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04/04/2017 04:30 PMDedicated mountain bicyclists already know about the Singletracks of Rockland in North Madison—each week, year-round, nearly 500 riders from across New England visit the trail system. Rockland Preserve Volunteers and the Madison Beach & Recreation Department are looking to expand the attractions at the preserve and they have a grant opportunity in mind.
This April, the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is collaborating with The Walt Disney Company, including Disney Citizenship, Disney ABC Television Group, and ESPN, to revitalize parks across the U.S. through a $20,000 “Meet Me at the Park” grant.
Residents and supporters can nominate their town or city for the grant and the town with the most nominations wins the money. Madison aims to get residents to vote for their town and if the town wins, the money will go toward a plan to expand Rockland Preserve.
The Singletracks of Rockland is a series of loops and courses for non-motorized cycling or trail hiking covering nearly 20 miles. If the town receives the money, Rockland volunteers and town officials say they hope to add a bicycle pump track, a skills area, and a natural playground to the preserve.
According to the park’s site www.madisonct.org/RBP, a pump track is a continuous loop of multi-level dirt that allows cyclists to generate speed without pedaling, providing a form of exercise and a place for children to practice biking in a controlled environment.
A skills area is a dense area of bicycle challenges that work to improve balance and skills unique to mountain biking, such as traversing logs and rocks.
Volunteers have a fundraising goal of $50,000 for all of the new features and Beach & Recreation Director Scot Erskine said the “Meet me at the Park” grant would be a good first step.
“We are proposing the bike tracks up in Rockland where we want to develop a pump track so this is one of the funding efforts that we want to try and do,” he said. “It would not cost the town anything.”
Erskine said last year 15 towns across the country received the $20,000 grant. Rockland Preserve volunteers are planning to start building the new features sometime in 2017 and Singletracks creator Jason Engelhardt said this grant would be a big help.
“The project will likely take place in stages, first the skills area, then the pump track, and last the natural playground,” he said in a statement. “Right now, we have a website with our plans and have built a partnership with the town, we have applied for some promising grants, and we are optimistic that we are going to connect with people who want to help, by contributing funds, materials, expertise, and equipment.”
Voting is open through April 30. Visit www.meetmeatthepark.org to learn more about the grant and to nominate Madison. To learn more about the Rockland Preserve, the Singletracks, and the new planned features, visit www.madisonct.org/RBP.