On May 20 the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) approved the concept plan for improvements at Perkins Hill Park. The plan includes a pump track for skates, bicycles, scooters and gliders and a natural-surface mountain-bike skills trail: the first facilities of this kind in the Minneapolis park system.
Sometimes referred to as an all-wheel park or bike training course, a pump track features circuits of banked turns, mounds and other features that can be used by people of all ages and abilities with any type of bike, scooter or skateboard. While novices use them to build skills, pump tracks are also a challenging workout for advanced riders, who skip pedaling and maintain momentum with upper- and lower-body pumping motions.
After design plans are finalized, the project will go out to bid to construction contractors this summer. Construction is planned to begin in the fall, with completion expected this fall or next spring.