BMX-ing the Metro

"I am willing to sign any agreement with them (the ASKC) that will make them happy," Minor says. "We are willing to use shielded lights and to turn the lights off by 10 p.m. and schedule practice during daylight hours. I think a row of trees could also be planted between our property and the track to help block the dirt and light."

What remains unclear is how Minor and Groves will acquire the money necessary to get the track operational, since they have not presented a formal business plan to the city. When asked, Minor is vague, simply stating that the money will be secured through donations and fundraisers. The only company that Minor named at the park board meeting that would help the project was Bike America in Overland Park. "We have committed to provide sponsorships and mechanical support for racers at the track," says Nick Alberts, whose family owns the store. "We have also talked about providing some other prizes besides a trophy, but nothing in the way of cash for getting the track started."

Although the ABA supplies plans for the track and labor to have it built, the Louisburg BMX group would have to secure all the funding.

"It is difficult to say how much a track costs," Gillette says. "I mean, it is like running any other business. They could spend money on top of the line for things like parking lots, sidewalks, bleachers, and lights, or they can build what they have the money for."

Groves says she has talked to an attorney about setting up a nonprofit corporation, and Minor says he has talked to several companies about donating funds. But when asked in the April park board meeting how much the entire project would cost, Minor said, "I really have no idea."

Towns says that on May 8, the board approved taking the BMX track recommendation to the city council, which eventually will have a final say in the project. Although Towns says the BMX group still hasn't offered a business plan or cost for the track, he has talked with other area park board directors about their tracks. "We aren't taking any recommendations that the city fund the project but are just taking the idea to the council," Towns says. "I suppose if it is approved, a short-term contract would initially be drawn up to see how the project goes."

Been there, done that
Over the past 15 years at least two BMX tracks have opened and closed in metro Kansas City. Tomahawk Ridge School on West 78th in Overland Park sits on a site that once held a track. "I just don't think there was enough interest in it," says Jim Cox, director of parks and recreation for the city of Overland Park. "I haven't heard of BMX in a long time."

Lee's Summit also had a track in an old rodeo arena where a recreation center now stands. "I think the track was started by a grassroots organization, and when the Blue Springs track was built, I think the people here weren't getting the ridership that they had hoped for, and there were some safety issues," says Tom Lovell, administrator for Lee's Summit Parks and Recreation.

In both suburban cities, memories have faded as to exactly why the BMX tracks failed. Like any other project, says Minor, the success of any track probably depends somewhat on the track's quality and the developers' commitment. Gillette says that the closings in Overland Park and Lee's Summit happened during a lull in BMX participation. "A lot of things have changed since that time. The '80s and early '90s were tough because of insurance. The tracks were expected to carry the liability insurance, but we now provide the insurance at a low cost to the track, and our membership and number of tracks have steadily improved over the last few years."

BMX tracks require moving huge amounts of dirt to build the jumps, slopes and turns. Towns, in Louisburg, admits that no studies or research have been conducted to see how the site could be returned to its natural state if the track fails. "I guess we would just take the dirt and move it to other parts of the park," he says. Because buildings were constructed on the old track sites in Overland Park and Lee's Summit, neither city had to worry about restoring the area.

According to the ABA Web site, tracks usually require 2,000 yards of dirt to be brought in and packed, creating jumps, turns, and hills. "I suppose if you knew you were going to have to return it to a natural setting, it could be managed," says Cox. "But it would never be the same."