Editor, The Smithfield Times:

I would like to correct several misconceptions about the proposed BMX facility at Nike Park that were expressed in a letter in last week’s Smithfield Times (“BMX park is terrible idea”).

1. The existing mountain bike trail at Nike Park will remain and will be improved. The trail will be made slightly wider, and skills obstacles will be added. Each of the skills obstacles will have a bypass for less ambitious riders.
2. The BMX facility will be owned by the county. The group developing the facility seeks only an agreement for the construction and use of the facility. The misconception that the group was seeking ownership of the land may have come from an erroneous statement in a Smithfield Times article. The location for the proposed facility was formerly used for a communications tower and is presently not being utilized for recreation.
3. The group developing the BMX facility is not seeking funding from the county. The plan is to build the facility with donated funds.

Just in case the concept is not clear, BMX features nonmotorized bicycles that are raced on a dirt track. The participants are typically grade-school age.

We need more projects like this to get kids to disconnect from their electronics and go outside and do something healthy. A great feature of this project is that it dovetails with the existing segment of the park-to-park bike trail.

Anyone wishing to contribute to the project should contact IoW Bicycling Volunteers at iowbikepark@gmail.com.

 

Greg Vassilakos

Smithfield