Mountain bikers, freeriders and downhillers have few places to ride in Salt Lake City proper, and the bike jumps at I Street in the Avenues is one of them. The collection of dirt jumps is an unofficial site built by dedicated riders on city property, which means there’s nothing to stop the city from tearing it out. It seems that very well may happen in the near future. But an effort to save I Street is underway, and it’s being led by the Wasatch Area Freeride Trails Association (WAFTA).
The I Street jumps are under threat by the Salt Lake City Public Utilities Department, which has slated the site for water tanks and pumps houses, needed for the ever-growing demands of the metropolitan area.
To make sure this does not happen, WAFTA is making a grass roots effort to designate I Street as an official city park. They’ve started an email and telephone campaign that targets city officials and even delivered a formal proposal to the Salt Lake Parks Department. Now that the proposal is in motion, the public process is underway, which means the voices of all freeride mountain bikers must come together and be heard.
According to WAFTA, Salt Lake City is giving the downhill and freeride communities an opportunity to not only save I Street, but create a plan for the future. That means building even more flow trails, pump tracks and bike parks in Salt Lake City for us all to enjoy.
So from May 14 through 18, a jump proposal display will showcase the plans at the downtown Salt Lake City Library. The board will inform citizens on what kind of jump park infrastructure Salt Lake City has/needs.
Then on June 21st, the city will host an open house to gather everyone together for input in an open discussion forum.
Finally, on June 29th, there will be a meeting at I Street to discuss the future of the site.
If Salt Lake City freeriders want to see I Street stay and be protected, then it is important that everyone get involved in the public process. More information can be found through WAFTA, on their website at www.waftautah.com, and on their Facebook Page.
Jared, the library is a “display board,” not a board of reviewers/members FYI. Here is what Toni had to say in a facebook comment:
by board, I meant a visual representation of what jump parks currently exist in SLC (Tanner) along with I Street that is being proposed and will be open for input on other possible sites. I’m working on getting clarification around what hours of the day and if suggestions will be taken by written notes or if there will be someone there to speak to. Stay tuned and thanks for the support!
P.S. thanks a ton for your support and coverage!
Ah! That’s a big difference then. Thanks for the heads up. The Facebook post didn’t make that clear.