BMX Track nears completion

Two years of work yield national-caliber facility, experts said

MOSES LAKE — Yet another entertainment venue is nearing completion in this city.

Two thousand yards of topsoil neatly packed into jumps and turns have become the latest recreational project in Moses Lake, as a brand-new BMX bicycle track nears completion at Larson Field, next to the ice skating rink.

Sunshine Fale, the BMX Track Planning Group's secretary/treasurer, could not hide her excitement about the almost-finished project, saying she could hardly wait until kids tried it out.

With the soil all packed, it is only a matter of hours until the 1,000-plus-foot-long track is ready for use. All that is needed, Fale said, is a sign with rules and instructions as to how and when to use the track.

After the sign is up, the track will be deemed ready. However, races sanctioned by the American Bicycle Association are not expected to arrive to Moses Lake until the spring, Fale said.

Bill Allen, a track builder from the ABA said the Moses Lake project will be a national-caliber track, hosting area and state competitions, and going along with similar facilities in Walla Walla, Richland, Zillah and Yakima.

Once the track is ready, landscaping work will begin, installing bleachers on the east end, as well as grass and other amenities, culminating a project that was at least two years in the making.

Fale expressed thanks for the support received from private individuals and groups such as the Sand Scorpions, as well as from the City of Moses Lake, lamenting only that a lot of people around town were not aware of the planning and construction of a BMX track.

"What is important now is that it is almost ready," she said.

Besides the official BMX track, another freestyle track is in the works to go next to it. While the freestyle track will be open for the public all the time, the BMX track will be available for the public whenever there is not an official race going on.

The benefits of having a BMX track were not lost on Fale, who said that while the track looks like a lot of fun, it will also be "a lot of exercise.

"Kids will be huffing and puffing by the end of it," she said.

Fale recommended that users stay away from the track when it rains hard, as the wheels may create deep grooves on the tightly packed topsoil. Any other weather, she said, riders are welcome to come.

The track will be unsupervised, so every wheelie and turn is at the rider's own risk. Rules forbid the presence of spectators and motor vehicles on the track, the use of alcohol, tobacco, drugs and glass containers, and the addition of ramps, obstacles and other modifications.

The use of protective equipment is strongly encouraged, such as helmets, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards and shin guards. The track will be open every day from 8 a.m. to sunset.

The project is being financed with self-help money from the city on a ratio of 3-1. This means that whatever amount the city puts in, the project has to show a 3-to-1 value, $3 worth for every $1 the city put in, said Roland Gonzales, park superintendent for the city.

The city chipped in about $13,000. Adding the $39,000 of the 3-1 ratio brings the total added project value to about $52,000.

Gonzales said that the city owns the property the track is on, and it will be in charge of its maintenance in the future.

"We will support (the BMX group) to make sure they can hold races safely," he said, calling the long-awaited completion of the track "a long process.

"We had several meetings," he said. "The BMX group was in contact with the ABA, and since it was on city property, we had to monitor and assist."

The working, and the planning, are not done, as the BMX track group have an option to require more money for 2005, Gonzales said, although he said that is not the parks department's first priority right now.

"Our first concern is having a safe track," he said.