Prairie Rock Trails Bike Park in Mason City on schedule to open in the spring

MASON CITY — Work continues on Mason City’s bike park project. Ground was broken back in April on the Prairie Rock Trails Bike Park project that is specifically designed for off-road and mountain biking with features for all ages. The bike park will be located on the southern edge of Lime Creek Nature Center and will link the 450-acre conservation area to Mason City’s new High Line Trail, the Riverwalk near Southbridge Mall and 20 miles of existing trails.

Mayor Bill Schickel says the bike park is on track to open next spring.  “I’d say it’s maybe 75% done. We expect to have a ribbon-cutting in the spring. It’s really looking fabulous. It is a bike park where it really will be services central, a central point for biking in Mason City with all kinds of trails, parking area, a beautiful two-story Prairie School-designed shelter house there. That really takes another step in helping Mason City become the outdoor recreation capital of the Midwest.”

Schickel says since the bike park project was announced, biking is up in Mason City.  “I don’t know if you noticed, but there’s a lot of people riding bikes around Mason City, and some of our trails are not even open yet. So this is another step to providing outdoor recreation. All the studies show that these kinds of amenities reduce healthcare costs, reduce crime, and improve the quality of life in our community.”

Funding for the project is being helped by a $4.5 million Destination Iowa grant.

Schickel made his comments on the “Ask the Mayor” podcast published yesterday here on northiowanow.com. Click here to listen to the podcast.