email Parks and Recreation Commission Regular Meeting - July 7, 2022 link
Mercer Island's Parks & Recreation Commission is scheduled to discuss the Bike Skills Area at their upcoming meeting on Thursday, July 7, 2022 at 5:30 pm.
At the July 7, 2022, meeting the Commission will continue their conversation from the April 26 and June 2 Parks and Recreation Commission meetings regarding a long-term location for the Bike Skills Area.
Recent Discussion
On April 26, 2022, the Parks and Recreation Commission held a Special Meeting to review the final Bike Skills Area Report and discuss staff recommendations and next steps. The Commission voted (4-0-1) to support Short-Term Option 2 (referenced in staff report) which would temporarily reopen the existing Bike Skills Area in Upper Luther Burbank Park in a limited fashion (e.g., a more simplified design), predicated on the City finding an alternative, long-term location that could be brought online within 2-3 years.
During the regular meeting on June 2, staff presented the BSA Site Matrix and solicited feedback from the Commission on the analysis. Following the discussion, the Commission voted (3-1-1) to create a Bike Skills Area Subcommittee to meet, identify and evaluate a preferred long-term location. The Subcommittee, comprised of Chair McCarthy, Vice-Chair Struck, and Commissioner Burstein, were also asked to obtain input from impacted user groups and report back to the full Commission.
July 7 Parks & Recreation Committee Meeting
At their upcoming July 7 meeting, the Commission will review and provide feedback on the Bike Skills Area Subcommittee Report and Bike Skills Area Subcommittee Site Scoring Matrix, and if so, desired provide additional recommendations for staff to bring forward to the City Council. Packet materials for the Bike Skills Area discussion are available via this link.
If you wish to speak during the Appearances portion of the July 7 Parks & Recreation Committee meeting, you must register your request with the staff liaison at 206.275.7870 or email and leave a message before 4 PM on the day of the Commission meeting. Please reference "Appearances" on your correspondence. Each speaker will be allowed three (3) minutes to speak.
Instructions for joining the meeting can be found on the City's website.
-
Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting - June 2, 2022
Share Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting - June 2, 2022 on Facebook Share Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting - June 2, 2022 on Twitter Share Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting - June 2, 2022 on Linkedin Email Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting - June 2, 2022 link
Mercer Island's Parks & Recreation Commission will discuss the Bike Skills Area at their regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, June 2, 2022 at 5:30 pm.
If you wish to speak during the Appearances portion of the meeting, you must register your request with the staff liaison at 206.275.7870 or email and leave a message before 4 PM on the day of the Commission meeting. Please reference "Appearances" on your correspondence. Each speaker will be allowed three (3) minutes to speak.
Instructions for joining the meeting can be found on the City's website.
Video from that meeting is available here.
-
BSA Volunteer Restoration Event - May 14
Share BSA Volunteer Restoration Event - May 14 on Facebook Share BSA Volunteer Restoration Event - May 14 on Twitter Share BSA Volunteer Restoration Event - May 14 on Linkedin Email BSA Volunteer Restoration Event - May 14 link
Join EarthCorps and the City of Mercer Island on Saturday, May 14 from 10 am - 2 pm, while we mulch around the new native trees and shrubs that were planted in the boundary areas around the Upper Luther Burbank Bike Skills Area this winter. We will be spreading mulch around our new baby plants and removing invasive blackberry that is growing nearby. No experience necessary, but registration is required, and space is limited!
Please bring a water bottle, and lunch for the mid-day break. Register here!
-
Parks and Recreation Commission Special Video Meeting
Share Parks and Recreation Commission Special Video Meeting on Facebook Share Parks and Recreation Commission Special Video Meeting on Twitter Share Parks and Recreation Commission Special Video Meeting on Linkedin Email Parks and Recreation Commission Special Video Meeting link
Mercer Island's Parks & Recreation Commission has scheduled a Special Video Meeting to discuss the Bike Skills Area on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 at 5:30 pm.
If you wish to speak during the Appearances portion of the meeting, you must register your request with the staff liaison at 206.275.7870 or email and leave a message before 4 PM on the day of the Commission meeting. Please reference "Appearances" on your correspondence. Each speaker will be allowed three (3) minutes to speak.
Instructions for joining the meeting can be found on the City's website.
Video from that meeting is available here.
-
BSA Assessment Report available
Share BSA Assessment Report available on Facebook Share BSA Assessment Report available on Twitter Share BSA Assessment Report available on Linkedin Email BSA Assessment Report available link
We are pleased to announce that Action Sports Design's report on the Bike Skills Area is now available!
-
The Bike Skills Area and PROS Plan - What’s the Deal?
Share The Bike Skills Area and PROS Plan - What’s the Deal? on Facebook Share The Bike Skills Area and PROS Plan - What’s the Deal? on Twitter Share The Bike Skills Area and PROS Plan - What’s the Deal? on Linkedin Email The Bike Skills Area and PROS Plan - What’s the Deal? link
City staff recognizes that there may be confusion about the upcoming approval of the 2022 PROS Plan and the Bike Skills Area. We hope the information below helps provide clarity and context.
What is a PROS Plan?
A Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan is a six-year plan that anticipates the programming and capital projects necessary to meet the community’s needs for parks, recreation and open space, as well as trails, arts, and cultural events. This Plan is required to maintain the City’s eligibility for state grants, and allows the community and City staff to prioritize projects during the biennial budget process.
What about the Capital Facilities Plan (aka Master Capital Project List)?
