MOOSE JAW - Cyclists and BMX enthusiasts have something to look forward to this summer as the Moose Jaw Police Association Bike Park has undergone significant maintenance upgrades by the city’s contractor, Edmonton-based Hoots Ltd.
“This year, when we came back (after the pandemic), we… (lifted) pretty much the entire park as it was built originally,” said Jay Hoots, president of Hoots Ltd.
“It was a great opportunity to not only come back and work in Moose Jaw, which we love, but to (practice) cost effectiveness and work on a project we know intimately,” he added.
Planned maintenance takes place every two years to ensure everyone’s safety and maintain the park’s features which are prone to erosion over time. Since first opening in 2016, this was the third time the park was maintained by the contractor.
The park links municipal walking trails and is constructed on approximately one acre of land. It includes a start and return hill, drops, beginner to advanced level jump lines, pump tracks, and technical skill and balance components for experienced riders.
Recent upgrades include a rebuild of the park’s jump lines and the roller lines that connect the starter hill to the jumps. The starter hill was reshaped and recompacted, and the wall ride was shaped for easier access.
“Before,” he said, “(the wall ride) had a little bit of a crazy hump to get onto it. Now it’s opened up and running pretty good both ways.”
The company fully reset the pump track, which now includes “some sweet angles,” the ladder and log bridges were inspected and tidied, and the forested skill area and children’s oval and mini-BMX features were also tidied.
After each project, the team —themselves avid bikers — will personally test out the course. This includes employees Braden Langford and Michael Killbraeth, who both had bike parks built in their hometown of Hinton, Alta. by the company before they were hired.
“We’re all riders,” Hoots said. “I rode for Norco for 23 years as a professional mountain biker… If one of us is a little banged up or injured, then the rest of us try to test (the course).”
Hoots said he’s received a lot of positive feedback, including a warm reception from numerous bikers eager to ride during the project’s 12 consecutive days. He said he’s also seeing more riders with each visit.
“(A few folks) were super stoked that it was up and running again, and everybody was excited that everything had shapes again,” he said.
Hoots said he’s grateful to have been chosen as the park’s developer.
“We (were) really excited,” he said. “Our specialty is what we do — bike parks, and especially community parks…” When the project was concluded, Hoots Ltd. even gave the city a detailed maintenance manual to help with upkeep.
There are currently no further projects lined up for the company but Hoots said his original design included a phased expansion plan — should the city decide to expand on the park.
“This was one of the greatest community projects that we did,” Hoots explained, describing it as one of the company’s top builds. “It was certainly in the top five for the amount of people that came out, and for how giving the community was for our crew to be there.”
This hospitality was demonstrated by at least one Moose Jaw family who provided the Hoots crew with a homemade meal during their visit.
To learn more about the contractor and its past projects, visit Hoots.ca/Projects.
The Moose Jaw Police Association Bike Park is free to use and is located next to the Yara Centre at 1220 High Street West.
