The plans for the Becker Bike Park (image courtesy of the City of Vernon)

By Liam Verster

Pump Track, Dirt Jumps and More

Plans unveiled for Vernon bike park

Feb 28, 2024 | 2:00 PM

Plans have been released for Vernon’s newest outdoor recreation facility.

An update including designs for the Becker Bike Park was provided to Vernon city council at the regular meeting Monday, Feb. 26.

The plans for the Becker Bike Park (image courtesy of the City of Vernon)

The facilities will be in the park west of the Vernon Recreation Centre complex.

“The design, (shown above), is aligned with the original intent of the bike park project. This has been developed in coordination with the North Okanagan Cycling Society,” Jackson Stewart, Vernon’s senior project manager, told city council.

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“The office has identified three key facilities and amenities that are missing from our current mountain bike property in Vernon. The key ones here are going to be the dirt jump zone, paved pump track, and the skilled drop zone.”

The plans calls for the existing trails, including the hiking trail, to be improved, and an additional access point to a two-way trail would be established off 35th Street as well.

Stewart noted the designs align with the requirements in the B.C. Destination Development Fund grant being used to help cover the costs of the project.

As part of the design, a proposed drainage system had been drawn up, which would see shallow ditches leading to a new system in the lower tier of the slope to collect and redirect water into BX Creek without having to flow across the parking lot.

Plans for stormwater management at the Becker Bike Park (image courtesy of the City of Vernon)

A specific timeline for developing the bike park was not provided, though the city’s website stated the expected completion date would be in December of 2024.

Council received the report for information.

Following Monday’s meeting, Councillor and Acting Mayor, Kari Gares, said the plans have come from close work between the city and the local cycling community.

“It’s easy for us to kind of sit back here and say ‘yep, that makes sense,’ but ultimately we need to make sure that the cycling community has that strategic input so that when we do develop it, we’re developing it correctly,” Gares told Vernon Matters.

“I’m happy to see where we’re heading with Becker Park.”

The project is expected to cost a total of $962,000, of which $500,000 will be covered by the B.C. Destination Development Fund.