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Volunteers, contractors help repair Airdrie BMX track after partial collapse

The Airdrie BMX track in Fletcher Park experienced a partial collapse on June 24, temporarily setting back operations as the crew scrambled to find a fix.

The Airdrie BMX track in Fletcher Park experienced a partial collapse on June 24, temporarily setting back operations as the crew scrambled to find a fix.

“Mother nature and the weight over time unfortunately caused this,” said Kelsey Davidson, who is responsible for marketing the local track for Airdrie BMX. “We knew it was coming, it was just bad timing.”

According to Davidson, the track currently has a permit with the City of Airdrie to reconstruct a corner, but the timing hasn’t worked out to complete the work yet.

When the collapse first occurred last Thursday, the Airdrie BMX team took to social media to let the public know what had happened and ask for help to get the corner repaired so it could be open to the public.

“We need a lot of help tomorrow,” a Facebook post from the club read. “It’s a situation of come-one, come-all.”

While the collapse was at first an unfortunate event, Davidson and the team with the track were fortunate to find help to get the necessary fixes completed as quickly as possible.

Over the weekend, she said volunteers and contractors showed up with equipment to get the job done. Grindstone Paving and Excavating, Baber Design and Build and several others came to work over the weekend despite scorching teperatures, all in the name of helping the track get back to its normal operations.

“This fix that was done over the weekend allows the kids to keep riding while we wait for construction of the new corner,” Davidson said.

Though the repairs are in place for now, the team with the Airdrie BMX track are still reaching out to the community for help. Davidson said while the recent work is a safe band-aid solution, there is still fundraising to be done before the track hosts the provincial BMX championships in September.

“Before 2020, the championship would bring around 500 to 600 riders, not including their families,” she said. “It’s a huge attraction for Airdrie, [and] we really fought to get this.”

According to Davidson, although ridership with the track has gone down amid the pandemic, there have been a recent plethora of new sign-ups, which Davidson said is great for the next generation of local riders.

“Now we just have to prepare for the championship,” she said.

Davidson said while there is currently around $40,000 slated for the project, there is another $22,000 needed to put the track in a comfortable place to move forward.

“We say that number because whenever you are a not-for-profit and you have to do such huge renovations, you also want to look at the longevity,” she said. “You don’t want to hand the track over to new board members that are all volunteers with no operating costs left. That $20,000 helps us with peace of mind for our riders and future riders.”

Currently, the track is hosting a “stock the bar” fundraiser, where participants can purchase tickets for the chance to win numerous bottles of liquor.

To donate to the track or get involved with the fundraiser, visit airdriebmx.ca

Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz

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