OUTDOOR ENCOUNTER PROJECT BRIEF WILKINS BRANCH MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK LEIPERS FORK, TN PREPARED FOR OUTDOOR ENCOUNTER BY

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1 OUTDOOR ENCOUNTER PROJECT BRIEF WILKINS BRANCH MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK LEIPERS FORK, TN PREPARED FOR OUTDOOR ENCOUNTER BY

2 WILKINS BRANCH BIKE PARK BRIEF LEIPERS FORK, TN TABLE OF CONTENTS DEFINITIONS WHAT IS A MTB PARK... 3 SINGLETRACK DEFINED PUMP TRACK DEFINED... 5 SKILLS COURSE DEFINED SESSION ZONE DEFINED BENEFITS OF A MTB PARK DEMAND FOR TRAILS... 9 PROPOSED TRAIL SYSTEM PROPOSED TIMELINE CONCERNS

3 WHAT IS A MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK? A Bike Park is a purpose-built park for bikes. There are various elements that make up a comprehensive bike park. A park can include all or just a few. Each amenity provides a different experience and builds a different skill set. When combined, they provide levels of progression which enables riders to advance at their own pace. Singletrack Trail Pumptrack Session Zones Skills Course Playground Slalom Not applicable in locally due to terrain The demand for these parks is growing rapidly. The goal is to meet the demand by building unique, innovative, and sustainable progressive-based parks with risk management and maintenance in mind. PURPOSE BUILT SINGLE TRACK DEFINED The term mountain bike trail is used to describe a lot of different types of trails, everything from a smooth, level and wide unpaved bike path to the extremely steep, rocky trails that traverse down the sides of mountains. The proposed mountain bike trail system in the Wilkins Branch Mountain Bike Park ( WBMP ) will consist of approximately miles of natural, singletrack trail suitable for beginner-level mountain bikers through advanced-level mountain bikers. Singletrack trails are low-impact trails that consist of local dirt, sediments, and terrain features found in the immediate vicinity of the trail. Singletrack trails tend to wind around obstacles such as trees, large rocks and bushes. Singletrack trails typically blend into the surrounding environment and have a very small footprint in terms of both the amount of space occupied and the actual ecological impact. Types of Singletrack: Flow Trail All trails have a rhythm, a place where mountain bikers can find their groove. They call it flow. Flow Trails take mountain bikers on a terrain-induced roller coaster experience, with little pedaling and braking necessary. This style of trail typically contains features like banked turns, rolling terrain, various types of jumps, and consistent and predictable surfaces. Conspicuously absent are abrupt corners or unforeseen obstacles. As a rider carves back and forth, and up and down, he or she develops a rhythm and flows down the trail. Flow trails are what you make them: leisurely rides with your kids where beginners can roll over dirt features and bypass technical ones, or an exploration of skills and airtime for fast, talented riders who want to turn the trail into the ultimate playground. Technical Trails and Natural Obstacles Objects that add challenge by impeding travel. Examples include: rocks, roots, logs, holes, ledges, drop-offs, etc. The height of each obstacle is measured from the tread surface to the top of the obstacle. If the obstacle is uneven in height, measure to the point over which it is most easily ridden. Technical Trail Features are objects that have been introduced to the trail to add technical challenge. Examples include: rocks, logs, elevated bridges, teeter-totters, jumps and drops. Both the height and the width of the technical trail feature are measured. Maintenance: Singletrack requires regular maintenance to keep the corridor clear of foliage and the tread clear of leaves/debris, but maintenance costs are remarkably low, and seldom involves specialized tools or equipment. Usually, a weed whacker, a leaf blower (or rake) and a hand saw are all that is required to perform singletrack trail maintenance. 3 4

4 PUMPTRACK DEFINED A closed circuit track consisting of berms, rollers, and mounds that are spaced and shaped in such a way as to allow the rider to generate speed without pedaling. It is designed to be ridden in any direction. SESSION ZONE DEFINED A Session Zone is basically a dirt jump park with man-made features built into it. It may also include other skills-building areas, like a drop zone. The Zone typically consists of 3 lines (beg, int, & exp). It is designed for riders of all levels to learn or to enjoy jumping their bike in a more controlled environment. SKILLS COURSE DEFINED A Skills Course is an open flat area with a variety of elevated features, such as ladder bridges or skinnys, designed to teach balance and technical bike handling skills. This along with the pumptrack are the core amenities that teach the most basic bike handling skills necessary to ride other amenities within the bike park. 5 6

