The Bicycle Coalition of Maine awards us a grant for a Pump Track!

On Sunday, September 10th, The Bicycle Coalition of Maine awarded RSU 1 the sum of $2,705 for the construction of a pump track next to Bath Middle School and The Bath Skatepark. This grant will allow us to build and maintain an exciting cycling resource for our community.

A pump track is a short mountain bike loop with terrain features and banked turns allowing skilled riders to propel themselves without pedaling. It takes practice, but once you figure it out it's a great way to build both skills and full-body fitness. I have been talking about a pump track for Bath with the Rec. Department Director, Steve Balboni, for a number of years, and he has been a supporter of the idea from the get-go. The grant opportunity from the Bicycle Coalition was brought to my attention, and it seemed like a good fit. I'm thrilled that we received it!

A plan for the track will be submitted to the City Planner in the next week, and we hope to get the track built before the snow flies. We plan to hire an excavator for a day, and have middle school students and community members help haul and shape dirt. An exciting addition is that The Specialized Foundation is planning to send out a few pump track experts from their headquarters to help us with the design and construction.

As you can imagine, having a pump track in such close proximity to the middle school will be a great addition to our Riding For Focus program.

Be sure to check back soon to see how our pump track is progressing.

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R4F (Riding for Focus)

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