GREENVILLE, N.C. — The City of Greenville's newest park will soon be getting more amenities.

 

The City Council during its meeting Monday night unanimously approved a contract with Nature Trails, LLC for the construction of the Chris Smith Mountain Bike Trails and the Bicycle Skills Park and Pump Track at Wildwood Park. The amenities will be the first of their kind in the City's park system and add even more appeal to the 365-acre Wildwood Park.

 

The approved contract will not exceed $722,500, and the City is receiving generous financial support ($476,000) from Grady-White Boats and the Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation to help with the construction costs. Funding to cover the remaining balance is available through the City's previously approved debt financing for Wildwood Park.

 

City staff say the addition of the biking amenities at Wildwood will fill an identified recreational need in the community. Both mountain bike trails and a pump track were identified in the Wildwood Park Development Plan with two-thirds of survey respondents indicating that they were important or most important to have at the park.

 

The project will include six miles of single-track mountain bike trails along with the skills park and pump track, and it will be designed to be utilized as a National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) race course. Construction is expected to take approximately 12 months.