City to receive $1.4 million for bike park under construction
Apr. 13—Federal funding will soon help create an outdoor recreation area in northern Joplin that could be the start of a network of bike trails.
The state on Thursday announced $30 million in grants from the American Rescue Plan Act to help support the tourism industry that officials say is in need of recovery in the wake of the pandemic in Missouri. Joplin will receive $1,437,133 for the creation of a recreation area at the junction of Joplin and Turkey creeks in the northern part of the city, near what now is Dover Hill Elementary School.
The ARPA money was administered by the Missouri Department of Economic Development. No other projects from the Four-State Area were chosen.
According to the city of Joplin's parks master plan from 2021, the project's 95 acres stretch across property south of Zora Street and east of Lone Elm Road. Part of the property was used for soccer fields in years past but has been unused for some time.
The proposed Dover Outdoor Recreation Area, according to those 2021 plans, would offer 1.5 miles of single-track mountain biking trail, walking trails, a BMX-style pump track, a children's bike playground and other amenities such as parking lots and restrooms. It had a price tag then of $1.35 million.
City officials were unavailable Thursday to clarify whether that proposed plan remains in place.
The ultimate goal is to make a bike park similar to Neosho's High Ground Preserve and similar parks in Northwest Arkansas.
It is hoped that the area could serve not only as a tourism draw for biking enthusiasts across the region but also as a way to keep Joplin bikers in town.
In October, the Joplin City Council authorized the application for a $500,000 grant to fund construction of a trail connector and Main Street underpass that would link Landreth Park trails to trails at the planned Dover area.
Staff writer Debby Woodin contributed to this report.
