By ROD LEE

Long a popular recreational area in the town of Uxbridge and the Blackstone Valley, West Hill Dam recently took on a new role as well with creation of a Skills Park by the local chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA).

“We have been developing trails, working with park rangers, setting up an amazing network of trails,” Brian Belfer, president of the Blackstone Valley chapter of the NEMBA, said. “More recently we have been working with them to come up with a proposal to build a Skills Park. There are a handful around. We have created a unique blend of courses right in the middle of West Hill Dam. We are in the last stages of Phase 1.”

The Skills Park was officially scheduled to open on Sunday, August 21st at 9:00 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for 10:00 a.m. According to the NEMBA there would be music, contests and snacks at the unveiling.

A host of partners have been engaged to bring the Skills Park from an idea to reality, Mr. Belfer said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been instrumental in the buildout. Koopman Lumber, the Uxbridge Police Department, UniBank and private donors all had a hand in furthering the project along. A NEMBA Signature Trails Grant gave the initiative a big financial boost.

Mr. Belfer pointed out that the Uxbridge location is within a reasonable distance to lots of friends of the NEMBA who belong to nearby chapters of the organization.

“The Skills Park is completely free,” Mr. Belfer said, with “manmade structures and obstacles to help mountain bikers test their ability.” There are wooden, rock and dirt features “and next year we will adding a kids pump track with little up and down hills.” Phase 2 will involve installation of a dirt pump track, in the spring.

Already, “people are there pretty much every day,” he said.

Best of all, the Skills Park is suitable for everyone from “kids on strider bikes to event-level mountain bikers.”

The original proposal was for the Skills Park to open in early 2020. “We have been working on the concept since the beginning of the year,” Mr. Belfer said. “It’s all done with volunteer labor.”

He described the work involved as “a labor of love.”

Without the support of the NEMBA, the project would not have been possible, he noted. “Volunteers have come out twice a week to donate their time to help build a park that we should all be proud of.”

In a statement, the NEMBA said “one of the best riding areas in the region is getting better. While most people think that skills parks are for kids, nothing could be further from the truth. Skills parks are for everyone.”

Riders who use the park do not have to been members of the NEMBA.

Set on Hartford Ave. E. in Uxbridge, West Hill Dam offers a wide range of activities, including picnicking, fishing, swimming, volleyball, horseshoes, a playground, hunting for small game and bird watching. Over seven miles of hiking and mountain bike trails meander through woodlands and grasslands, providing secluded views of the West River.

Mr. Belfer pointed out that while there are skills parks throughout New England, like one in Allston that is “more of a paved structure,” and others in the Merrimack Valley, Chelmsford and elsewhere, the West Hill Dam skills park is designed as a resource for all mountain biking enthusiasts.

  For more information, visit www.nemba.org.

Contact Rod Lee at [email protected] or 774-232-2999.