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Wet Weather Closes Bike Park in the Poconos

SMITHFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. – A bike park in the Poconos is taking a hit from all the wet weather. River’s Edge Family Bike Park near Delaware Water Gap shou...

SMITHFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. – A bike park in the Poconos is taking a hit from all the wet weather.

River's Edge Family Bike Park near Delaware Water Gap should be filled with bikers. Instead, it's filled with puddles.

The "pump track" in Smithfield Township is temporarily closed and wet weather is to blame.

"There is an issue on the property that it's not draining the way that we need it to in order to comply with environmental regulations, and really the way that the weather has been for the last year, really almost year and a half at this point is making it much, much worse," said Christopher Rain, Middle Smithfield Township Parks and Recreation Director.

The park opened last year.  It's co-operated by Smithfield and Middle Smithfield townships.

Christopher Rain is the parks and recreation coordinator for Middle Smithfield Township. He says the park was supposed to open in the spring, but all the rain is creating stormwater runoff issues.

"The property is right next to a creek which empties into the Delaware [River], so we want to make sure the stormwater is draining correctly so we aren't impacting those waterways," said Rain.

Township officials say they are disappointed that they had to close the park for this long, but they are hoping for a speedy solution, so they can get it open for at least part of the season.

"It's a fantastic addition and it's great to see the area grow for outdoor-minded people," said Chuck Cooper, Edge of the Woods Outfitters.

Chuck Cooper owns Edge of the Woods Outfitters in Delaware Water Gap.  You can rent bikes from his shop. He says while it's sad to see the park closed, it's good to know there are other biking opportunities for people in the area.

"There's a lot of different riding opportunities around here, not just in the bike park, but a lot of different trails and great road riding, too," said Cooper.

Officials say they are waiting on an engineer's report to see how and when the problem can be fixed.

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