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News from Boulder, Colorado and Boulder Channel 1 News editors To advertise please call 303-447-8531
Daytime closures of Lee Hill Drive scheduled for June 13-24
Jun 6th
Boulder County, Colo. – As the final phase of improvements to Lee Hill Drive are implemented, the Boulder County Transportation Department will close a portion of the road from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. on weekdays only from June 13-24.
The daytime closures – between Fourth Street and Olde Stage Road – will begin Monday, June 13 at 8:30 a.m. and will continue on weekdays only until 4 p.m. on Friday, June 24.
If needed, the road will be accessible to emergency vehicles and responders 24 hours a day.
“This closure will allow us to rebuild the road in a way that maximizes pavement life and improves drainage,” capital projects coordinator Tim Swope said. “The process does not allow for daily traffic use during construction. School buses and mail and delivery trucks will be allowed through with some delay, as will anyone living in the construction zone south of Olde Stage.”
No other traffic, including bicycles, will be allowed through the construction zone. Residents of Wagon Wheel Gap and Bow Mountain roads will need to use Linden Drive and Pine Brook Hills for access during the day. Boulder Heights and Olde Stage Road residents will need to use a detour through Lefthand Canyon.
Message boards are located in the area to alert residents of any construction schedule changes and additional information is available at www.BoulderCounty.org/Transportation.
The Lee Hill Drive project, expected to be complete in early July, will provide improved drainage, a new roadway surface, bikeable shoulders on both sides of the road up to the “hogback” formation, and a 5-feet wide climbing shoulder from the hogback up to Olde Stage Road.
-BoulderCounty.org-
One-of-a-kind, natural surface bike park to open June 11 in Boulder
Jun 6th
Media interview opportunities available in advance of Valmont Bike Park grand opening
What do you call 40 acres of twisting trails, mild to wild dirt, structural jumps, strategically-placed sand pits, logs, boulders and staircases? While off-road cyclists may soon call it, “Shangri La,” we call it, “Valmont Bike Park.”
Opening for the first time at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 11, the City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department’s latest park development has already been hailed as an outstanding bike park by the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA).
“Cyclists from around the nation will be totally floored by what they see,” said IMBA Executive Director Mike Van Abel. “Based on its many options for riding natural-surface trails, the diversity of both technical and non-technical features and the outstanding quality of the build, Valmont will be among the top venues in the country for this style of biking.”
The City of Boulder’s Parks and Recreation Department will open the newly-developed park with a grand opening event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 11. The event will feature an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. with comments from council members, including Deputy Mayor Ken Wilson and Parks and Recreation Director Kirk Kincannon. Food and bicycle gear vendors, a cycling demonstration (on the park’s slopestyle features) and public riding in the park will round out the day’s activities. The event is free and open to the community.
The park contains a pump track, dual slalom and slopestyle riding loop as well as elements for a competition cyclo-cross course. The park also includes training and skill building trails, a toddler playground, event plaza, restrooms, parking and outstanding city and Flatiron views. Developed with the support and partnership of the local cycling community, Boulder Mountainbike Alliance (BMA) and organizations such as the PLAY Boulder Parks Foundation and Great Outdoors Colorado, the 40-acre Valmont Bike Park encompasses natural-surface amenities for multiple riding styles and skill levels.
“We are very excited to open this flagship park,” Kincannon said. “We invested in a collaborative partnership with BMA and the off-road cycling community to design and build this portion of Valmont City Park. The result is a park worthy of our internationally-recognized athletic community—one that will be a daily asset to local kids, families, riders and businesses and also attract events and riders from all over the country and the world.”
Note to Media: Media interviews with Parks and Recreation Department Director Kirk W. Kincannon will be available on a scheduled basis on June 7 and 8. The media is encouraged to attend the grand opening event on June 11. Please contact Shelly Ruspakka by June 7 at RuspakkaS@BoulderColorado.gov or 303-413-7214 to set up a media interview or to discuss plans for the opening event.
The bike park is currently closed due to allow completion of construction. The park will open to cycling on June 11. No footage of park use or demonstrations will be available until June 11.
Volunteers sought for Valmont Bike Park opening day June 11
Jun 6th
Valmont Bike Park officially opens on Saturday, June 11, and the City of Boulder’s Parks and Recreation Department and Boulder Mountainbike Alliance are seeking volunteer bike park hosts for two-hour shifts that day between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Shifts and skills needed include:
Event, stage and booth setup – 7 to 9 a.m.
Empty Eco-Cycle stations – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Course marshals for trail crossings – noon to 5 p.m.
Bouncy castle supervisors – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Traffic control and parking (both bike and car) – 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Post-event cleanup – 5 to 7 p.m.
Volunteers will be trained at a mandatory park host training session held at Valmont Bike Park from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 7. Volunteers must register and attend the training. Volunteers should be 16 years of age or older and comfortable interacting with the public. Bicycle riders of all levels are encouraged to respond but riding is not required. Sign up at www.BoulderMountainBike.org or by emailing valmont@bouldermountainbike.org.
Reminder: Valmont Bike Park remains CLOSED to unauthorized visitors and riders until opening day (June 11) to allow for completion of construction.
Long-term volunteers are needed through the summer months as well. For more information, call Shelly Ruspakka, Parks and Recreation, at 303-413-7214.
