$62.5K grant will help bring BMX to The Rail Yard

Published by the Spartanburg Herald Journal; to view the full article, click here. 

The Rail Yard will soon be expanding, according to Partners for Active Living executive director Laura Ringo.

The next step in the park’s development – the Bike Yard, a sport-focused bike park – will be coming to Spartanburg, thanks in part to a recent $62,500 grant from the Carolina’s Longleaf Fund “Seeds of Hope” program, which offers capital grants to projects for child and youth advancement in select North and South Carolina cities.

The bike park will feature perimeter dirt jumps and spaces for practicing BMX activities, mountain biking, and flow riding. Ringo said there will be elements in the park for all riders, from beginners to experts, so that people of all ages and ability levels will be able to come out and ride.

Dirt has been moved to the park site, which is located in the wooded area near Country Club Road but construction will not begin until the fall. No opening date has been set.

Ringo noted that the park would bring a unique element to the downtown area.

“The closest (similar) bike park is in Pickens,” Ringo explained. “(So) it will provide an opportunity for outdoor bike recreation that doesn’t currently exist in the urban area of Spartanburg.”

Ringo said that after the opening of Panthers Play 60 on July 25, completing the bike park will be the organization’s main focus.

The organization is still collecting funds for the bike park, Ringo said. Anyone who would like to donate to the project can send a donation to Partners for Active Living, designating it for the bike park, or may purchase a tree for the park through the group’s website https://www.active-living.org.