News on Pickleball Courts and Electric Bikes

The city of Durango wants your feedback on new pickleball courts proposed for Fort Lewis College. And E-bikes are now allowed on the soft-surface trails in Twin Buttes. You're watching the "Local News Roundup," brought to you by Downs, McDonough, Cowan and Foley, and Pop's Truck and RV Center. I'm Wendy Graham Settle. Pickleball enthusiasts will soon have four new outdoor pickleball courts for play. The city recently unveiled several design alternatives to build the courts at the Duane Smith Sports Complex at Fort Lewis College. Design option A includes six courts with a covered group shelter and parking. Option B includes four courts offset at an angle to avoid interference from adjacent games. A tented shelter is proposed for option B. The city expects to select a design this spring and begin work in the fall. The courts are expected to be ready for play in summer 2023. To see the designs and to comment through a survey, visit durango.gov and navigate to the parks and recreation projects page. You may now legally ride your electric-assisted mountain bicycle on the city's soft-surface trails at Twin Buttes. The city council recently approved their use at Twin Buttes. The use of E-bikes on city trails has been a much debated issue since 2016 when E-bike riders first requested they be allowed on the Animas River Trail. The city council finally approved their use on the city's hard trail system, primarily the Animas River Trail and the Three Springs trail system. They were not approved for natural or soft-trail surfaces, although E-bike users have continued to express interest in doing so. The city then conducted a survey of riders at Twin Buttes from June 2020 to November 2021 and found that 57% of respondents did not oppose E-mountain bikes on the trails. The city council formally approved their use on the Twin Buttes trail system at its last meeting in April. However, no other soft-surface trail system in the city is open to E-bikes because many trails cross multiple jurisdictions like the Forrest Service or the Bureau of Land Management that limit where motorized vehicles, including E-bikes, may be used. To learn more, visit durangogov.org. Thanks for watching this edition of "The Local News Roundup." I'm Wendy Graham Settle.

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