City Council approved a $39,500 contract with Halff Associates to provide mountain bike trail planning and design and maintenance recommendations for the city. Additionally, the group will help the city develop a biking chapter in the city’s parks master plan to serve as the citywide guide for the design, implementation and maintenance of mountain bike trails in the city, according to League City documents.
This effort became public in July when staff indicated it was in the process of demolishing some mountain bike dirt ramps created on city property in Lynn Gripon Park at Countryside. These trails and jumps—which had existed for years, even decades—became illegal when the city discovered bikers were bringing dirt into the area to make the jumps higher.
The area is close to Magnolia Bayou, and adding dirt and other similar modifications is illegal without proper permitting because they are in and near wetlands and the flood plain. As such, the city was forced to take them down.
However, city officials indicated at the time a desire to work with local mountain bikers to create an alternative trail nearby, which is under construction now. Additionally, the city wants to create an even larger course across the creek.
The city has also indicated a desire to create more trails citywide for mountain bikers to use legally and safely in conjunction with local bikers. Halff Associates has been hired for that effort.
