SALISBURY – The Eastern Shore International Mountain Biking Association and the City of Salisbury come together to make a final step in reintroducing the trails at Salisbury City Park.
On Monday evening, the Salisbury City Council passed a resolution accepting the donation of mountain bike trail way finding signage for the recently redesigned and maintained trails at Salisbury City Park connecting the Salisbury Zoo and the Ward Museum.
“It is with great pleasure that I am writing you on behalf of the Eastern Shore International Mountain Bicycling Association (ESIMBA), Bike SBY, and Eastern Shore Running Club and all trail users in the Salisbury City Park. We have worked together to bring these multi-use, single track, legacy trails back to a standard that will make them sustainable and enjoyable for many years to come. We appreciate the opportunity to create the Memorandum of Understanding, with the City of Salisbury regarding the city park trails. We will continue to create, enhance and protect this trail system. Now the time has come to finish the job so to speak,” ESIMBA President Tres Denk submitted to the City Council.
According to Denk, the trails are going to receive $2,600 worth of trailhead kiosks, trail name signs and trail markers that will become the property of the city by donation.
The resolution before the City Council states, “The City of Salisbury is interested in improving the City’s Park recreation facilities. The City has a Memorandum of Understanding with the ESIMBA dated July 13, 2013 where ESIMBA shall ‘recommend, purchase and install with approval of the Parks Supervisor the types, location and language for trail directional, cautionary and informational signs.’ The proposed signage and trail markings have been reviewed and approved by the Parks Supervisor, as well as the Department of Public Works and City Park Committee.”
The council voted unanimously to approve the resolution.
“These trails are now healthy, and are used for walking, running, riding and good fiscal health that we have been striving to promote,” Denk said before the council on Monday. “This is something that we feel is really important … the City Park trails are family friendly, outdoor oriented and accentuates other areas of the park. To be able to get from the Ward Museum to the Zoo is more fun instead of driving the streets.”
Denk pointed out the trails at City Park will serve well for cross country mountain biking, as well as educational purposes.
“In order to go cross country riding and hiking you have to be able to practice, and with this new set of trails it will be able to increase people’s endurance, be able to hone their skills, and it is something really needed in order to go to different places. You can’t just take the kids mountain biking at the snap of your fingers … you have to practice,” Denk said. “We can educate on land management, land stewardship and land preservation. It is necessary to keep some of the areas we have green … the Salisbury City Park trails, although they are small facet of this growing gem in the City Park, the trails is the main connection within the park and make it more dynamic. From the Zoo to the Ward Museum is where these trails are located, and they will be able to connect the people, as well as these locations.”
Council President Jake Day thanked ESIMBA for the partnership.
“This has been one of the most exciting partnerships over the past few years. No doubt the trails in City Park were in need of assistance, and not just in terms of land management as a partnership but in terms of partnering to maintain a variety of public assets, there is a real model here in terms of organization, the best interest, and partnering with the City,” Day said.
The ESIMBA is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational association with members in Dorchester, Talbot, Wicomico, Somerset and Worcester counties in Maryland and Sussex County, Delaware. Since 2009, this group of environmentally conscious bicycle enthusiasts linked together to enjoy trail riding.
According to ESIMBA, local trails were less than challenging and the cyclists decided to improve upon what they were riding by forming the group. They traveled to regional mountain biking events to meet and gain experience from different trail user groups.
The Lower Shore Family YMCA in Pocomoke has been the core trail system for development of low-impact riding and the heart of the volunteer trail work. As of September 2012, five miles of trails have been designed and enjoyed by local bikers, cross country runners and hikers at the YMCA with many more to come. ESIMBA sponsors monthly family biking events and fun-spirited races at this location.
In November 2011, ESBA partnered with IMBA to become one of more than 750 bicycle clubs in a worldwide network that enjoys membership in all 50 states and 30 other countries including Trailspinners and M.O.R.E. ESIMBA is also involved with other grassroots organizations on the eastern shore of Maryland to encourage advocacy for low impact riding and innovative trail management solutions.