During last week’s city council meeting, roughly 50 people, most of whom were kids, spoke out in favor of the former Hughes Stadium property being turned into a bike park, and Denver 7 took note. Reporters from the channel reached out to Dave Dixon with Bike Fort Collins, asking for an interview at Hughes. Dave was out of pocket, but he reached out to Kenny Bearden with Overland Mountain Bike Association who in turn reached out to Ciclismo Coaching, Wolfpack Cycling, Sendtown Bike Club, Dude Dad and YGR. Within a few hours, we had 50 people waiting to greet a somewhat taken aback reporter. The video and article are below.
Denver 7 article by Rob Harris
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Fort Collins city leaders are working to decide the future of the site of the former Hughes Stadium.
Nestled against the foothills on the west side of the city, the 164-acre tract of land has sat vacant since 2018 when the stadium was demolished. Now, many groups and organizations are rallying to advocate different visions for the space, as the city is set to officially acquire the land from Colorado State University in the coming months.
In 2021, Fort Collins citizens voted to rezone the site for “parks, recreation, open lands, natural areas, wildlife rescue, and restoration.”
Several cycling organizations, including the Overland Mountain Bike Association and the Wolfpack kids biking group, have been advocating for the construction of a “world class bike park.” They have collectively spoken out at city council meetings and submitted official survey responses in support.
“It’s going to make this a better place,” said Kenny Bearden, executive director for OMBA. “It [would] improve quality of life, and get kids and really everybody active and in the outdoors.”
