Progressive Bike Ramps of Joplin, MO, an industry leader in bike facility construction and design will work in conjunction with Cincinnati Parks and CORA (Cincinnati Off-RoadAlliance) to design a unique bike skills park in Mt. Airy Forest.
Cincinnati, OH April 13, 2021– CORA (Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance), the local chapter of the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA), and the Cincinnati Park Board have selected Progressive Bike Ramps (PBR) of Joplin, MO to design the first bike skills park within the Cincinnati Parks system. Progressive Bike Ramps brings an impressive resume of purpose built and designed park infrastructure to the project and will collaborate with the community and park users to develop a complete plan for the site including poster-size prints of the final design, three-dimensional and two-dimensional designs, digital design files, and detailed cost estimates for the project. “We’re really excited to be working with Progressive Bike Ramps on this exciting new project, a project we hope will become a blueprint for parks throughout the region. Bike skills facilities are a great way to introduce new users to the joy of natural surface riding, and they provide safe places for youth and beginners to recreate. We are so appreciative of the support from the Park Board, Cincinnati Parks Foundation, Cincinnati Parks staff, and the communities surrounding Mt. Airy, and we are thrilled to take another step towards putting multi-use natural surface trail opportunities in every community in our city. Olivia Birkenhauer, President, Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance. This project builds on a successful partnership between Cincinnati Parks and CORA to design and build a 4.5 mile multi-use trail providing the first area in Cincinnati Parks allowing mountain bikers. Construction continues on this very popular public amenity.
At almost 1,500 acres, Mt. Airy Forest is Cincinnati’s largest park. It was established in 1911 out of several unproductive farms, and was the first municipal reforestation in America. Crews were employed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (a federal jobs program during the Great Depression) to build service roads, the large check dams in West Fork Creek and—along with more skilled laborers working for the Works Progress Administration—most of the shelters, service and restroom buildings and trails in the park. Brad Lindner, Cincinnati Park Board of Commissioners President commented, “It is amazing what this partnership with CORA has already yielded. I am thrilled to see what comes next as we begin an effort to design a first-class bike skills park for residents and visitors of all ages to enjoy for decades to come. On behalf of the Park Board, I’d like to express our continued gratitude to CORA for their support and energy in Mt. Airy. We look forward to welcoming Progressive Bike Ramps to the project and working with them and the Cincinnati community to design something really special.” Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance is a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to create, preserve, and promote mountain bike access and diverse riding opportunities in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region through education, communication, and unified action. Cincinnati Parks Ranked as the 5th best parks system in the nation, Cincinnati Parks' 5,000 acres consists of five regional parks, 70 neighborhood parks, 34 natural areas, 5 neighborhood nature centers, 5 parkways, 16 scenic overlooks and 65 miles of hiking and bridle trails. The mission of Cincinnati Parks is “to conserve, manage, sustain, and enhance parks’ natural and cultural resources and public greenspace for the enjoyment, enlightenment and enrichment of the Cincinnati community.“ Each and every day a dedicated staff of park professionals work to keep the parks clean, safe, reliable, green and beautiful for the enjoyment of everyone.
If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Olivia Birkenhauer at 859-512-5045 or email at obirkenhauer@coramtb.org.