The new mountain bike skills park in Harewood Centennial Park costs around $25,000 and took less than a year to be built following approval by City Council. (City of Nanaimo)

By Jordan Davidson

bike park

New Harewood bike skills park opens in time for summer season

Jun 30, 2023 | 3:09 PM

NANAIMO — Just in time for the Canada Day long weekend, a new feature is available at the already well-stocked Harewood Centennial Park.

A brand new mountain bike skills park was officially opened on Friday, June 30, adding to the ever-growing amenities in the area.

Manager of parks operations with the City of Nanaimo Charlotte Davis said it’s designated as a “green level” or entry-level bike park for riders, allowing them to hone their skills.

“I would say beginners to intermediate users are going to find it’s a great opportunity to practice their mountain bike riding, and it really compliments the bike skills parks that we already have at Beban Park as well, right next to the Stevie Smith bike park. The aim is to help younger, new riders gain their skills in a controlled environment.”

The new bike skills park, adjacent to the skateboard park, adds to the feature-rich area which already includes sports fields, a youth skate park, covered sports courts, a water park, an accessible playground, and a soon-to-be-constructed pair of artificial turf fields.

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Davis said it’s also another addition to the list of bike-friendly places in the Harbour City.

“It really compliments the bike skills parks that we already have at Beban Park as well, right next to the Stevie Smith Bike Park. The aim is to help younger, new riders gain their skills in a controlled environment.”

The new park was built as a collaboration between the City of Nanaimo and the Stevie Smith Legacy Foundation, with Davis thanking them for their expertise during the design and construction phases.

“It was actually really hard to build this thing and keep the kids off of it, because everyone was just so excited to get in there and ride it, so I’m pleased that it’s finally open.” said Davis.

The project was approved by Council in the fall of 2022 as part of the Harewood Centennial Park plan and came in at about half of the budgeted $50,000.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow