Williamsport, Pa. — Local biking enthusiasts were able to provide their feedback on progress being made to construct Shaw Park’s bike pump track, as well as other features being considered for the Williamsport neighborhood park.
On Wednesday, Oct. 23, a meeting was held at the Trade and Transit II Building at 144 W. Third Street to discuss the upcoming Shaw Park development project. The project would include a pump track-focused bike circuit and a skills park with a variety of features.
Discussions about the bike pump track date as far back as 2020, when the Recreation Department of Williamsport began considering potential designs and layouts for the park. They took to social media to get feedback from community members, and the response was "overwhelmingly positive."
The project is slated to move forward with an approved $750,000 budget. Funding for the project is sourced evenly from a state grant from DCNR, Lycoming County, and the City of Williamsport.
Mayor Derek Slaughter expressed that the upcoming park feature continues to generate a lot of excitement and positive feedback on social media. Approximately 50 people were in attendance at Wednesday night's meeting, including several members of the Lycoming Composite Mountain Bike Team.
“The kids have been really excited about it and are definitely driving a lot of it,” commented Mayor Slaughter.
The goal of the current project is to have the final design and building documents completed by March 2025 and to break ground by spring or early summer. This would be another step in Slaughter’s plan to invest in the city parks and “bring the parks back to life.”
The first phase of the project focuses on the bike park, and the second potentially includes constructing a skate park as a complement, although that is not part of the first phase’s budget.
"DCNR likes what we’re doing, so hopefully they’ll continue to support the skate park with additional grant funding," Slaughter said. He anticipated the City would apply for Phase 2 funding within the next year.
Numerous skaters at the meeting expressed an interest in this option. The current design would also allow for a mixed-use soccer-football field in Shaw Park.
Another goal of the project is to have a “custom creation” with the people building the park to understand the end product, said Brad Siedlecki, owner and operator of Pillar Design Studios.
Siedlecki’s team’s lead designer is a pro-rider, bringing someone with first-hand experience to lead the project. They’ve designed projects in locations such as Arizona, California, and Utah.
The Pump Track will be made of asphalt, which will need regular maintenance to achieve the team’s goal of building to last. There may be a mix of natural materials along with concrete features in the park.
David Stone, founder and manager of Williamsport Bicycle Recycle, said that the prospect of this development “is really cool and will hopefully promote more bicycle activity in town. Anything to promote that is a good thing.”
Twelve-year-old biker Mack Harris thinks this will be an exciting, big attraction that will also help develop skills. He said he likes the idea that the design would include features for riders of different levels.
Feedback from those in attendance was overwhelmingly positive. The design firm and mayor made it clear that the design would be tweaked prior to the park feature being built, and that there would be the opportunity for further review by interested members of the public. Those not in attendance can also contact the city with input.
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