Why Design a New Bike Skills Area?

The City temporarily closed the Bike Skills Area (BSA) at Upper Luther Burbank Park in October 2021 due to significant operating challenges and safety concerns. Over several months, staff and the Parks & Recreation Commission collected community feedback and evaluated alternatives for reopening a BSA on Mercer Island. This post summarizes the process that led to the City Council authorizing funds to design a new BSA at Deane's Children's Park. For more background information about the process from October 2021 to July 2022, visit our Let's Talk page for the Bike Skills Area at Upper Luther Burbank Park.

The Bike Skills Area (BSA), formerly known as the BMX park, was originally built in Upper Luther Burbank Park by neighborhood riders in the 1970s. At the time, the parkland was owned and managed by King County. Use of the area continued, with riders creating and shaping jumps and trails within the ravine area. The name of this location was changed in 2021 to reflect new biking trends and changes in facility use in the last five decades. changes in the use of the facility over the past five decades to include other biking styles.

Over the years, increased use and unauthorized expansion of the Bike Skills Area caused damage and degradation to the surrounding hillsides and vegetation. The City temporarily closed the BSA in Upper Luther Burbank Park to restore vegetation and evaluate whether the area could safely and sustainably operate as a bike skills location going forward.

Action Sports Design, LLC (ASD) performed a full assessment of the existing site. The final report was completed in April 2022 and included several recommendations for the re-design of the BSA in Upper Luther Burbank Park. However, due to the complexity of the site (topography and lack of existing stormwater infrastructure) and anticipated permitting requirements, reopening the BSA in Upper Luther Burbank Park would require significant engineering and design, likely taking up to two years to complete design, environmental review, and construction.

From April to July 2022, City staff and the Parks & Recreation Commission (PRC) solicited public input and evaluated other park sites where a new BSA could be located. At the end of that process, the PRC recommended that the City Council appropriate funds to develop a 30% design for a new BSA facility at Deane’s Children’s Park. On July 19, 2022, the City Council accepted the PRC’s recommendation and appropriated $75,000 from the Capital Improvement Fund to move forward with developing a 30% design (AB 6120).

For many years, Deane’s Children’s Park was home to the City’s Adventure Playground. The park provided an environment for kids to imagine, build, and create their own adventure in a forested area. The Adventure Playground operated between 3-5 days per week in the summer and fall as both a drop-in activity and organized summer camp program, averaging between 30-60 children at a given time.

Although the site has many trees, the site lacks healthy understory vegetation and has already been significantly impacted by active recreation. The City no longer offers the Adventure Playground program. Construction of a new BSA in this location would not adversely or negatively impact the site.

While the Deane’s Children’s Playground site presents many opportunities for a new BSA, additional design work is necessary to ensure proper access, including consideration of the surrounding park amenities such as the nearby playgrounds; active and passive park uses; and the connection to Island Park Elementary and Island Crest Way trails. The Commission discussed many of these considerations before making their formal recommendation.