PINE BLUFF, AR – Go Forward Pine Bluff received a $20,000 Trail Accelerator grant from the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) to help bring more trails close to home for the local community. Through its Public Private Partnership, Go Forward Pine Bluff and the city of Pine Bluff, as well as Jefferson County will profit from the result of the grant.
The Trail Accelerator grant fund is a competitive grant offering for communities with visions of transformational model trail systems that need extra support to realize that vision, according to an IMBA press release. Projects must show strong partnerships between local leaders, government entities, land managers, property owners, community groups and mountain bike or trail organizations. Grant recipients will partner with IMBA Trail Solutions for professional trail planning and consultation – having a professional trail plan can help a community generate more interest and investment for trail projects.
Through the grant, Pine Bluff’s trail project will examine Jefferson County for the best opportunities for trails, both shared-use and bike-optimized, since this area has no mountain or dedicated biking trails currently. Led by IMBA in conjunction with Go Forward Pine Bluff (GFPB), this effort will establish priority lands where trails will most benefit the community. Goals include increasing community health, engaging youth in the outdoors, and creating economic tourism draw for nearby communities, which also lack trails.
Along with GFPB, the funding for this project was obtained via the efforts of Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington, Pine Bluff Alderman Bruce Lockett, and Trails Committee Members: Joey Gieringer (Relyance Bank), Ken and Sandra Fisher (Novel T’s), Julie Bridgforth (Supportive Citizen) Larry Reynolds (Southeast Arkansas Regional Planning Commission), Sam Glover (Parks and Recreation), and Ron Powell (Quest Corporation). Appreciation and gratitude are given to the Walton Family Foundation for underwriting the grant.
According to their website, IMBA creates, enhances and protects great places to ride mountain bikes. It is focused on creating more trails close to home to grow the quantity and quality of mountain bike trail communities across the U.S., so everyone has access to close-to-home rides and iconic backcountry experiences. Since 1988, IMBA has been the worldwide leader in mountain bike advocacy and the only organization focused entirely on trails and access for all types of mountain bikers in all parts of the U.S. IMBA teaches and encourages low-impact riding, grassroots advocacy, sustainable trail design, innovative land management practices and cooperation among trail user groups. IMBA U.S. is a national network of local groups, individual riders and passionate volunteers working together for the benefit of the entire community.
