WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Right now, it's just an empty lot at Williamsport's Shaw Park, but soon it will be home to the area's only pump track.
"A pump track is basically a BMX skills park. It has different jumps and different ramps," explained Williamsport Mayor Derek Slaughter
The mayor says the city is matching a $224,000 grant from the DCNR to pay for the project. The track for bikes will include courses for three different skill levels.
"Beginner, intermediate, and advanced, we are looking at doing all three, and the tentative design has that. It would be great for our biking community."
Including the pump track, the city will have made over $1 million worth of upgrades to Shaw Park in the past few years. The city's goal is to revitalize every park across Williamsport.
"It arguably has gone from one of our worst parks, maybe our worst park, to maybe our best park right now with the improvements we have made."
Those upgrades include a state-of-the-art splash park and new basketball and tennis courts.
"The splash park opened this summer, and it was a hit. It was packed pretty much every day it was nice outside. Tennis courts and basketball courts are being used. We are excited with the progress we are making, but there is still a lot more work that needs to be done, and we are looking to make those improvements and investments in the parks," Mayor Slaughter said.
Construction for the pump track is slated to begin in the late spring of next year.