Area young people have been looking for a place to ride their BMX bikes for a while.

So the city of Niles is turning to its youth to spearhead a project that would bring a bike park to the city. A youth advisory board was formed in January, and its first task has been to develop a plan and raise the funds for an outdoor park designed for BMX biking.

Angelika Anderson, a Brandywine High School student and the chair of the youth board, said the students have been looking at several designs and considering the cost of materials.

She said the bike park is necessary because currently there are no places for BMX biking. The Niles skatepark only allows skateboards and inline skates, and several people have been ticketed for biking in the facility.

“People have been given places designated for running, skating, soccer. People who prefer to BMX bike don’t have that option,” Anderson said.

Last April, several area youth attended a Niles City Council meeting with a petition to allow bicycles in the skate park, but no action was taken by the council.

Anderson said a bike park could be the solution, but one big issue stands in the way — money.

The city isn’t giving the youth board any funding for the project, so the students are  planning community fundraisers.

Anderson is unsure exactly how much the project will cost. But with the clay dirt needed for the jumps in the park valued at $85 a truckload, it could cost more than $1,000, she said.

The plan is to install the park on North 13th Street in the empty lot adjacent to the old Suds yer Duds laundromat.

Members of the youth advisory board include Tia Germann, Niles High School; Jordan Harper, Brandywine High School; Shawn Andersen, Niles; and Allison Zackarski, Brandywine.