The Bikes Belong Coalition, a bicycle advocacy group, has awarded a $10,000 community grant to the City of Redmond to redevelop the Redmond Bike Park on Education Hill.

The City’s Parks and Recreation department has been working with community members on the park redevelopment since April 2009.

This grant will bring the park one step closer to reality, according to Carolyn Hope, Senior Planner in the City Parks and Recreation Department.

“Bikes Belong funding will help the City leverage additional funding from other organizations,” Hope said. “We look forward to creating a safer site with bike amenities for riders of various skill levels and improving the environmental conditions of the site.”

The City hired consultants to conduct critical areas analysis, civil design and bike park design. In mid-January a meeting was held to discuss the park’s preferred location, which is the current location, south of Hartman Park.

Redmond City Council will make a decision on the site location at its March 2 meeting. Once the site is selected, the consultant team will design the park while community members will build it.

In giving the award, the Bikes Belong Coalition stated that the Redmond Bike Park was selected because of the roughly 2,450 mountain bikers who live within two miles of the new facility, which is also easily accessible by bike from several local schools. In addition, the coalition said the park will serve as a great destination for the Seattle Trips for Kids chapter.

For more information about this project, visit the City’s Web site at www.redmond.gov/insidecityhall/parksrec/parksplanning/DirtJumps/default.asp or contact Hope at cjhope@redmond.gov or (425) 556-2313.