Paulding weather may be cooling, but not trail development within the county.

Paulding SORBA (Southern Off-Road Bicycling Association) welcomed a diverse group Nov. 14 to the grand opening of the first of three trail loops at Mt. Tabor Park and is repairing flood damage to the Silver Comet side trail and a one-mile trail at Sara Babb Park.

SORBA will also continue work on two more trail loops at Mt. Tabor, and Trail Director Scott Martin says the group hopes to develop a new trail at Earl Duncan Park at Paulding Meadows.

Several groups were represented at the opening of the first Mt. Tabor loop this month. Both young and old mountain bikers showed up for a chance to ride the newly constructed trails, and the event coincided with the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew visit where IMBA (International Mountain Biking Association) had dispatched Kelly and Collins Bishop to assess the trails being built by Paulding SORBA, one of about 24 chapters in the Southeast. Walt Bready, trails educator for the state of Georgia, was also present for the ribbon cutting.

Also in attendance were Paulding commission Chairman David Austin and Executive Assistant Pat Tibbitts, Parks & Recreation Director Michael Justus, Lee Ann Shaffer of the Paulding Chamber of Commerce and Mark Cleveland of Hiram’s Jim-n-Nick’s Restaurant, a generous supporter of Paulding SORBA.

Martin says about 45 percent of the one-mile Gateway (beginner) trail at Sara Babb has storm damage, as does the Silver Comet side trail, about eight miles of intermittent trail alongside the Silver Comet. SORBA has accepted stewardship of the side trail, originally for equestrian use, which begins in Hiram and ends at the Pumpkinvine Creek railroad trestle.

“Several sections were closed due to storms,” said Martin, adding that the side trail is open to mountain bikers, equestrians, runners and hikers.

He said the three Mt. Tabor trail loops will resemble a snowman, with the first 1.5-loop resembling the head. The middle three-mile loop “is 75 percent to 80 percent complete,” said Martin, and the club hopes to finish that loop by the end of January.

A third loop of about four miles almost entirely in a pine thicket is targeted for opening by the end of 2010, said Martin.

The three Mt. Tabor loops will connect, like a snowman, with the longer loops being more difficult. There are kiosks at Mt. Tabor’s parking lot entrances to the first loop that list trail rules and show which direction riders are going each day.

“We’re adding distance to make it more difficult,” Martin said.

Trees falling across the trails will be notched for novice riders to ride through, and materials will be put in place for cyclists who want to ride over the trees, he added.

“We’re getting pretty proficient at [trail building] and building them right,” Martin said. Proper drainage is a priority, but trail-building is not very labor-intensive, he added. The group is also teaching trail-building to other groups now, using Pulaski and McCloud firefighting hand tools.

Paulding SORBA’s motto is “dig-ride-smile” “because you can’t ride without the other two,” said Martin.

A club care workshop followed the Nov. 14 Mt. Tabor opening, and Martin said the group learned it is already doing many of the things mountain biking clubs should do to reach out to the community. Events have included conducting six or seven bicycle rodeos, as well as annual trips for kids including an October event at Mt. Tabor made possible by a community makeover day in August in which churches and individuals worked.

“We do races, too,” said Martin. An annual festival includes races of 12, 30 and 50 miles, using the Silver Comet side trail and other routes, “and we hope it grows larger.”

Paulding SORBA, which communicates with members on its Facebook page, is celebrating community involvement through its annual awards ceremony Dec. 11 at a member’s home. The club will acknowledge the accomplishments of 15-year-old Jesse Priest, an Eagle Scout with Troop 353 at Burnt Hickory Church who completed a 20-foot trail bridge as his Eagle project. Chip Deaton Jr., 15, will also be awarded a new mountain bike based on the amount of volunteer hours provided to Paulding SORBA.

“C.J. was involved with ‘Earn a Bike’ program initiated in January, and he completed 48.5 hours of volunteer work,” said Martin. “C.J. is a great trail-builder. He’s there every month” at third-Saturday work days.

Paulding SORBA accrued 2,407.8 hours throughout 2009, hosting 266 volunteers and resulting in county savings of $48,758, said Martin. The club is looking forward to another record-breaking year in 2010.

“It’s not often the community has the ability to become involved in shaping the parks they recreate in, but building trails is definitely one way to get involved,” said Martin. Geocaching for hidden boxes using GPS systems along the trails is becoming more prevalent, he added, and is “a great way to get people who wouldn’t normally go outside to go outside.”