Park board considers request to install bike pump track at Recreation Park

During the March 3 meeting, the Grand Marais Park Board reviewed a request from the Superior Cycling Association to install a modular pump track and bike park at the recreation park.

Superior Cycling Association (SCA) President Jay DeCoux and organization representative Shane Steele attended the meeting and presented the proposal to the park board.

In spring 2025, SCA launched a bike skills park in the outdoor ice hockey rink at the Cook County Community Center. The ice rink was intended as a temporary location for the bike park. In late October 2025, the organization disassembled the pump track and equipment to store them throughout winter.

During the disassembly process, DeCoux and Steele said it became apparent that regular handling of the various track components would eventually result in permanent damage.

“We’re looking for a more permanent, semi-permanent home,” Steele said.

Park board members inquired about liability insurance, the intended location of the bike park, and maintenance responsibilities.

DeCoux said SCA holds operational insurance on the pump track. The organization has been operating the track on county-owned property at the Community Center, with the understanding that, in the event of an injury, the SCA would assume responsibility.

“Our blanket insurance covers events and covers the bike trails that we manage throughout the county, and it also covers the pump track,” DeCoux said.

The location of the bike park included in SCA’s proposal is west of the new Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) boat landing parking lot near the wooded area.

DeCoux said there is flexibility in the layout of the pump track if the park board needs the space for another purpose, as the park board continues to carry out projects under the recently updated master plan.

Steele said the request is to keep the bike park in the recreation park for three to five years.

“What we’re looking for is to have it live in a place where it can get the use that we want it to and so that we can also help build some programming around it,” DeCoux said.

He said the youth cycling team has used the pump track for training, and that SCA sees that having the bike park in a higher-density-use area where “recreation is the standard” would increase its use and further SCA’s mission.

Parks Manager Dave Tersteeg and the board talked about the pros and cons of having the bike in the recreation park. Tersteeg said that noise might be an issue during the summer, as neighboring campsites might want more peace and quiet. Board members said that if the bike park were installed, it would be an amenity for recreation park visitors and seasonal residents.

The board discussed relocating the site farther south and west, closer to the Lake Superior shoreline and farther from nearby campsites and the potential site of a new bathhouse planned for construction in 2027.

DeCoux said SCA would like to install the pump track at the end of May or the beginning of June.

Park Board Chair Steve Aldrich asked whether a one or two-year agreement with the SCA might be possible instead of a five-year term, in case recreation park staff encounter complaints or other issues during the summer.

DeCoux said during the summer of 2025, SCA had zero incidents with trash, vandalism, or other issues. “Our experience from it is that it has been a positive influence on the space that it has been put in.”

Steele said, “And we don’t want to put it down there if it’s not something that you think won’t add to the park.”

SCA would also purchase bike racks, garbage cans, and benches for installation near the bike park.

Given that a few details regarding selecting the exact location for the pump track and the length of the agreement remained undetermined, Tersteeg and several board members recommended not voting at the March 3 meeting. Instead, the board requested that DeCoux and Steele return to the April 7 meeting with more information.

Tersteeg will continue to talk to DeCoux and Steele throughout the next month to finetune the details.

View the March 3 Grand Marais Park Board meeting here.

Watch a WTIP-produced video of the Grand Marais bike skills park after it was installed at the Community Center ice rink in summer 2025 below.

Kalli Hawkins March 5, 2026