5 BENEFITS OF A DEDICATED MTB PARK Promotes healthy, active, outdoor recreation: Getting outside isn t just fun. It s essential to our well-being. Countless vastudies show that both exercise and spending time outdoors help promote physical and mental health. Access to singletrack trails in WCBP will help community members to engage in activties that contribute positively to their health and quality of life. Practice/Trailing Location for local Mountain Bike Teams Low Ecological Impact: Singletrack trails are an intentionally-designed immersive experience in nature. A key purpose of these trails is to provide access to the beauty of nature. Additionally, singletrack trails can help improve the ecological health of natural public areas by providing greater access to hard-to-reach areas and allow public employees and volunteers to remove invasive plant species. Small footprint: Singletrack trails tend to wind around on themselves, allowing for a substantial amount of recreational trail within small areas. Utilize Existing Assets: The natural areas within WCBP are a natural getaway in a community that is seeing ever expanding development. These areas are a great asset to the community, and will become even more important as Williamson County continues to grow. Currently, without trails to access these areas, they are difficult to fully appreciate and represent an under-utilized asset to the community. Lower Crime: Unused space in a community can serve as a haven for illicit activities. The installation of trails draws unwanted attention to those conducting illicit activities and often causes them to pursue their activities elsewhere. Many communities find that by building recreational trails through urban/suburban woodlands, they bring more people into the woods, and reduce the amount of undesirable and illicit activities that occur in those areas. Year-round accessibility: The growing popularity of fatbikes (a.k.a. snowbikes ) has been one of the most important trends in cycling during the past two years. Fat bikes are specialty mountain bikes that utilize extra-large (4 to 5 inch wide) tires with very low air pressure (appx 10 psi) to increase surface area of the tires and provide floatation over snow. The extra wide tires of fatbikes act similar to snowshoes and allow off road cyclists to enjoy their sport through the snowy winter months. 7 8

6 DEMAND FOR NATURAL TRAILS Locally, regionally, nationally and even internationally demand for mountain bike specific trails is growing, especially in expanding urban and suburban environments. As a growing number of people live, work and recreate in urban/suburban communities, there is a corresponding growth in the demand for natural areas and natural trails within these communities. WILKINS BRANCH BIKE PARK PROPOSED TRAIL MAP The development of natural trails, including mountain bike specific, is essential in continuing to make Williamson County the #1 most desirable place to live and work in Tennessee. Below are the current locations of mountain bike trails within the Greater Nashville area. Please Note There are NO dedicated mountain bike trails in Williamson Co. Percy Warner 9 miles singletrack Bells Bend 2 miles (5 miles when complete) Cane Ridge 4 miles Hamilton Creek 5 miles singletrack Lock miles Long Hunter 4 miles Montgomery Bell - 25 miles Shutes Branch 7 miles Chickasaw Trace 8 Miles 9 10

7 PROPOSED TRAIL SYSTEM Since singletrack trail conforms to the natural terrain, it is very difficult to provide an accurate map of the trail prior to the on-the-ground design. Once the design phase of trail development begins, it will be possible to create an accurate map of the actual route of the trail and submit the map to the Williamson County Parks and Recreation before beginning actual construction of the trail. Additionally, until the design process is completed, it is difficult to determine the distance of trail that can be built within the WCBP, but the goal is approximately miles of singletrack within the park boundaries. Typically, 10 acres allows for 1 mile of singletrack trail. Installation Cost: Singletrack trail installation is a labor-intensive activity that, when contracted by a private trail building organization, can cost tens of thousands of dollars per mile of trail. The premier trail building firms in the USA can cost $25,000+ per mile depending on terrain and course. In contrast, singletrack trails can be built by local volunteers for very little cost. However, due to the intensity of the work, and demographics of the Williamson County area, it has proven to take an average of months for volunteers to build ONE mile! It would take years to complete the WBMP if we relied solely on volunteers. CONCERNS REGARDING TRAILS A number of concerns arise surrounding the installation and use of singletrack. This section seeks to provide accurate and research-based information about those concerns: Trail Costs: OE commits to raising the necessary funds to pay for the design and build out of the single track trails. This will substantially reduce the financial impact on WCP&R, while meeting a need within the county. Environmental Concerns: There are some misconceptions that trail construction damages trees or creates erosion. OE agrees to contract trail building professionals, with experience who abide by IMBA trail building standards to prevent damage to the environment. IMBA standards have been scientifically tested and have been proven to minimize ecological impact. Impacts to Wildlife: Some fear that the use of the trail will scare away the wildlife. Singletrack trails marginally impact the environment and research suggests that this disruption has minimal effect on wildlife; often wildlife will actually utilize the trails. Note: Trail design is the most critical and complicated element of installing a new singletrack trail system. Therefore, design of the trail will be done by a top professional trail building consultant. Volunteers will not be used in this part of the project. Maintenance Williamson County Parks and Recreation will be responsible for all maintenance of the trail once complete. OE will work with WCP&R if needed on organizing volunteer days and/or consulting on various trail issues. Difficulty level Mountain bike trail systems often utilize a difficulty rating system similar to those used in cross country & downhill skiing. According to the scale used by IMBA, the proposed trail system in WBMP will have a difficulty rating in the Green Circle ( Easy ) Blue Square ( More Difficult ) and Black Diamond ( Most Difficult ) range. Learn more about the IMBA trail rating system here: PROPOSED TIMELINE January February 2016 Resolution with Williamson County & Williamson County Parks & Rec. February June 2016 Planning and Design July TBD Marketing and Fundraising (Phase 1 can begin when $400,000 has been raised) Construction Phase 1: weeks Phase 2: weeks Phase 3: 6 8 weeeks 11 12