LESS than a year since it opened, significant areas of the BMX track in Noble’s Park have been completely washed away.
In a meeting at Douglas Council last week, Councillor Carol Malarkey (Hills ward) said that the £60,750 bill, to bring the state-of-the-art site to top national specification, ‘beggared belief’.
However, a written report from the head of parks called the works ‘essential’.
The submission from the head of parks was accompanied by a seven-point upgrade report from BMX track building experts Clark & Kent.
Areas for attention included a new drain at the bottom of the hill, to Tarmac all three berms (a berm is a banked turn formed by soil), weeding, re-shaping, drainage re-working and a £20,000 starting gate.
The redesigned and enlarged BMX track was formally opened to the public on July 24 2011.
Responding to Mrs Malarkey, Councillor Stephen Pitts (lead member of the regeneration and community advisory committee, Derby ward) said drainage issues arose ‘due to an unexpectedly wet summer’, resulting in ‘important parts of the track being washed away’.
‘We don’t need to spend the full £60,750 though,’ insisted Councillor Pitts.
‘In fact, much of the essential drainage work could be done in-house, which would drastically reduce the cost.’
Mr Pitts said that if the anti-slip starting gate and other non essential work were excluded, the cost could be reduced to £5,000 for drainage and £20,000 for Tarmacing the ‘berms’.
Councillor Carol Malarkey then said that she still could not understand why such an essential element as drainage had not been fully thought through at the design stage of the project.
Meanwhile, the issue of responsibility for continuing costs and maintenance remains with the ratepayers.
No lease or licence has been put in place with Isle of Man BMX, who initially expressed interest in doing so.
Councillor Pitts had contacted Isle of Man BMX, with ‘little interest’ in them taking on the commitment.
Councillor Bill Malarkey (Murray’s ward) then went on to ask if there was any point bringing the track to a top national specification as BMX groups are ‘not really using it’?
Newly-elected chairman of Isle of Man BMX, Mr Ian Clague, told the Courier: ‘It would have been nice to go into Douglas but the council wasn’t interested.
‘We offered our volunteers to repair the track if they provided the materials. There’s no way we could offer finance – we are just a small club.’
Mr Clague claimed partial responsibility for the cost of upgrade works was ‘because the council were not prepared to listen to the ideas of experienced riders at the design stage.’
However, Mr Clague believes that if the Noble’s Park site were brought up to a minimum regional standard then he has expressions of interest to host sizeable BMX events here in the island.
‘I could bring people from England, up to 1,000 competitors per event. But not as the track stands at the moment, they would just laugh.’
In the meantime, he plans to concentrate on the Ramsey track and Noble’s Park will be closed to the public until the surface is repaired.