Concerns raised by the Friends of Munson Mountain don’t resonate with proponents to the new BMX track.
“I think it’s a vocal minority whipping people up because they don’t want them in their backyard, frankly,” said Corey Brown, member of Penticton BMX.
The Friends of Munson Mountain suggested a year-long moratorium in hopes of finding a solution that works for both sides. Still Brown said the concerns they brought forward surprised him.
“You can expect opposition with anything you do in this day in age,” he said. “I’m surprised by the vehemence of it; by how angry it is.”
Brown said Penticton’s cycling community is very strong, and whether they expand their park at Munson Mountain or elsewhere, “we’d like to have a place we can share with the whole biking community.”
A press release from the BMX club said the current Lions Park location was designated for interim use, and that it’s the shortest track of its kind in British Columbia – which disqualifies the club from hosting national events and makes it difficult to retain members as they age.
“As kids get older they are unable to compete with their peers from other tracks and often leave the sport,” reads the press release. “To draw a comparison it would be like a local hockey team playing on half a sheet of ice at their home rink, but having to play on a full sheet of ice against out of town teams at tournaments and in the playoffs.”
As an alternative site, the Friends suggested Penticton BMX convert the McLaren Arena into an indoor track.
“The Penticton BMX club would welcome this idea, but we would need enough money to purchase a two acre warehouse,” the club said in its release. “We simply do not have the money required.”
Brown said that he would like to see the club operate indoors eventually as it would allow members to ride year-round – but in order to afford an indoor track, the club will first need to expand its membership, which isn’t likely to happen without a larger outdoor track.
“We have to go one step at a time; at this point we need a longer track in order to grow the club,” he said. “If the city offered (McLaren Arena) at a rate we could afford I’m sure people would go for that in a minute.”
The Friends of Munson Mountain feel the project has been downplayed as “just a dirt track for the little kids to play on,” and cite Penticton BMX’s desire to host national events to the contrary. The group questions whether BMX events would bring revenue to the city. They said no marketing surveys or financial outlooks have been presented to the public.
Sally Kilburg, a member of the Friends of Munson Mountain group and a real estate agent, said the real concern is taking “Penticton’s rare treasure” and setting it over for a special use without a plan for the whole area. She believes it has the potential to be nice parkland. She said a plan needs to be in place before development goes in and the city is entering a phase where they are going to be under a lot of urban development pressure.
“I just feel that it’s the wrong spot for that use,” Kilburg said. “But it would be beautiful for a multi-use park, and maybe BMX is part of that, but I think more should be thought about, looked at and considered.”
The Friends of Munson Mountain issued a press release last week stating asking the area be developed with the needs of the whole community in mind.
“I’m sympathetic to the BMX Club’s desire for a new facility,” said Lauren Calancie, who founded the Friends of Munson Mountain. “Right now, though, my time and energy are geared toward protecting the Munson land. I’d encourage the BMXers to ride this wave of public awareness and ask for help from the city officials, citizens and potential sponsors. When the Munson property is no longer threatened, I’d be happy to join in the search for a great BMX location.”
The Penticton BMX Club said their members understand the sensitivity of the area.
“All the kids and family members are respectful, especially to the environment around them,” said BMX Penticton communications co-ordinator Vanessa Gonzalez. “And we are just strictly there to race on the track provided.”
City staff recommendations put forth on March 2 saw council give first reading to a bylaw which would change the property’s zoning from Agriculture to Parks and Recreation. The report’s estimated costs to the city is $2,500 for the installation of water serves, and $7,500 to provide electricity, in addition to $1,500 in annual operating costs. As well, the “future budget will be required to address the landscaping or redesign of the existing BMX track area.”
Currently, the project is entirely hypothetical because the site is on land that’s designated for agriculture, and rezoning requires approval from the Agriculture Land Commission.
Penticton BMX member Brown, who’s also an organic farmer, said he strongly trusts the ALC to decide accordingly.
In their request to council, Penticton BMX said the minimum track size needed is 45 metres by 106 metres, in addition to an area for spectators spanning 122 metres by 152 metres.
