• Children are already enjoying Eastgate's Pump Track despite the ongoing construction.

UPDATE: MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Eastgate Park recently had a bicycle track added to it, and now even more renovations are taking place in the area.

Many Meridian Township residents visit Eastgate Park for a relaxing walk and to enjoy the beautiful scenery. However, this past year's events have introduced a more exciting form of entertainment to the park.

Eastgate park's renovations have turned its bicycle pump track into much more of a bike park offering everything from opportunities for beginners to challenges for experts.

Steve Brunner, the man behind Eastgate's addition, says he wanted to find new ways to promote cycling in the area and decided to start by building a "pump track" at Eastgate.

LuAnn Maisner says a pump track is a track with rollers and berms that cyclists use to "pump" their way through without much peddling. The key is to push your way through the rollers and berms and use your own weight to create momentum and energy to carry you through the track. "It's a great workout, and there's some skill that's developed with that, as well," says Maisner.

Maisner says the park now has obstacles such as a pile of logs to ride bikes over, a balance beam to practice balance with a bike, and a rock pile that cyclists can jump their bikes over.

The pump track project has been entirely volunteer-based, and Maisner says if anyone is interested in joining this group, the Park Commission is always interested in listening to new ideas and concepts.

ORIGINAL STORY: MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Find out why Eastgate park in Meridian Township is more exciting than ever. Watch Meridian Magazine on Monday, October 24!