KCV Cycling Club President Mike Cusick breaks the ribbon while riding a bike Wednesday, July 13, at the site of a future bike park in Winona Lake. InkFreeNews photo by Dan Spalding.

Mike Cusick, right, KCV Cycling Club president, talks to supporters before a formal ribbon cutting for the future bike park in Winona Lake. InkFreeNews photo by Dan Spalding.

By Dan Spalding
InkFreeNews

WINONA LAKE – Turns out neighbors near the corner of Pierceton and Packerton Roads in Winona Lake would prefer to have a park next door rather than more homes.

Map shows the location of the future bike park.

Leaders of the KCV Cycling Club caught wind of that while in the midst of looking for a future home for a proposed bike park and quickly realized how much potential the 15-acre tract could provide.

On Wednesday, July 13, the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce and cycling enthusiasts had a ribbon cutting for the Winona Lake Bike Park at Hauth Trailhead.

The land was acquired in the past year from the Hauth family. While the plan relies heavily on private donations and could take years to develop, Mike Cusick, president of the KCV Cycling Club, is confident in how it will benefit the community.

Cusick said he believes the land is perfectly positioned to help propel interest in the existing nine-plus miles of adjacent trails and lead to further development of new trails in Winona Lake.

“There is so much to like,” Cusick said. “I love it as a great outlet for healthy activities.”

The park is intended to provide a setting where youth can develop bike skills, but it’s also intended for adults, he said. 

The park will include a skills course, pump track and a bike playground for kids. It will also become a hub for the Fat & Skinny Bike Fest.

Additionally, the club intends to improve amenities for mountain bike and trail running races while facilitating land accessibility for the expansion of the Heritage Trail Greenway to neighborhoods south of the Winona Lake Trails.

“This will connect more neighborhoods to Winona Lake, the Limitless Park, the Winona Lake shoreline, local elementary schools, Grace College, and the Village at Winona shopping district, making our community more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly than ever before,” Cusick said in a prepared statement.

The club began using the land this year during the Fat & Skinny Tire Fest and is now being used for parking.

KCV acquired the land in the past year with help from K21 Health Foundation, which agreed to hold the mortgage.

The first phase will seek to raise $315,000 to help pay for the land, construct a parking lot, and plans for the bike park. The second phase seeks to raise money for the construction of the park. A third phase would focus on trailhead amenities and greenway expansion.

“This will take our time and attention for the next five to six years at a minimum,” Cusick said.

KCV has already been looking at prototypes and talking to designers who have worked on other bike parks.

To a certain degree, it will be similar to ones in Chicago and Terre Haute, he said.

Cusick said the park represents a huge step for the group.

“The festival is a big deal … the trails are a big deal, but this takes us to a different level of engagement in the community,” he said.

To learn more about KCV, click here. To learn more about the project and how to donate, click here.

The proposed bike park is next to the Winona Lake trail. InkFreeNews photo by Dan Spalding.

Mike Cusick (center) cuts the ribbon during a ceremony Wednesday in Winona Lake. InkFreeNews photo by Dan Spalding.