LINCOLN -- Lincoln Middle School's vision to have an outdoor adventure park for kids to ride their bikes took a giant step forward recently with a grant from Simmons First Foundation.
The $16,850 award will allow the school to complete the first phase of the park, which will be a mountain bike pump track and a hog box for bike storage, air pumps and tools, according to Ivan Huffmaster, an avid biker and EAST facilitator at the school.
Huffmaster said the goal is to have the track ready to go this summer.
Megan Hudgens and John Morris with Simmons presented a check to Huffmaster and Stan Karber, assistant principal, during the School District's monthly Lincoln Community Alliance meeting.
Karber thanked Hudgens for her help in submitting the school's application for the award. Hudgens works for First Simmons in Lincoln.
Karber said the park will be an extension of what the school does with students in the school's Youth Adventure Club. Children in the club go hiking, kayaking, mountain bike riding and climbing.
"We do a lot of things with our kids with the Adventure Club," Karber said. "I believe in what we do."
He said teaching kids about outdoor activities is giving them something they can do the rest of their lives.
"When sports stop, this doesn't stop," Karber said.
Huffmaster already has built -- with help -- a one-fourth mile hiking and mountain bike riding trail near the middle school. The new park will connect to the trail and also is next to the city's community garden.
Huffmaster said a pump track is a loop track where bikers start high and then be able to use their momentum to ride the rest of the track. It's a good place for beginning bike riders and also provides a challenge for more experienced riders, Huffmaster said.
Kids will be able to bring their own bikes, but if they don't have one, bikes will be available at the track.
Another part of the park, Huffmaster said, will teach kids how to repair their bikes, such as changing tires and replacing other parts.
Karber said the school already has a climbing wall, an outdoor classroom and a hammock park.
The second phase of the park will be to add elements, such as outdoor workout equipment and a small fenced playground for children.
Hudgens said Simmons was glad to be part of the school's effort to promote outdoor activities.
"There were so many things to love about this project," Hudgens said. "As a Lincoln alumni, I think it's incredible what our administration has provided the students to help foster a love for the outdoors. If we can show these kids what's out there and what they're capable of despite the circumstances they may have been born into, we can reverse generational poverty. We are so very thankful for the administration of Lincoln Consolidated School District for their creative vision, persistence and selfless dedication to each and every student of the District."
NW News on 01/26/2020