The PROS Plan includes a document called the Capital Facilities Plan. This is just a fancy name for the long-term parks capital project list or the master project list. Staff endeavor to include all potential capital projects that may be considered over the next twenty years on this list. Mere inclusion on this list does not, however, signal that the project will be completed. In fact, many of the projects will not proceed due to competing priorities, limited resources, or for other reasons.
Projects included in the Capital Facilities Plan come from prior park master plans, staff recommendations and maintenance issues, anticipated asset replacement cycles, and community suggestions such as the outreach that just occurred as part of the PROS planning process.
The Bike Skills Area project was added to the Capital Facilities Plan as a potential project. At the time the Capital Facilities Plan was developed, the project assessment was in its infancy.
What does the PROS Plan say about the Bike Skills Area?
In the Fall of 2021, the decision was made to temporarily close the Bike Skills Area to address a number of concerns. These issues included repeated unauthorized expansion of the course, damage to soils and established vegetation, and construction of jumps that exceed park rules. It became clear to staff that addressing the current state of the Bike Skills Area was critical and the decision was made to temporarily close the facility and engage a consultant (Action Sports Design) to complete an assessment of the site.
At the time that the Capital Facilities Plan was developed, which was also in the Fall of 2021, the temporary closure had just occurred. A future potential project was included in the Capital Facilities Plan as a placeholder while the assessment work at the Bike Skills Area proceeded. The potential project is described in the Plan as “improve bike skills area at Upper Luther Burbank Park. Improvements limited to current footprint, final scope of work TBD.” The cost estimate for this project is listed as $215,000 in 2022. This estimate is a planning level cost-estimate.
Does Adoption of the PROS Plan mean that the Bikes Skills Area Improvement Project is approved?
No.
The Bike Skills Area Improvement project is on a separate path from the PROS Plan. The project team is completing the assessment of the Bike Skills Area and will share that information with the Parks and Recreation Commission at an upcoming meeting. The meeting date has not yet been set.
Has the Bike Skills Area Capital Improvement Project been funded?
No.
Funding for the actual improvements will require an appropriation from the City Council. The amount of the appropriation request will be based on a refined cost estimate developed during the design process.
How was the Bike Skills Area assessment funded?
Costs associated with the Bike Skills Area assessment and the recent restoration work are limited in scope and funded through existing capital budgets identified for small projects and capital reinvestment on park lands.
Will there be an opportunity to provide public input on the Bike Skills Area Assessment?
Yes.
The Parks and Recreation Commission will take public testimony on the assessment before finalizing their recommendation to the City Council. The Commission meeting date will be shared on the Let’s Talk Page and through the City’s communications channels as soon as it is known.
What is the current status of the Bike Skills Area and the consultant report?
The Bike Skills Area remains closed while City staff await the completion of the consultant’s report. The final report has been delayed on the consultant’s side due to unexpected health reasons.
The final report will include recommendations to address the identified issues at the Bike Skills Area and a concept-level redesign of the bike area (incorporating feedback from the past two surveys). The report will also include a cost estimate for the construction of such improvements. As noted previously, this information will be presented to the Parks and Recreation Commission at a future meeting.
What work is currently happening at the Bike Skills Area?
City staff are working on some of the most immediate needs at the site. This includes flattening existing jumps to aid drainage and reduce pooling, re-grading the edges of the Bike Skills Area to ensure that undercut hillsides are stabilized, and replanting native shrubs and trees on slopes just outside of the course to reduce erosion.
The regrading and replanting work was identified early as an important priority to create a sustainable site for the Bike Skills Area. Native plantings are more successful if they are established during the ‘wet season’ and volunteers have been a big part in this planting work. Regrading and replanting is critical to reducing erosion and creating a safe park space.
This work was planned prior to engaging the consultant to perform the assessment, and would have taken place regardless of the status of the PROS Plan or any projects listed therein.
-
Thank you, volunteers!
Share Thank you, volunteers! on Facebook Share Thank you, volunteers! on Twitter Share Thank you, volunteers! on Linkedin Email Thank you, volunteers! link
This Saturday, City staff and EarthCorps led a successful volunteer planting event at the BSA, installing over 400 plants around the edges of the bike course! These native shrubs and trees will help stabilize recently regraded slopes and reduce future erosion at the site. City staff will continue to plant and mulch over the coming weeks. If you're in the area, please stop by to see the plants in their new homes.
Many thanks to the 15 volunteers who took time out of a sunny winter day to give back to Upper Luther Burbank Park and help sustain a healthy forest in one of the Island's most beautiful open spaces. We are grateful for your hard work!
Please stay tuned to this page for future volunteer opportunities.
-
January 2022 Updates
Share January 2022 Updates on Facebook Share January 2022 Updates on Twitter Share January 2022 Updates on Linkedin Email January 2022 Updates link
Assessment Report delayed
Staff at Action Sports Design have been significantly impacted by the recent COVID surge, delaying their work on the final report to the City. We hope to make the report available to the public by mid-February, and will begin to discuss next steps for the BSA shortly thereafter. Stay tuned to this page for updates!
Volunteer Planting Event - February 12th
The City has contracted with EarthCorps to lead a volunteer event at the Bike Skills Area on Saturday, February 12, 2022 from 10 am to 2 pm. The event will be focused on planting native shrubs and trees on the edges of the bike area, which will help stabilize soils on steep slopes. You can sign up to participate in the volunteer event here. Participation is limited to 20 volunteers, and COVID protocols will be strictly enforced. Please visit the sign up site for more information!
