Make a path

Children took the future into their own hands at the June 4 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council as they discussed plans to renovate the bike park behind the Saratoga Public Library.

Jaxon Owen, age 12, and Archer Burau, age 10, went before the council with a petition for a new bike track.

“I’ve been a Saratoga resident for my whole life. I enjoy living here. I also enjoy riding my bike,” Owen said. “I would enjoy a nice bike park here.”

Owen outlined various safety issues around the current park, such as exposed concrete blocks.

Next, Burau read the petition aloud to the council, which included signatures from 108 people ranging in ages from 6 to 85.

“We, the undersigned children and youth of Saratoga, would like a new bike track in town. We believe that having a dedicated bike track in Saratoga would benefit our community and provide us with a safe and fun space to ride our bikes,” Burau read.

Five reasons to support the bike track were outlined in the petition.

The first reason discussed was safety. “The current bike track is not well designed and has many safety issues. By rebuilding it, we can improve on how it works, but also make it a safer place for everyone to ride.”

The second reason was recreation. “A developed bike track would give kids something to do other than playing sports.”

The third reason was “everyone loves bikes. Bike riding is something almost everyone can participate in,” Burau read.

The fourth reason was creating lifelong bikers. “Many kids lose interest in riding their bikes at a young age. By creating a bike course, we can give kids a more challenging space to ride their bike, keeping kids riding bikes longer.”

Finally, the track builds community. “A bike track is a place the whole family can use and enjoy as well as a place to make new friends and share the joy of riding a bike.”

Burau then read gathered comments from neighbors regarding renovations. The comments seemed supportive, with the only concerns being for the people who currently walk their dogs in the space.

Ben Owen then discussed his plans for renovation to the council.

“Back when it was built, [the bike track] wasn’t really much fun … it’s put together without a lot of thought. After 22, 23 years of mother nature and thousands of bike tires, it’s gotten a lot more run down,” B. Owen said.

He said the park sees a lot of traffic now from both kids and adults.

He asked for approval from the council to rebuild and modify the track. He outlined the renovations that would be made to the course.

“To be clear and up-front, I am not looking to build an X Games course, I don’t want jumps people do backflips on. I want something that is fun and usable for everyone,” B. Owen said.

There would be no cost to the Town of Saratoga, said B. Owen, as he would be volunteering for all parts of the renovation. He estimated the changes would take about eight hours of work.

The council saw no issues with the renovation, and complimented the kids for their presentation and petition.

A motion to approve the fixes at the bike park passed unanimously, on the condition there were no issues from the town attorney.

The next meeting of the Saratoga Town Council meeting will be at 6 p.m. on June 18 at Saratoga Town Hall.