WOW Trail to install bike repair station at new Lakeport Connector

LAKEPORT — The WOW Trail has begun construction on a bicycle repair station located at the new Lakeport Connector, linking the trail to the planned Opechee Loop. Basic tools and an airpump for minor repairs will be available to cyclists on the go.

Allan Beetle, president of the WOW Trail organization, said they have been looking into implementing something like this for quite a while. Several months ago, the organization applied for a grant to cover the costs of a Dero Fixit repair station. This specific model includes an integrated pump for quick tire inflation, and L-shaped wrenches for tightening and loosening handlebars, for example. All tools will be attached to the stainless steel station with stainless steel wire, to prevent theft.

“We hope to continue to build the biking infrastructure, and make this community more bike friendly and connected. We thought it would be a good fit,” Beetle said.

Granite State Wheelers, a statewide adult recreational bicycling club, awarded the WOW Trail with a $2,500 grant toward their bike repair station. Club President Michael Claus said for the last 20 years, the club uses money from various fundraisers, such as the upcoming 52nd Annual Seacoast Century ride, to fund cycling-related endeavors. Typically, 800 to 900 cyclists join the fundraiser, as they bike along the Seacoast and parts of Massachusetts. Profits from fundraisers allow the club to give out a total of $25,000, distributed across 10 grants, to applicants every other year. This year, 14 applications were submitted, and the WOW Trail was selected as one of the recipients.

The grant will cover a large portion of the cost to build the repair station, which Claus said was estimated to be roughly $4,100. The remaining costs for landscaping and developing the project area will be supported by proceeds from WOW Trail organization fundraising.

The Winnipesaukee Opechee Winnisquam, or WOW, Trail runs from Lakeport to the Belmont town line, where it joins the Winnisquam Scenic Trail. The organization's aim is to one day connect Franklin and Meredith with the paved pedestrian and bicycle path.

Engraved bricks, which will be part of the new Lakeport Connector, are currently for sale. A portion of the proceeds will go to costs for updates and improvements to the new portion of the trail. To learn more, visit wowtrail.org.

The WOW Trail organization continues to make other improvements. As part of their 10-year plan, they are planning the Opechee Loop, creating another connection from Lakeport to Downtown Laconia. Along the Elm Street Bridge, they are nearing the end of construction and widening the sidewalk.

Beetle said the Lakeport Connector will “connect the WOW Trail to this more neighborhood-oriented pathway that bikes will be invited up on. You’ll be seeing, mostly along Elm Street, a 10-foot wide sidewalk with bicycles invited to get up on it, out of the street.”

Beetle said he thinks putting the bicycle repair station in Lakeport is a “really good spot for this kind of trailside amenity.”

Construction has begun on the area where the station will be built. Beetle said he expects it to be done by this fall, most likely September or October.