LOCAL
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
A7
Bicycle playground on schedule for Aug. 27 opening
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
WALLOWA — The
grand opening of the new
bicycle playground in Wal-
lowa is to be held on sched-
ule Saturday, Aug. 27 at 207
W. Second St., behind the
Wallowa Schools, despite
the hailstorm that pummeled
the town, according to Ron
Pickens of Building Healthy
Families.
The event, which is to
run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,
will feature guest motiva-
tional speaker Bobby Jones.
Food will be available, as
hamburgers and hot dogs
are grilled and vouchers are
off ered for snow cones, Pick-
ens said Aug. 17.
Eight mountain bicycles
and 10 skateboards will be
raffl ed throughout the day, he
said.
The hailstorm did mini-
mal damage to the tin roof on
the picnic shelter at the park,
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Workers from the American Ramp Co. moved pieces of the
new bicycle playground at Wallowa into place Monday,
Aug. 15, 2022. A grand opening for the playground is planned
for Saturday, Aug. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
but nothing signifi cant, Pick-
ens said.
“I’m thankful it didn’t set
back the grand opening,” he
said. “Any damage was kind
of small scale in the picture
of what happened here that
week.
“We know that the ben-
efi ts of physical activity for
children, especially in under-
served areas like Wallowa,
can contribute to better men-
tal health, individual empow-
erment and a more inclusive
community,” Pickens said.
He was the driving force
not only for the Wallowa
project, but also last sum-
mer’s refurbishment of the
skate park in Enterprise.
He said there’s still a bit of
work to be done, as kids will
be painting a portable toilet
donated by Rahn Disposal
and building a fence Aug. 19.
“I just had a kid sanding
and staining some timber,”
he said.
Pickens said his personal
experience shows the high
value such a project can
mean for kids.
“I experienced this fi rst-
hand for myself as a child,
when I found a positive out-
let in recreational sports like
biking and skateboarding,”
he said. “That’s one reason I
was so passionate about this
project. I can’t wait to see all
the good things it will bring
to the community, and am so
thankful for all the support
we’ve received to make it
possible.”
Students from Wallowa
County were engaged in
the entire process of build-
ing the park, from conduct-
ing pre-construction com-
munity surveys to grassroots
fundraising and from speak-
ing at City Council meetings
to designing and constructing
the park itself, Pickens said.
A youth art contest was held
to select the new logo for the
park. The park was built on
a lot occupied by an unused
tennis court on Wallowa
School District lands.
The
approximately
$270,000-project was paid
for with donations from a
wide variety of groups and
individuals, including the
Roundhouse
Foundation,
the Ford Family Founda-
tion, the Autzen Foundation
and the Oregon Community
Foundation-Trail
Blazers
Foundation Fund.
Fundraisers
included
a drawing for barbecue, a
silent auction, a raffl e for
time on the Minam River
and selling hats and T-shirts.
“We were so impressed
with this project and the
leadership that the young
people of Wallowa County
showed to make it happen,”
said Erin Borla, executive
director of the Roundhouse
Foundation.
“Building
Healthy Families inspired
their students and supported
the learning of employable
skills while leading this proj-
ect through all phases: plan-
ning, design, fundraising
and assisting with the con-
struction. This local project
also helps to make recreation
opportunities accessible for
families in this rural county
while thinking creatively
about a unique space in
their community.”
This week’s featured book
Diana, William,
and Harry
by James Patterson
Bike club makes presentation before commissioners
General Fund to the Amer-
ican Rescue Act after the
county received a second
transfer from the federal gov-
ernment of $700,035.
• Approved meeting min-
utes on the county Road
Department Service District
and a block grant hearing for
the Northeast Oregon Eco-
nomic Development District,
both from Aug. 3.
• Approved the separation
from service of Robin Wort-
man, who died Aug. 2.
• Approved a new hire of
Theresa Spaur in a full-time
position as grants manager
and executive assistant for
the commissioners.
• Approved an intrafund
transfer for emergency ser-
vices for a one-time bonus.
• Approved an interfund
transfer from public transit
to Statewide Transportation
Improvement Fund and STF
to STIF. Roberts said this
is being combined into one
fund, as required by the state.
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Enterprise OR 9828
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working on posters for a
Sept. 8 Safe Riding in Wal-
lowa County Initiative, a
course to teach how cyclists,
motorcycles, horses and
pedestrians can all share the
road safely.
The club also has worked
with the Joseph Chamber of
Commerce on Bike Rides
Northwest that camped at
Joseph Charter School. As
a result of that work, the
club received funding and is
applying for a grant to add to
those funds to pay for a new
bicycle rack at the school.
There’s also a scavenger
hunt similar to one held in
Enterprise last year, she said.
Mart said the club has
taken an active role maintain-
ing trails on Forest Service
land, such as the 18 miles
they work on at Salt Creek
Summit. She said they’re
working with the Forest Ser-
vice to put in additional trails.
In other business, the
commissioners:
• Approved an order for
an intrafund transfer from the
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ENTERPRISE — The
head of a local bicycle club
introduced herself and the
club to the Wallowa County
Board of Commission-
ers at its meeting, Wednes-
day, Aug. 17, but wasn’t ask-
ing for land for a pump track
as she had with the city of
Enterprise.
“The mission of the Wal-
lowa Mountains Bicycle Club
is to enhance the Wallowa
County bicycling experi-
ence of families and individu-
als through advocacy, educa-
tion and promoting cycling
opportunities on the trail,
gravel and road,” club Pres-
ident Angela Mart said. “We
have tried really hard the past
couple of years to involve
ourselves in the community,
as well as with the Forest Ser-
vice and working on trails.”
Mart, who with club Vice
President Zeb Burke, has
lobbied the Enterprise City
Council for space on which to
build a pump track and bicy-
cle park within the city.
“We’ve been working
with the city of Enterprise
and unfortunately, all the land
they came up with wouldn’t
work,” she said. “I have since
then reached out to the board
at the fairgrounds and I have
also reached out to the city of
Joseph and I am meeting with
the city administrator there on
another matter, so I’ll bring
that up with him.”
She said the pump track
would be particularly good
exercise for kids who live in
town.
“It’s a really great activity
for kids and families and par-
ticularly for kids who don’t
live on farms and ranches, it’s
a great alternative activity for
them,” Mart said.
But for now, the 501(c)(3)
organization’s focus is on trail
and road rides.
“We’re an all-inclusive
bike club, including moun-
tain bikes, road bikes, gravel
bikes, kids bikes,” she said.
“We have a board of seven
members and fi ve awesome
sponsors and are a member
of Wallowa County Chamber
of Commerce. We have pages
on Facebook and Instagram,
too.”
She said they have weekly
rides.
“These have turned out
really well,” she said. “We’ve
had anywhere from zero peo-
ple showing up to eight peo-
ple showing up and it varies
from day to day.”
The exercise element goes
with Mart’s vocation. She said
she’s lived in the county for
six and a half years, coming
here to help Wallowa Memo-
rial Hospital start its occupa-
tional therapy program. As
such, she’s the fi rst full-time
occupational therapist in the
county.
Mart went onto discuss
other projects the two-year-
old club is working on.
She said the club is
TH
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
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