The Okotoks BMX Club is hoping to have its members jumping and pedaling through its track the first of week of May for the 2013 season.
However, the club executive isn’t about to jump to any conclusions as to where the Okotoks track will be in the future.
Although the club hopes to be in Okotoks for years to come, it is still waiting for a commitment from the Town concerning the track’s long-term future.
“The Town has said we can have this land and it is almost indefinite but we can’t give you a long-term piece of paper that says you’re good to go,” said Ken McAlister, operations manager for the club. “Right now, we can’t grow. We can’t grow because of the flood plain to the south, and to the north and to the east is where the Town’s operations centre expansion could be going. So we are kind of stuck.”
McAlister said the BMX Club has talked to the MD of Foothills and the Town of High River concerning potential sites for a new track if something can’t be ironed out.
The Okotoks track is presently located just southwest of Riverside Park and virtually neighbouring the Town’s present operations centre. If the operation centre does expand, it could put the track in jeopardy.
Without the long-term commitment it is difficult to plan for the future, said BMX Club president Paul Kroon.
“The track is in really rough shape compared to other tracks in the province,” Kroon said. “We keep the track maintained to keep it safe but we aren’t building it up to a phenomenal standard because it could be torn down next year… Right now, we’re like a tent in a campground — you can’t build a building in a campground.”
He said without a long-term lease, it makes it difficult for the club to apply for grants.
“We are kind of flying by the seat of our pants,” Kroon said. “Currently we spend about $9,000 to $10,000 a year just for the dirt that is in there on pure maintenance.”
Kroon stressed the Town has been a great landlord since the club started in the late 1990s.
“We are aware they are providing us great services in providing us the land,” Kroon said.
Okotoks Mayor Bill Robertson said he understands the club’s frustration, however, he said it would be difficult for the Town to commit use of the land for the track past 2013.
“We might still have some expansion of the operations centre in the future,” Robertson said.
He stressed the BMX club plays an important role in providing recreation for both youths and adults. He said the Town will work with the club if a new location is needed.
Robertson said one possibility could be near the joint Foothills-Okotoks Fieldhouse near Aldersyde which will likely open in early 2014.
“There is plenty of land out there, but of course we would have to discuss the matter with our partners (the MD of Foothills),” Robertson said.
Kroon said the club is not asking for any money for the maintenance of the track.
If the club were to build on the present track it would eventually like to have sewage and water hooked up to the facility.
It would also like to fence off the track so it could be closed when it is wet.
“We like to see the community use it — we don’t mind the mountain bikers on there,” Kroon said. “But if the track is wet and the bikes are on there it damages the track and sometimes we have to bring in the heavy equipment to fix it.”
The mountain bikes have knobbier tires that dig in and tear up the track more than a BMX bike. Kroon said it is likely the mountain bikers aren’t even aware they are damaging the track.
He said if a fence was built, the club would leave the gate open for the public to use when the weather was conducive to riding.
For now, the club is planning to go full speed ahead for its opening on April 30 to May 1. The club was sitting at approximately 75 members as of April 19 and memberships are still rolling in.
“Those are very healthy numbers,” McAlister said. “Compared to other clubs in Alberta, we are doing very well.”
