Patrons in the City: Ian Helman & Nate Laakonen

We believe that passionate individuals can spur change in their communities. We refer to those individuals as Patrons in the City, dedicating their time, sweat, and energy to building vibrant communities.

Last year, the Hancock Trails Club launched an all-or-nothing campaign to revitalize an underutilized public parcel of land in town, reimagining the dusty hill into a mountain bike park and trailhead, a place for riders of all skills and ages to gather, enjoy the outdoors, and share their passions. Within a month, the campaign not only hit its goal but exceeded it by nearly $9,500, unlocking an extra $50,000 from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Public Spaces Community Places program. With resounding support from 130 community members, the Creekside Trailhead and Bike Park project was a go.

A year later, Creekside Trailhead and Bike Park is now open to visitors while the Hancock Trails team completes the final touches– including a few more add-on trails, sign installations, fencing repairs, and seating. There are tentative plans to coordinate an open house party this summer with the City of Hancock, hosted by the Trails Club, so keep your eyes peeled on their Facebook page for updates on the family-friendly event!

We spoke with the project leads of this campaign, Ian Helman and Nate Laakonen– board members of the Hancock Trails Club for the duration of this endeavor– to learn more about the park and their passion for the outdoor community.

Ian lives near the Maasto-Hiihto Churning Rapids trailsystem in Hancock with his wife Bekah and two kids. He moved to Hancock in 2019, and fell in love with the local trail system and mountain biking. Though his professional background is in electrical engineering, he’s passionate about being the “local trail guide” for friends and family and working with the Hancock Trails Club in his free time. Starting as a volunteer, Ian joined the board two years ago and has focused on their digital communications and map generation since.

Nate grew up in a small town near Hancock and attended Ferris State University to study pharmacy. It was while he was in college that Nate first got into mountain biking as a way to stay active; he was drawn to the sport due to its accessibility, to be able to participate wherever he was, in whatever town or city. In 2014, he moved back to Hancock and has been working and living there for the last twelve years with his wife and two young children, near the trailhead. Nate quickly got involved with volunteer efforts and then transitioned to a more formal position as a board member for the Hancock Trails Club about 7 years ago. Nate would drive past the location of the Creekside Bike Park every day, twice a day, so he’s been dreaming of converting the land parcel for a while.

Nate and Ian met several years ago at the Keweenaw Chain Drive Festival, an annual cycling and trail running event. Both have just stepped down as board members to allow others to get more involved with the Hancock Trails Club, but they are still active members of the club and community.

Patronicity: Why do you love where you live and work? Tell us about your community!

Ian: The Keweenaw, where we call home, is such a unique location with beautiful land features hiding in plain sight. It’s hard to not feel spoiled with access to dozens of miles of non-motorized trails, hundreds of miles of motorized trails, and more outdoor recreation activities then one can count. The people who live here are also why we love it here, from the friendly faces to the mutual love we all share for the land.

Nate: The communities of the Keweenaw Peninsula all carry a similar mindset that really emphasizes the outdoors. Hancock is an up-and-coming town, and there’s more engagement with community events hosted in the downtown area, so being in a community with those offerings as well being so close to the outdoors with the woods and water makes Hancock a great place to live and raise my family.

Patronicity: What was your project, and why was it necessary?

Nate: The trails have been my single-most time-consuming and passion-driven hobby for a while. This parcel was owned by the city and had one single trail that had been built by hand a long time ago, but it had basically grown to an advanced grade because of how eroded, root-filled, and rocky it had become. It jumped out at me as something that could be improved. My wife and I have also done a lot of travelling to other mountain biking destinations across the US, and seeing what amenities other trail communities had for their trail users really highlighted what could be possible for us in Hancock.

Ian: The Houghton/Hancock community has ample amounts of singletrack trail for riders to enjoy, but there has never been a purpose-built place for bikers to gather and collaboratively work on their skills.

Patronicity: Until now! What inspired you to get involved or build this project?

