Takaka BMX track moves closer to completion
BMX riders in Golden Bay are getting closer to having a top-class facility in their own backyard and, in typical Bay style, lots of the work is being done by volunteers and community-minded contractors and businesses.
Cyclists and their supporters have been talking about having a BMX track near the Takaka River for a number of years. Right now, a site at the bottom of Reilly Street has been cleared, and clay is being accumulated so that the track can be formed in the near future.
Bruce Chick is a mountain biker whose mantra is “kids on bikes”. He has been providing a lot of the impetus behind the BMX track project.
“I want to support anything that’s good for the youth of Golden Bay,” said Bruce. “Some of the young people who ride BMX will become mountain bikers in the future but the main thing is that the BMX track will become a community asset. We’ve had offers of help from all sorts of people in the community. I know that the keen BMXers want to be involved in the final formation of the track so we’ll be letting the schools know when the time is right. At the moment we’re making sure the community board and the council know what we’re up to.
“We’re really encouraged by the amount of support we’ve had. When the project is completed there’ll be more than just a BMX track down there. It’ll provide good walking access to the river for people and their dogs. There’s a good swimming hole down there and once it’s landscaped and maintained it’ll be a thing of beauty. We’ve been lucky to have a legend like Tony Sparks to support the project.”
Tony Sparks is a contractor whose Bobcat can be seen in and around the Bay on a variety of jobs. He has committed lots of unpaid hours to the BMX track project because he says he wants our community to have recreational facilities for young people.
“Those tracks that the likes of the Crusty Demons ride on are all formed by Bobcats,” said Tony. “When Bruce told me how good the track could be, I decided my Bobcat was the thing for the job. The whole area down there will be a community asset. The track’s only part of it. I’m a father, and my boys might like to use the track too, but giving all the kids in the Bay something positive to do is the best thing we can do.”
The clay being used to form the track is coming from a seam at Eureka Bend. Fulton Hogan‘s Golden Bay manager Kevin Bruning said that the clay had to be taken somewhere and Fulton Hogan was only too pleased to be provide some of the materials for the BMX track. Neil Wilson
