At Village Greens North, a little under four years separate the first line in a city capital plan from a grand opening. The new asphalt pump track opens Tuesday, October 27, at 6 p.m. at Village Greens Park, 9501 E. Union Ave., and the City of Greenwood Village is serving complimentary refreshments.
The track is small next to the loops it joins, but it shifts what the course offers. It was proposed in response to rider requests and paid for in part by Arapahoe County's open space sales tax. It was built in asphalt because asphalt needs far less upkeep than dirt. The result is a feature the city describes as suitable for "riders of all ages and abilities," set in a course whose other routes run from easy green loops to expert black diamonds.
It started with a request from riders
The earliest public record of the project is a capital-plan listing on ConstructConnect from February 2023. It says the pump track was proposed "in response to requests by users" to complement the existing mountain bike course at Village Greens North. That same listing sets out the two decisions that shaped what opens this month. The surface would be asphalt, described as "nearly maintenance free in comparison to the dirt version." The money would come mostly from the county, with Greenwood Village covering a 25% match on a 75% grant from Arapahoe County Open Spaces. At that point the project sat in the city's 2023–2027 Capital Improvement Plan with funding set aside for 2023.
The listing frames asphalt as the low-upkeep option next to a dirt track, and the city now presents the finished loop as a feature for riders of every skill level.
How the county tax paid for part of it
The grant came through the Arapahoe County Open Space Sales and Use Tax. According to Arapahoe County's 2023 grant awards announcement, half of that revenue goes directly back to participating cities and towns through the Shareback program, allocated by population. Each year, 12% is dedicated to the Open Space Grant Program, which funds specific projects.
In the 2023 round, the county awarded grants of $80,000 to $600,000 to 12 projects in seven cities, towns and special districts. Greenwood Village received $225,000 "for a new pump track at the Village Greens North Park mountain bike skills course." Other 2023 awards included $600,000 to the City of Englewood for a new playground and accessible pathways at Bates/Logan Park. The City of Littleton received $562,500 to pave and widen part of the Mineral Trail.
The $225,000 matches the original plan. The 2023 capital-plan listing estimated a conceptual cost of $300,000, and 75% of $300,000 is $225,000. That estimate came at the planning stage, before the project went out to bid. The final cost of the finished track is a separate number.
The city's announcement for the grand opening still credits the county. It says the feature "was made possible in part by a grant from the Arapahoe County Open Space Sales and Use Tax."
From grant to grand opening
The project moved in clear steps, and the public records give dates for most of them.
| Milestone | Date | What the record shows |
|---|---|---|
| Capital plan listing | February 6, 2023 | Pump track proposed in response to rider requests; asphalt surface; 75/25 county-city split |
| County grant | 2023 award round | $225,000 for a pump track at the Village Greens North mountain bike skills course |
| Design/build bid notice | November 27, 2023 | Asphalt track of roughly 8,000 to 9,000 square feet added to the existing course |
| 2026 amended budget | Adopted July 6, 2026 | Three Village Greens Pump Track capital entries carried in the city budget |
| Grand opening | October 27, 2026, 6 p.m. | Public celebration at Village Greens Park |
The design/build solicitation is the most detailed description of the build. It called for a qualified asphalt pump track firm to handle schematic design, construction documents and turnkey construction. The track would be roughly 8,000 to 9,000 square feet, added to the existing course at 9501 East Union Avenue.
The project also appears in the city's 2026 second amended budget. City Council approved it on first reading June 1, 2026, and on second reading July 6, 2026. It took effect July 15. The budget lists three Village Greens Pump Track capital entries of $68,069, $207,806 and $39,596, so the project was still active in this year's city finances.
What a pump track adds to the course
The city's description of the track is simple. It is "a compact, looped circuit featuring bumps (rollers) and banked turns (berms)." Riders build speed with an up-and-down body motion called "pumping," so they don't need to pedal or push.
That makes it a different kind of riding from the rest of the course. The existing Village Greens North mountain bike course rules list these routes:
- Beginner Loop, 0.1 mile
- Trailhead to Hill Loop, 0.3 mile
- Hill Loop, 0.7 mile
- Prairie Loop, 0.9 mile
- Prairie Loop to Trailhead, 0.5 mile
Those loops are rated green for easy, blue for intermediate and black diamond for expert. They mix manmade and natural obstacles, and green routes have bypass trails around their features. The loops take riders out and back. The pump track keeps them on a short circuit, practicing the timing, balance and weight shifts the rated features call for. The city's announcement says it is meant to help riders of all ages and abilities "improve their skills and enjoy the outdoors."
For households with riders at different levels, that changes how the park works. A younger rider can work the rollers on the asphalt loop while someone else rides the Hill Loop or Prairie Loop in the same park.
The course rules that come with it
The city's rules for the mountain bike course set the tone for the park. The course is unsupervised and open to bicycles only. Riders are asked to inspect features before using them, ride within their ability, use one feature at a time, follow signs and closures, and stay on designated routes. They are also asked not to skid or modify features, which matters most on dirt. Maintenance concerns go to the city at 303-708-6100.
Questions about the pump track before opening night can go to the Parks, Trails and Recreation department at [email protected], the contact listed on the grand opening event page. That page also includes a map showing where the track sits in the park.
Opening night, then a city calendar that moves to Costilla and City Hall
The pump track opening starts a busy stretch on the city calendar, and the venues change as the season turns. These are the dates on Greenwood Village's posted calendar after the October 22 publication of this post:
- Tuesday, October 27, 6 p.m.: Village Greens Pump Track Grand Opening at Village Greens Park, 9501 E. Union Ave., with complimentary refreshments.
- Thursday, October 29, 4 to 6 p.m.: Truck or Treat at the city Maintenance Facility, 10001 East Costilla Avenue. Tickets are required.
- Saturday, December 5, 3 to 5:30 p.m.: Mayor's Holiday Lighting at City Hall, 6060 S. Quebec St. The calendar says Mayor George Lantz and City Council will light City Hall.
- Thursday, December 10, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.: Festival of Lights at City Hall, 6060 S. Quebec St., with a menorah lighting, Chanukah crafts, gifts, latkes and donuts.
Only the first of these takes place at a park. After the pump track opens, the city's late-fall events shift to the Maintenance Facility on Costilla and then to City Hall on Quebec. The two Halloween-week dates fall in the same week, two days apart.
New amenities like the Village Greens pump track change how a park gets used, and that becomes part of what a home near it offers. If you live near Village Greens or elsewhere in Greenwood Village and want to see how nearby amenities fit into your home's value, Nicole Wadsworth can walk you through it at a pace that suits you. Request a Free Home Valuation & Consultation.
