- Tallahassee teen Nico Johnston built a new bike repair station at Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park to support the local mountain biking community as part of his Eagle Scout project.
- The repair station is already being praised by bikers and park staff who hosted an opening ceremony in April.
- Watch the video to see why he did it.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
What's the newest feature of the Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park?
A new bike repair station to help local bikers on the trails, and its creator is a local teen named Nico Johnston.
"I sort of gained inspiration through my years trail riding, and I decided to give back to my mountain biking community through that in building this repair station," Johnston said.
The park boasts at least five miles of multi-use biking trails, trails that the Tallahassee Mountain Bike Association patrols and helps maintain frequently, according to its president Doug Bell.
"There are thousands of people that ride mountain bikes in Tallahassee that aren't members, and there are people that travel here to ride their mountain bikes, and to have someone volunteer and do this, I think is important," Bell said.
ABC 27's Brieanna Smith ran into a biker on the trail who's been biking Maclay for 15 years, and with that experience comes plenty of flat tires and loose chains.
"It should come in handy to a lot of folks, especially the first one that I saw at the trail head, in case someone is setting up and forgot their tools," Ian Gopez said.
"This project has been a long time running. I began planning phases in May of 2024, and our project execution took course over two project workdays in early February," Johnston said.
With the project, Johnston was able to earn the Eagle Scout rank, the highest level in the Boy Scouts of America.
The park’s staff also honored him for the work.
"I hope that this one lasts for a good amount of time, and I understand that Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park rangers and staff will be able to take great care of this and make it preserved for riders in the future years as well," he said.
You can stop by Johnston's bike repair station along the Lake Overstreet Trail.
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