Ed Fischer, owner of Camas Bike and Sport, said that the bike park planned for Hamllik Park in Washougal will be a true local asset. (Ariane Kunze/The Columbian)Photo Gallery
When Ed Fischer got involved in the plans to add a new bike park in Washougal, one of his biggest driving factors was the potential impact on the area’s youth.
“Screen time is robbing kids, as well as adults, of opportunities to do other things that are more productive,” he said. “Computers, phones, video games — we need more opportunity and more resources for them to want to disconnect. I say log off and ride.”
Fischer owns Camas Bike and Sport, a full-service bike shop in downtown Camas, so he was an obvious person to include in the discussions of a new bike park planned for Hamllik Park in Washougal.
“I felt it was my unwritten duty to help out,” he said.
Board members at the Washougal Parks Department had talked about the idea of having a bike park in the city for years but only began seriously discussing it again recently, Parks Manager Suzanne Grover said.
“Hamllik Park is really undeveloped,” she said. “It doesn’t have any fun in it.”
The 5-acre space has a playground, a baseball field and a community garden. While the new plan will keep those amenities in place, it also will create a local attraction for those interested in off-road bike riding.
Changes to the park will include adding a quarter-mile dirt track around the perimeter and through the middle of the park. The new layout will also include a beginner’s pump track, which is a loop of dirt berms, as well as three jump lines for beginner, intermediate and advanced bikers.
“It just seems to all fit in there perfectly,” Grover said.
Fischer helped connect city officials with Hilride Progression Development Group, a California company that helps design, plan and develop bike parks and trails. The company did the design work for the project, though city staff and volunteers are expected to do the physical work.
Some of the project is being paid for through park impact fees, Grover said, and the agency has applied for a grant through the state’s Recreation and Conservation Office.
The rest is being funded through community donations, which are being funneled through the Parks Foundation of Clark County. The project is about $5,000 shy of full funding for the first portion of construction.
Local businesses are donating rocks and timber, and the parks department staff and volunteers are planning work parties to make the bike park happen.
“We’re hoping the community will step up and want to lend a hand,” Grover said.
Construction on the project begins in August, though Grover said the new bike park amenities aren’t going to be completed until 2018.
“It’ll be great when it’s done,” Grover said. “We’re pretty excited about it.”
Fischer said he’s excited for the park, which he says will be a new local asset.
“The more infrastructures we have to keep kids and families entertained outdoors, the less time they’ll spend with devices and the more time they’ll spend being active,” Fischer said.
You Can Help
To make a donation or to get more information about the plan for the park, visit www.parksfoundation.us. Updates to the project also will be posted to the project’s Facebook page under “Washougal Bike Park.”
He added that this new park will be a good, safe way to introduce people to mountain biking, a sport that he loves.
“It allows you to go farther than you would on a hike. I can see 100 miles of stuff in one day,” he said. “I love the freedom.”
