Land Bank Begins Planning For New Bike Park

The Nantucket Land Bank has launched an initiative to build a new bike park, and last Friday it issued a formal request for qualifications to potential firms capable of designing and building such a facility on the island.

“We are still doing diligence on potential properties but are interested in putting it somewhere centrally located so it’s convenient for people to access,” Land Bank executive director Jesse Bell said. “I think this will provide another healthy year-round outdoor activity for teenagers. Hopefully once we have a designer on board (end of March) we will have a short list and they can help us assess properties for their suitability.”

Land Bank Commission chair Neil Paterson said the primary property under consideration for the bike park is a Land Bank property located along Milestone Road, just east of the Holdate Partners pit and Tetawkimmo Drive. The Land Bank owns three contiguous parcels there totalling just under 60 acres.

“It’s not going to be huge, but it will have a parking area,” Paterson said. The idea is “to give the youth of Nantucket a healthy outlet.”

Bell said the Land Bank had formed a “Bike Park Planning Committee,” that includes Jim Olney, Joe Topham, John Seip, Ben Champoux, Emily Molden, Graham Burton, and herself.

“I am learning about cool features such as a ‘pump track’ and ‘jump line’ so already this is a fun project for me,” Bell said.

According to the RFQ issued by the Land Bank, it is seeking the right firm “to bring the Project to completion, including but not limited to site assessment, feasibility studies, conceptual and schematic designs, design development, community and permitting board presentations, cost estimating, development of construction documentation and specifications for public bidding, construction administration, project oversight, and any other design services as may be necessary for successful completion of the project.”

Responses are due by 3 p.m. on March 17.