The asphalt trail in Elks Riverside Park will be closed for maintenance on June 9.
It’s the asphalt section that goes through the park from the horseshoe pit to the tennis courts, not the River’s Edge Trail.
Park visitors are asked to avoid the workers and equipment.
Park staff already sealed cracks on this portion of the trail and will be doing a full sealcoat on June 9.
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AJ Smovir, trail coordinator, said staff had done about two miles of the River’s Edge Trail on June 8 as well as some other asphalt trails in city parks.
Elks Riverside Park trail will be closed for 24 hours to allow the tar to cure.
Kevin Vining, parks supervisor, said neglected asphalt trails in city parks had been an ongoing issue and the sealcoat trailer and crack sealer machines were a game changer to extend the life of trails.
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He said parks staff worked with the city public works department to use the equipment efficiently.
Smovir and the trails crews are working to seal cracks on all asphalt trails in city parks and sealcoat as needed within the next year to lengthen the life of the asphalt. Once they do all the parks, Smovir will develop a rotating schedule for sealcoating those trails until more asphalt can be converted to concrete, staff said during the June 8 Park and Recreation Advisory Board meeting.
Smovir told The Electric that he drove the trailer to Billings last week to fill up the tank of sealcoat tar. Crews used about half on June 8 and will likely use the remainder on June 9.
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After completing Elks Riverside on Tuesday, Smovir said that crews will move to another lesser-trafficked park or two.
It takes at least two people to operate the sealant trailer, ideally three, Smovir said.
Parks staff completed some crack filling and sealcoating last summer and were filling cracks in Gibson Park last month.
