by Bill Brown, FLMSP Board Secretary
Most cyclists enjoy riding the Little Miami Scenic Trail for its miles of paved, offroad surface. But that enjoyment can be occasionally interrupted by a jarring bump in the trail which is usually caused by a tree root pushing up the pavement. FLMSP volunteers and Little Miami State Park maintenance workers try to prevent these bumps by removing trees that are too close to the trail. But this doesn’t always prevent the formation of bumps. Repaving an entire section where bumps form is not practical or economical. That’s where bump grinding comes in.
When a generous donor asked for a specific trail project they could support, Bruce Cortright (FLMSP Volunteer) suggested they fund the purchase of a concrete planer, or as we call it, a “bump grinder.” FLMSP has rented grinders in the past, but it required long days and lots of volunteers to get the best use of the equipment over several days of rental. This meant these grinding sessions did not occur very frequently.
The $5,000 donation (given in memory of dedicated FLMSP volunteer Bill Schwinn) allowed FLMSP to purchase a bump grinder, and it arrived in early February. The South Trail Maintenance crew wasted no time in putting it to use, and began grinding bumps on Feb. 7th.
The grinder uses a rotating drum with steel teeth to remove the high spot in the pavement. Different materials are being tested for the best solution to fill in the remaining crack in the pavement.
The result should be smoother rides for bikers and maybe fewer bumps to trip over for walkers, runners, and skaters. Pictured is the South Trail crew of Bruce Cortright, John Telintelo, Mike Dresch and Bill Brown as they grind bumps between Camp Denison and Milford. You should begin to see the grinder in use all along the trail as more crews begin to grind bumps from Newtown to Spring Valley!
March 2023
