NOKESVILLE, Va. – Brentsville District Supervisor Tom Gordy says a long-discussed project at Rollins Ford Park is finally moving forward, and it’s unlike anything else in Prince William County.
On a recent podcast interview, Gordy explained the basics of the new asphalt pump track approved last week by the Board of County Supervisors. “I’ll say right up front, I’m not an expert on pump tracks. I’ve never been on a pump track,” Gordy said. “But as I understand it, it is a track for bicycles… just by the sheer use of gravity and force by pumping your bike, it allows you to get airborne and do flips and do some exciting things. So this is going to provide a completely different type of recreational activity for the Brentsville District specifically, but for Prince William as a whole.”
The 6,500-square-foot track, a paved loop with small hills and banked turns, is the first of its kind in the county. It was included in the 2018 Rollins Ford Park master plan but delayed due to funding constraints. Gordy credited the Prince William County Parks Foundation, led by former Supervisor Ruth Anderson, with raising $179,000 in donations and rallying community support. The county is contributing in-kind services and $33,837 in Brentsville District office savings. “We had some leftover funds from our ’24 budget that allowed us to put into a specific project that was in the county’s capital improvements program,” Gordy said. “We felt that we could help Ruth and her team push this thing over the line.”
For Gordy, the project represents more than just a new place to ride bikes. “For the past 40 years we’ve built neighborhoods and shopping centers but we didn’t build a community. Our neighborhoods are balkanized… something like Rollins Ford Park gets us out of our neighborhoods. It gets us coming together in a place that belongs to everyone,” he said.
Looking ahead, Gordy said he is working on other projects to expand recreation opportunities in western Prince William. He hopes to secure open space to connect Rollins Ford Park with the Broad Run Linear Park and Dove’s Landing Park. He also said he will push for a recreation or senior center in Brentsville, something he noted is lacking compared to other parts of the county. “Unless you belong to a gym that you pay a monthly fee to, there’s really no place for you to go and exercise and work out,” Gordy said. “We haven’t built the community infrastructure… and those are the things that I really want to focus on.”
Construction on the pump track is expected to begin this fall, with completion anticipated within 90 days. Once finished, the facility will be operated by the county with ongoing support from the Parks Foundation. Rollins Ford Park is located at 14500 Rollins Ford Road in the Brentsville District.
