Battle Point Park is set to become the new home of several dirt tracks for mountain bikers to practice their trail-riding skills.

Four of the five Bainbridge parks board directors voted to approve a plan to construct a series of pump tracks at Battle Point Park, with one board member abstaining, at the board’s meeting on Thursday, Feb. 2.

Pump tracks are often used by cyclists to practice the technique known in mountain biking as “pumping.” Pumping is a vertical movement of the body which pushes the rider’s weight through the bike and into the tires which helps to maintain forward momentum while traversing rollers and berms found on mountain biking trails. The act of pumping allows the rider to maintain speed and sometimes even increase his or her speed without pedaling.

According to John Benjes, a board member with the Bainbridge Island Mountain Biking Club, this project has been in the works for quite some time.

“We’re very pleased to be able to go forward and we’re very pleased with the relationship we’ve developed with the parks district,” Benjes said.

At the meeting, two scouts introduced themselves and announced they will be participating in construction efforts as part of their Eagle Scout project. Connor LaCroix will work on the staging area and a bench near the track and Will Robertson will focus on the pump track section for small children.

The first meeting about the track between the Gear Grinders (Bainbridge’s middle and high school mountain biking teams) and the parks board was back in May 2014. Planning was later delayed when an organizer for the project moved away. Later, tragedy struck when the succeeding organizer, Gear Grinders Coach Jay Abbott, perished from injuries sustained in a cycling accident while coaching. With the board’s recent approval, conversations have begun about memorializing Abbott at the track.

Dan Hamlin, parks services director for the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park &Recreation District, was given the task of working with the Gear Grinders to develop plans for the project, which will occupy a 125-foot-by-150-foot area south of the main entrance to the park.

While many parks were considered, Hamlin said Battle Point Park was their first pick.

“I think Battle Point is one of the better locations. It’s connected to the Cross Island Trail via the Forest to Sky Trail into the Grand Forest. So you can go on a trail ride as well as come to the park from other areas,” Hamlin said.

The cyclists are anxious to put down some dirt, but the weather will be a deciding factor on when construction can commence.

“If we get a huge amount of rain, that will probably slow things down. If we get a dry spell, that might speed things up. We’re hoping in the next month or so we’ll be able to break ground,” Benjes said.

The club will now draft a formal agreement with the parks district to distribute responsibilities for the construction phases of the project.