Where some people might see weeds and scrubby bushes at the corner of Sutton Way and Idaho-Maryland Road in Grass Valley, Lynn Skrukrud sees a place where young cyclists can practice tricks and where families can ride together.

A paved riding trail, a dirt pump track dotted with berms and ramps, and a cement structure resembling a shallow skate park are some of the possibilities envisioned by Skrukrud and others from the anti-drug youth group NEO.

Other facilities at the park could include a playground, an outdoor theater area with a stage and grassy areas, city Public Works Director-City Engineer Tim Kiser said.

The vision for a new city park came out of public meetings held in June. They were part of a process to apply for up to $5 million in state funds through Proposition 84, which voters passed in 2006 to improve parks, protect water quality and meet other infrastructure needs. The grant could be used to buy the property and build park facilities, Kiser said.

No other parks are in that part of town, and no park in the area has facilities dedicated to the growing sport of trick bicycle riding — two factors that could help the city win the grant, Kiser added.

NEO, the youth outreach arm of Coalition for a Drug Free Nevada County, recently reached its 2,000th signature on a petition to the city to build a place somewhere in town where people of all ages and all cycling levels can ride in as many styles as possible.

They especially want a center for BMX, short for bicycle motocross. It has evolved from jumping Schwinn Sting-Rays on dirt trails and plywood ramps in the early 1970s to a popular and competitive sport with high-tech equipment. Towns across the West are starting to accommodate the sport in dedicated or shared-use facilities.

A likely spot for the park and BMX facility is this 3-acre vacant parcel in Grass Valley's Glenbrook Basin. The owner of the parcel has agreed to sell it to the city if the grant comes through, added Skrukrud, NEO's youth outreach coordinator.

Wanted: A safe, legal place to ride

About a year and a half ago, “we were approached by local BMX riders because they were getting ticketed for riding in the skate park” in Grass Valley's Condon Park, Skrukrud said. “They have no where else to ride. They came to us to ask for a safe place to ride.”

Some skate parks are used by skateboarders, inline skaters and BMX riders, but BMX riding is not allowed at Condon Park. The nearest such parks are in Rocklin, Roseville and Sacramento; a new skate park is being built in Yuba City that will be open to cyclists, Skrukrud said.

BMX riding “is a great form of exercise,” she added. “A lot of our local riders are making healthy lifestyle choices about being drug- and alcohol-free, so that make this project a good fit for NEO,” the youth outreach arm of Coalition for a Drug-Free Nevada County.

The next steps are to finalize a business plan, design the park, conduct a feasibility study to see how it could be done and what it would cost, get city approval — and throughout the process, raise money to pay for each step.

NEO has teamed up with Bicyclists of Nevada County in the project and will continue to talk to people about their goal. A meeting for park supporters and those interested in more information is set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, at a location to be announced — watch the Town Talk column on Page A2 of The Union or the Town Talk live chat on www.TheUnion.com for updates.

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To contact Senior Staff Writer Trina Kleist, e-mail tkleist@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4230.

VIDEO of BMX riding

This video was taken at a BMX park in Desert Hot Springs, Calif.:

http://bmxriders.org/2011/02/desert-hot-springs-ca-concrete-bmx-park/