ARLINGTON — Veteran bike trail builder Gregg Winter sees Arlington as a land of opportunity.

Winter works for trail-building company Gravity Logic, and has met with city of Arlington officials about the need for more outdoor activities, such as a bike park and trails.

“I have a ten-year-old son, and all he thinks about is biking and camping,” Winter told the Rotary Club of Arlington Aug. 20. “Let’s try to do that here. We have the space, and the demographics of bikers include everyone from children to seniors.”

Having worked at the Whistler ski resort and the Stevens Pass bike park, Winter sees an untapped source of revenue in a destination bike park.

“These are people who have money, because they often spend thousands of dollars on their bikes,” Winter said. “They come to town, they’ll be buying food, clothes, hotel rooms and even shopping for antiques. Arlington can define itself in a completely different way.”

Winter noted that women are an especially untapped market for biking. He added that 87 percent of bikers ride cross-country, and 54 percent have gone to a bike park in the past year.

“Right now, the closest ones we have are Whistler or Stevens,” Winter said. “Whistler is actually surpassing its ski visit numbers with its bike park in the summer. Action sports are growing, and if you’re not into team sports, this is a great alternative.”

Winter pointed out that bike parks cost less to maintain than golf courses, and reported that the kids who use the Whistler bike park volunteer to maintain it, yielding further savings.

“With a golf course, you might get three hundred people in a day,” Winter said. “With a small bike park, you can get 500 in a day.”

Winter asserted that much of the infrastructure for a bike park is already in place, including connections to trails at locations near the airport or the old mill.

“If you want to deal with problems like transients or drugs, you need parks even more than you need police,” Winter said. “An active park keeps the riffraff at bay.”

Among Winter’s suggestions were an indoor/outdoor bike park near the Absolute Air Park, or an outdoor bike park that would be built privately and incorporated into the city.

“We can create fantastic riding experiences,” Winter said. “East Arlington has a diverse array of terrain. We need to have groups like the Boys & Girls Club teaching bike skills.”

While he hesitated to speculate about the potential cost of a bike park, given the number of variables, Winter estimated that a floor of $500,000 would be realistic.

Winter works for trail-building company Gravity Logic, and has met with city of Arlington officials about the need for more outdoor activities, such as a bike park and trails.

“I have a ten-year-old son, and all he thinks about is biking and camping,” Winter told the Rotary Club of Arlington Aug. 20. “Let’s try to do that here. We have the space, and the demographics of bikers include everyone from children to seniors.”

Having worked at the Whistler ski resort and the Stevens Pass bike park, Winter sees an untapped source of revenue in a destination bike park.

“These are people who have money, because they often spend thousands of dollars on their bikes,” Winter said. “They come to town, they’ll be buying food, clothes, hotel rooms and even shopping for antiques. Arlington can define itself in a completely different way.”

Winter noted that women are an especially untapped market for biking. He added that 87 percent of bikers ride cross-country, and 54 percent have gone to a bike park in the past year.

“Right now, the closest ones we have are Whistler or Stevens,” Winter said. “Whistler is actually surpassing its ski visit numbers with its bike park in the summer. Action sports are growing, and if you’re not into team sports, this is a great alternative.”

Winter pointed out that bike parks cost less to maintain than golf courses, and reported that the kids who use the Whistler bike park volunteer to maintain it, yielding further savings.

“With a golf course, you might get three hundred people in a day,” Winter said. “With a small bike park, you can get 500 in a day.”

Winter asserted that much of the infrastructure for a bike park is already in place, including connections to trails at locations near the airport or the old mill.

“If you want to deal with problems like transients or drugs, you need parks even more than you need police,” Winter said. “An active park keeps the riffraff at bay.”

Among Winter’s suggestions were an indoor/outdoor bike park near the Absolute Air Park, or an outdoor bike park that would be built privately and incorporated into the city.

“We can create fantastic riding experiences,” Winter said. “East Arlington has a diverse array of terrain. We need to have groups like the Boys & Girls Club teaching bike skills.”

While he hesitated to speculate about the potential cost of a bike park, given the number of variables, Winter estimated that a floor of $500,000 would be realistic.