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Orangeville Lions Club Pump Track opens at Alder

August 27, 2026   ·   0 Comments

The new Alder Pump Track is officially open, giving Orangeville families a paved space to ride bikes, skateboards and scooters at the Alder Street Recreation Centre.

The facility replaces the former Orangeville Lions BMX Park, a hard-packed dirt track that had fallen into disrepair and saw declining use in recent years. It has since been renamed the Orangeville Lions Club Pump Track in recognition of the club’s contribution to the project.

Yas Slater of the Orangeville Lions Club said the club was thrilled to see the track finally open to the public.

“I was extremely excited when I got the news on Friday [Aug. 21] that the town opened it, and it was already packed with kids and parents and families trying it out,” Slater said.

“It’s been a bit of a longer project than we expected, with some challenges, but it’s just so great to see it being well accepted and received already. That’s all we wanted — a space for families and the community to get out and be outside and have some fun.”

The project was delayed earlier this year after the track’s original asphalt failed to meet the town’s quality standards. The town had it removed and repaved at the expense of the third-party contractor responsible, not local taxpayers.

Some finishing touches remain, including a bicycle repair station, bike rack, signage and shade shelters, along with a bench donated by the Lions Club. Slater said those additions are expected within the next month. A garden feature is also planned for spring 2027.

“Work will continue this fall on the remaining elements, which will be installed as weather and site conditions permit,” said the Town of Orangeville’s Parks and Recreation Department.

The town is asking riders to follow a few rules while using the shared space: helmets are required, adult supervision is recommended for children 10 and under, riders should look before jumping, and everyone should follow the arrows marking track entry and exit points. Motorized vehicles, including e-bikes and e-scooters, are not permitted.

The Lions Club ultimately contributed $111,500 to the project, raised through its annual Home and Garden Show and paid to the town over two years. The town’s 2025-2034 capital program allocated $380,000 toward the project, split between the property tax levy and development charges.

Slater said the idea to convert the aging BMX park into a modern pump track began taking shape roughly three to three-and-a-half years ago, when she joined the Lions Club and the project was still in its early stages. She said she researched pump tracks in nearby communities, including Waterloo and Alton, and consulted with other municipalities and service clubs that had built similar facilities before bringing the concept to the town.

“It was a BMX park that the Lions originally built there, a dirt BMX track, and it just kind of fell into disrepair,” Slater said. “So as a club, we spoke with the town to come up with ideas on how we could reinvigorate that space and get it being used by the community again. Through our research and discussions with the town, we came up with the idea of a paved pump track.”

The town’s Parks and Recreation Department echoed that reasoning, pointing to the practical advantages of the new surface.

“The new paved pump track is designed to require less maintenance than the former dirt and gravel BMX track, allowing it to be used more consistently by the community. It also opens up the pump track to users who may not have been able to take equipment on a dirt or gravel track,” the department said.

The track’s location beside the recreation centre, soccer fields and nearby subdivisions made it a natural fit, Slater said, offering families another activity to enjoy while other members are at the pool or on the field.

The Lions worked with Cycling Elements, a local community bike shop, for technical guidance throughout the project, Slater said.

The track features two loops – a beginner circuit and a more advanced intermediate loop — that riders can combine as their confidence grows.

“There’s a lot of opportunity to have some fun and get a little adrenaline going, in your backyard almost,” Slater said.

She added that service clubs like the Lions see projects like the pump track as central to their mission.

“We’re here to help the community and build ways for the community to be outside and interact,” she said, pointing to other Lions-supported spaces in town, including Lions Park and Murphy’s Hill.

“These are all places where families can create memories together.”

That community use is already visible on the ground. Janelle Vantol stopped by the pump track with her kids, who love biking, while visiting Orangeville from Owen Sound on Aug. 26.

“It’s very well engineered,” said Vantol. “The kids flow very easily.”

She also pointed to the range of ages the pump track accommodates.

“I have a three-year-old on it and then you can see adults enjoying it as well,” Vantol said.

For her family, the trip was worthwhile: “Worth the travel, that’s for sure.”

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