Nate: I’d been a board member and involved with the trails prior to this project becoming a vision. Being involved with the Trails Club and learning how projects can develop and the different routes that can be pursued for making things happen when working with a nonprofit formed the foundation for seeing this property and thinking, yes, this is a vision, and these are the paths that a nonprofit can take to work with different entities to make it happen.

Ian: Watching how other communities leveraged placemaking grants like the Public Spaces Community Places program was what lit the fire under us to dream big and be ambitious about developing an outdoor recreation space within the City of Hancock for riders of all ages and ability levels.

Patronicity: What have been the results of your crowdfunding campaign? How has the project changed your community?

Nate: The crowdfunding increased the potential for this project. When we first talked about this location, we thought of a very simple basic pump track as the one thing we could do with the funding that was available. Once we met our goal with the crowdfunding campaign, it really unlocked funds that allowed us to increase the offerings. Now the space has everything from a strider track for an early rider (2 - 3 years old), all the way up to skilled trails and offerings for an advanced rider. The park has something for anyone at any ability.

The project has stretched beyond a small group of bikers. A local native plant nonprofit reached out to install a native plant garden– which the high school students installed. We were just awarded a new grant to build a pavilion, and are working with the local trades program to complete that. It really pulls in the community and brings in different parties that have an interest in the space beyond just a trail access point, and it makes more people invested in the space. It’s great to see the community come through in so many different ways.

Patronicity: How has the community responded to your project?

Ian: The response from the whole community has been an overwhelming excitement for the new trails and the newly renovated space for people to enjoy. The most obvious source of excitement has been from parents and young riders in the community. It’s truly amazing watching the parking lot fill up with cars loaded with kids ready to ride all of the new trail features.

Patronicity: What do you hope community members take away from this project?

Nate: I hope that, locally, individuals are able to come together and enjoy this space. It can encourage socialization for both kids and adults, and people can view a project like this as something that can be replicated in other forms in the community.

Patronicity: How did the matching MEDC dollars improve your overall project and provide greater impact?

Ian: The matching funds from the MEDC not only unlocked more funding for new trails, but the process itself also gave the project a sense of purpose. Having dozens of community members rally around your project with their generosity established even more validity in the Creekside Trailhead and Bike Park project and made us that much more excited to pour our personal time into seeing it through. From the matching funds we were able to effectively double the size of the bike park and provide riders a greater variety of trail riding experiences all within an easy-to-access city parcel.

Patronicity: What could other communities learn from your project?

Nate: If you have a vision, and if you are committed to making something happen, there are ways to do it that are attainable, that don’t require a full-time executive director to achieve. Ian and I are both full-time workers with families and homes and plenty of things to keep us busy, but we had this vision and were able to execute it with the support of our community.

Patronicity: If someone wanted to become more involved in their community, what advice would you give them?

Ian: Focus on what you’re already passionate about! If that’s trails, reach out to your local trails club to volunteer. Trust me– they all need your support. If it’s gardening or beautification, talk to your local city or township about sprucing up a public space or join a local gardening club. If it’s people, talk to your local friends of elderly chapter or volunteer at a charity kitchen. These are just a few examples of how your passions can help shape your community.

Nate: I’d also add– attend meetings and reply to emails! When people are reaching out and saying there’s opportunities, take people up on those offerings to get involved and meet people. Even if it’s something simple like a small volunteer opportunity, that’s how you form the basis for meeting people and getting involved in your community. Make connections, and then pursue bigger dreams or visions. You need people to be active drivers to achieve a thing like this.

Become your community’s active driver.

Change begins with each of us. Find your passion, get involved, and be the spark that turns that vacant lot in your neighborhood into a vibrant center for the community to gather.

Get started today at patronicity.com/start.

Public Spaces Community Places (PSCP) is a crowdgranting partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). This initiative provides matching grant funds to eligible projects that improve public spaces in the state of Michigan. Projects can receive a matching grant of up to $50,000 if they reach their crowdfunding goal. Learn more at patronicity.com/puremichigan.