a ‘wanted in Horseshoe A16 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday; December 20, 2006 A proposed bike skills park could help the: region’ produce top-flight mountain bike riders such as pro Ryan Leech, who was here last summer. FILE PHOTO - Bike training park | By DUSTIN QUEZADA. " IF EVERYTHING goes according to plan, mountain bikers and BMX riders could be honing their skills at a new bike park in Ter- - race-as early as next summer. The City of Terrace says it supports an initiative presented by a local cycling club to. build.a bike skills park here. . The Terrace Off Road Cycling Associa- tion (TORCA) presented its proposal to Ter- race council Nov. 27 requesting support for _ the project. Councillors were “receptive to the idea * and asked the club to work with city staff to identify the best possible location, to final- ‘ize'a design and to speak to area neighbours. ~ about the proposal. ~ “We're looking at city-owned park land and park-designated land and city-owned. . ‘vacant land,” said Ross Milnthorp, the city’s director of leisure services, of possible sites for the park. © Though Milnthorp wouldn’ t be specific -about any location, he did say there are a number of possible ones, adding the size of property and what would neighbour are con- siderations TORCA would have to make. But Kate McCarron, TORCA president, says the group has its eyes on one. spot, a treed area'immediately north of the Rotary tennis courts on the corner of Straume Ave. . and Thomas St. “This (location) is pretty much the only one in terms of size and location and it’s vis- ible enough for safety reasons,” said McCar- ron, who. cautioned the group still has con-. sult neighbours by going door to door. A biking skills park would be a place for mountain bikers and BMX riders to learn skills such as jumping, landing and riding on structures such as bridges and skinny wood- en structures. . The idea is to provide a venue to learns skills in a progressive manner before gradu _ ating to more.difficult trails. McCarron says people need to develop skills before going up to trails on Terrace -and.Copper mountains where they may be — riding alone. Besides the safety issue, McCarron says ‘the proposed park i is greatly for kids who are currently using ‘the skateboard park where there isn’t enough room for both mountain» bikers, BMX riders and skaters. Hoots, a well respected high level biker and skills park designer who has been inte- gral in the building of similar parks in West Vancouver, MacKenzie and Canmore, Alta. among others. eu The proposal .asks the city to provide a a venue, cover liability issues and mainte- nance once it is complete. The club has offered to work with: the designer, to secure in-kind donations for the . park’s construction and to solicit financial ; assistance to cover the expenses. Parks such as this can range in cost form. $15,000-$30,000. ‘TORCA has already secured much of the ‘equipment time required to build the park from UNI Construction and has the support of a number of retailers and sports organiza- tions in Terrace. Following a decision on a location, Mc- Carron says the main thing holding the proj- ect back is the availability of dirt. The park will need an estimated 50-160 dump truck loads of fill and at $100-$150 per load it is prohibitively expensive. Milnthorp said it’s possible TORCA will be able to use some dirt extracted from . roadworks in 2006 but the city must first use what it needs for the sportsplex project. The leisure services director says the bike park could have future benefits, too. Improved riders could lead to the area hosting regional or provincial events, he added. “We already have good riders but (with a park) kids will progress to an amazing level,” said McCarron, who agreed the park ~ could bring benefits to the area with locals competing here and around the province. TORCA hopes to have its door to door consultations done by mid-January with a final design proposal back to the city by the end of the month. The group is aiming to have the park op- érational by the end of July provided every- thing goes according to plan. (1 888 769-3766). mentioned above. www.bchydro.com Keeping your and bright Even though our offices and call centres are closed on December 25, 26 and on January 1; 2007, our emergency crews will be on hand 24 hours a day to keep your holiday bright. In the event of an emergency, call 1 888 POWERON ; For general inquiries you can call 1 800 BCHYDRO (1 800 224-9376) Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for the dates - We wish you a safe and happy holiday. A06-521 holidays merry BChydro & FOR GENERATIONS F li | For more information, visit . ‘heal - ae h you val Thats wary the Haad and Stroke bo: eden el the Heart and Soke Fudan trust him to tlo the created the ih Crack amare - at 1-886-HSF-INFO - wat : ; ; ; ‘ The Health Checn Health Chock". 7 . ranoARN grocery shopping , prec “USAC | tlle yet tea heathy chice (ae The. club has enlisted the help of Jay : A UTC Fire & Security Company Fred Peters AlaraySales Technician Scott McLeod Alarm Technician Chris Sitter Chubb Manager Chief Peter Weeber Terrace Fire Department The: Terrace office of Chubb Security Systems is pleased to annotince ‘the donation of 150 — smoke detectors to the Terrace Fire Department where they will be provided to households of « low income seniors and single parents. District Manager Chris Sitter makes, the presentation to Terrace Fire Department Chief Peter Weeber explaining that the donation is but one of many made across the country so that smoke detectors can be made available to those that need them most. “A smoke detector can be a life saving device and we are just delighted to be mak- -ing this donation on behalf of our erriployees who live and work within our communities know- ing they just.might save a life one day”. Chubb Security Systems is a world leading security . alarm company specializing in electronic intrusion alarms, access control systems, .and digital video systems. Established in 1818, Chubb has been securing people and property for almost - 200 years, ‘it's Terrace office is represented by Fred Peters and Scott McLeod, both whom’: have extensive technical, experience and are long time Terrace residents. ry "Those interested in receiving a smoke detectors: or know of someone deserving are asked to please. contact the Terrace Fire Hall. (aChubb #5 Pohle Avenue, Terrace, B.C. a : Ss. AUTC Fira & Security Company Tel: 638-8321 Fax: 638-1338 to, * www.chubbsecurity.com Chubb Security Systems Oyo eas bereea WIN -AGETAWAY WITH 3 FRIENDS. oR WIN 3 FRIENDS WITH A _ GETAWAY. _ THE Winner ‘ vaith, xf ‘ £ Se >: 4 : , ™, - & “7g, E yt p TIO econ te cer ae Lass or Pe eae ee ee a as a aa ale Yes TREE