Traicy's Corner: Bike Parks, Boardwalks, and the Good Old Days

Well, I just got my morning coffee and read about this new Kaiserwood Bike Park they’re planning on 71 acres out by Black Lake—3.5 miles of trails, pump tracks, skills stations, and a restroom, can you believe it?—and I couldn’t help but think back to when the only thing you needed a restroom for out there was a picnic with the neighbors, not for mountain biking. Remember when we used to have boardwalks down by the river where you could sit and watch the ducks, and you’d see old Mr. Henderson walking his dog every afternoon? Now they’re putting in trails for people to zoom past on bikes, and I’m not even sure where the old boardwalk went, but I do know it wasn’t for racing. And another thing, I keep seeing these proposals for schools being built on park land, like at Yelm Highway Community Park—save costs and improve access, they say—but I remember when we had a park, it was for kids to play, not for schools to take over. And you know, back in the day, if you wanted to build a school, you’d build it on a school lot, not on a park. And another thing, I’ve been thinking about that Fix-It Fair we had at the Lacey MakerSpace last month—people actually bringing in broken things to fix instead of throwing them away—and it made me wonder, when did we start thinking that parks are just for building things on instead of for playing? And speaking of parks, I still haven’t gotten over the fact that they’re closing the Permit Center on Fridays. I mean, I know some people say it’s to save money, but I used to go in on Fridays to pick up permits for the little projects I’d do around my house, and now I have to plan my week around it. And another thing, I’m not sure why they’re so focused on bike parks and school co-locations when we still have all these old boardwalks that need fixing, but I guess that’s just the way things are going. That's all for this week. You know where to find me.