Gillies Creek Dirt Jumps becoming legit park facility

Earlier this year an agreement was signed between RVA MORE and the City of Richmond making the Gillies Creek Dirt Jumps (located behind the BMX track at Gillies Creek Park) a legitimate park facility.

“The jumps behind Gillies Creek BMX track have been going on for about 8 years,” explains Brett Eastman, owner of Cyclus Bike Shop, “A select group of amazing folks have been maintaining it themselves. By joining forces with Richmond MORE they have gained insurance [for the track], and MORE gets to achieve a gold standard by having a “jump park” included in their trail system.”

“The advanced jumps will stay as is,” says Brett, “with a possibility of a beginner section on a neighboring plot. There will also be a new boundary and signage around that area for liability purposes.”

This is one of those weird, beautiful success stories that I don’t know could have happened in Richmond before. Community enthusiasts built an amazing but illegal set of bike jumps on public park property. Instead of razing the structures, the Richmond Parks Department approaches a working non-profit advocacy group and the come up with a solution to keep that area open. Kudos to everyone involved for making this happen and making it work.

There will be a Community Cleanup Day Work Day hosted on site on April 30 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM to remove trash, debris, safety hazards, etc.

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