Fairhope, Alabama
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| New proposed plan. |
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| 36 acres in yellow. |
TOO BIKE ORIENTED?
A new plan presented to the city council for the southern part of the Flying Creek Nature Preserve Park by consultants met with mixed reactions from city council members recently.
The consultants from Mobile's Thompson Engineering and TailoredTrails of Cumming, Georgia presented the plan for 3.5 miles of mountain bike trails, 1 mile of multi-use trails, and other mostly bicycle-oriented amenities.
They said they had met with the city's steering committee to develop the plan, which incorporates the existing Pine Mountain Bike Trail that they said was home-made by neighborhood teen-aged bike enthusiasts.
Additional mountain bike trails of various skill levels are being proposed -- as well as a bike playground for beginners -- and a non-bike adventure playground with rock-climbing and similar activities for younger kids. Parking, restrooms and pavilions are also proposed.
COUNCIL MEMBERS WEIGH IN
Councilman Conyers said he liked the plan but questioned the overall density of trails; councilman Burrell thought there may be too much emphasis on biking, given the relatively few trail bikers here.
Conyers: "Squeezing 3.5 miles of trails on 36 acres seems like a lot ... wouldn't want to lose the natural feel there ... ." When he asked if there were liability concerns given the "steepness" of some of the proposed mountain bike trails, city attorney Chris Williams replied there are adequate statutory "use-at-own-risk" protections for recreation in place for municipalities in Alabama.
The trail consultant said the new bike trails would actually be less hazardous than those there already, constructed by the neighborhood kids (which will be replaced).
Councilman Burrell also worried about bike trail density and reminded everyone of previous proposals for the property.
Burrell: "The Kant administration wanted a botanical garden there .... Wilson a wedding venue ... now it is full-on mountain biking ... not sure if I like that ... did not envision it being used solely for biking ... vast majority of people here ... are not mountain bikers ... maybe it will grow on me though ... ."
Burrell also repeated his previous criticism of what he called the unauthorized Pine Mountain Bike Trail constructed on city property without council's approval: "Don't want to glorify the bike trail already built there ... on public property ... that's not allowable ... don't know how that happened ... ."
Burrell conceded such a bike park may draw more tourists to town though.
In reply, trail consultant Aaron Steele mentioned the 1 mile of multi-use walking trails being included, as well as the new bike-playground feature and various other facilities (parking lot, climbing wall, restroom, pavilion)
Steele: "We hope it is not just for a handful of teenagers, but for all bikers of all ages 5-40."
Councilman Boone worried about liability as well; Robinson did not comment (Martin was absent).
NEEDS COUNCIL'S APPROVAL
The full city council will have to approve the proposal at some point (or modify it) before a detailed master plan can be developed.
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| Overall. |
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| Proposed bike playground. |
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| Bike trail elements. |
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| Walking trails. |
Comments
"Vast majority of people here are not..." soccer players. How many acres of city property are dedicated to soccer?
"Vast majority of people here are not..." golfers. How many acres of city property are dedicated to golf?
"Vast majority of people here are not..." disc golf players. How many acres of city property are dedicated to disc golf?
"Vast majority of people here are not..." pickleball or tennis players. How many acres of city property are dedicated to pickleball or tennis?
I'm not sure what a herb garden is, but it seems that Knoll Park and the other part of Flying Creek Park are both aiming to become kind of like botanical gardens. Plus every other street corner and the park by the pier all have interesting floral stuff going on all year round.
There is at least one dog park already on city property.
There are already countless gathering spaces and family-oriented spaces throughout the city.
Right now, there is no city property dedicated to mountain biking or trail running. The closest trails to ride or run are at Blakeley State Park, USA, and UWF. It would be nice to have something a little more local. Implementing this plan will be a great addition to the city and to diversifying the city's recreational offerings.
Since the “vast majority” of residents don’t walk, keep the new graveled trails for walkers and the “Pine Mountain” section for the bikes. Problem solved.
While I’m not an expert on herb gardens, it looks like Knoll Park and the nearby section of Flying Creek Park are becoming beautiful botanical gardens. Our street corners and the park by the pier also feature lovely flowers year-round!
We have at least one dog park and many family gathering spaces, but we’re missing dedicated areas for mountain biking and trail running. The closest trails are at Blakeley State Park and UWF, so local options would be a great addition!
Southern Alabama is a veritable no-man’s-land for off-road cycling, unlike Northern Alabama and the rest of the greater Southeast U.S.
An energetic place like Fairhope is starved for peaceful, safe, natural off-road cycling venues; ideally two types:
1 – Smaller, close-in, easy to get to (as proposed) -and –
2 – Something further out with good natural or ‘human-made’ terrain and 25++ miles of trails.
We have several highly capable cycle shops to cater to our business and help us grow. If we build trails, the growth of the sport will surely come.