The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs awarded the grant, funded by the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program. Local cycling enthusiasts hope it will become a draw for tourists looking for new biking thrills and a resource for local bikers.
“It’s exciting stuff,” said Mike Poe, who is coordinating the effort for the Northeast Alabama Bicycle Club. “I can’t believe it’s actually happening.”
The trail, likely a 6-10 mile path designed for beginners, would be the first of 40-50 miles envisioned for what would be a major center for mountain biking. The mountain land in 1998 became part of the For ever Wild program, which purchases land from private owners to preserve it from development and establish public recreational opportunities.
The state is currently building a road and parking area near Coldwater Spring to provide access to a portion of the mountain’s 4,000 acres. Poe said it should be done by the end of October or in early November. That will give crews from the International Mountain Bicycling Association and its regional affiliate, the Southern Off-road Bicycling Association, access to the site to begin work. SORBA is the grant recipient under the plan.
ADECA also awarded a separate $10,000 grant that will buy a trailer loaded with trail-building equipment, Poe said.
Workers from IMBA and SORBA will tackle construction of this phase of the work, hopefully with help from volunteers, he said. It’s thought the volunteers will learn the principles of trail construction so that later phases of the project can be done primarily through their efforts.
Poe said potential volunteers should check his group’s website at http://www.neabc.org for information as it becomes available.
Contact metro editor Ben Cunningham at 256-235-3542.
