Nearly 12 years ago, shovel first met dirt at Truckee Bike Park.

In a few weeks, a project envisioned by co-founders Cortney Knudson and Brooks McMullin will come to a conclusion as the final phase of the 11-acre park is completed.

“It hasn’t really sunk in quite yet,” said McMullin. “While being able to put a 12-year journey, not really having any idea of what it could be and grow into, and then making it happen, that’s a huge relief, but now it’s the afterlife of the bike park — sustaining it, making sure that it thrives and stays at the standard that we envisioned, and then our festivals.”

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The park’s main annual event, The Little Big Bike Festival, has been announced for June 24 and 25. The two-day event will feature dual slalom competition, a children’s pump track jam, a jump jam, as well as cash prizes.

McMullin also said the park plans on opening a concession area for retail sales, rentals, repairs and food.

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As far as the final phase of the park, McMullin said work has begun on a slopestyle zone with new features that will include a wall ride and a shark fin. The new zone will have areas for progression, which has become a staple at the park.

The park is coming off a successful fundraiser at Bar of America, said McMullin, but is always looking for donations to help offset between $120,000 and $150,000 in annual maintenance fees stemming from labor, machinery rentals, dirt, and other costs associated with keeping the park free and open to the public.

“It’s a passion project that started and now we’re 12 years into it,” said Knudson. “It needs to change into a fully funded thing if we’re going to keep it free and that’s where the donations and the fundraising are needed to keep it at the level that it’s at.”

The Truckee Bike Park is free to the public and made possible through a partnership between nonprofit Biking for a Better World, Truckee-Donner Recreation & Park District, Truckee Tahoe Airport District, and Truckee Sanitary District.

For more information or to donate, visit http://www.truckeebikepark.org.

Justin Scacco is a staff writer with the Sierra Sun. He can be reached at jscacco@sierrasun.com