Mountain bike park possible for Dayton

David Treese, VP of law, logistics and technology with Bonbright, discusses expansion plans and creating a bike park at Welcome Park. (Cornelius Frolik/Staff)

David Treese, VP of law, logistics and technology with Bonbright, discusses expansion plans and creating a bike park at Welcome Park. (Cornelius Frolik/Staff)

The city of Dayton could get a mountain bike park in an area already known for providing sports thrills.

The Dayton Plan Board earlier today approved removing a portion of Welcome Park from its commons plan to support the project. The park is located just northwest of UD Arena and next to Welcome Stadium.

Bonbright Distributors Inc., which is a beer distribution company located just south of the park, wants to acquire part of the city-owned property for future expansion.

The company, which has 125 employees and moves about 5 million cases of beer each year, is looking at acquiring other companies and will need more space to accommodate its growing product selection.

The city was already exploring constructing a mountain bike park, and Bonbright has committed to paying for the construction of the courses and riding areas at Welcome Park in exchange for 3.1 acres of the site. The proceeds from the sale also would help upgrade the basketball courts and picnic areas.

The action to remove the targeted site from the commons plan still requires city commission approval.

The plans for the park include a single track that loops around, smaller pump tracks and a progression-jumps zone, featuring a range of offerings for riders of different skill levels.

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