USE OF THE TRACK
The BMX Track located in Alum Creek South Park is property of the City of Westerville. As the Westerville BMX Program we have been granted exclusive scheduling rights for the use of the Track. Westerville BMX holds weekly activities and events starting the last week of April through the first week of November. In addition to weekly activities and events our group of parent and rider volunteers are responsible for maintenance of the BMX Track.
BICICYLE USE ONLY
The BMX track has been disignated for NON-MOTORIZED BICYCLE USE ONLY!
Any other use of the track is a violation of Westerville City Ordinance and observed violators will be asked to leave the premisses.
SAFETY AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK
The BMX area is unsupervised, and participants ride at their own risk. Persons not riding are prohibited from using the BMX track.
Riding with others present is recommended in case of injury.
Parent(s)/guardian(s) are responsible for supervising their children.
Proper protective equipment such as helmets, long sleeves or elbow pads, long pants or knee pads, and closed toe shoes should be used at all times. It is the responsibility of the rider to ensure that equipment is in good working condition.
ALWAYS INSPECT the premises before use to make sure it is safe and remove hazardous debris that could interfere with the safe use of this facility. Do not use this area if a hazard exists. Report all hazards to Westerville Parks and Rec at (614) 901-6543
ONLY RIDE FROM START TO FINISH: For the safety of all riders, the track should only be ridden in one direction (from the starting hill to the finish line)
KEEP IT MOVING: Do not stop on the track if other riders are present. Complete your entire lap or move to the infield grass area of the track.
UNPERMITTED USE AND MISCONDUCT
Any person involved in the unpermitted use of the BMX Track or inappropriate behavior will be asked to leave the premisses. Refusal to cooperate with a request to vacate and/or any willful acts of unpermitted use resulting in damages to facilities, structures, the track, etc.may result in criminal and/or punitive damages as determined under local law.
Bicycles with training wheels and non-motorized scooters (such as Razors) ARE NOT PERMITTED on the BMX Track. In addition to not being safe, their use can cause significant damage to the surface that is applied to the track to prevent dirt errosion and ruts caused by adverse weather conditions.
Personally owned ramps, boxes or other devices may NOT be brought into the facility.
Motorized Vehicles and Equipment (Gas or Electric) ARE NOT ALLOWED in the park or on the BMX Track (includes but not limited to the following)
NO Remote Control vehicles
NO ATV/UTVs
NO Dirt Bikes
NO Electric Bikes
NO Electric Scooters
Graffiti, tagging, littering, or defacing of Park property is prohibited and may result in the closure of the facility.
Glass objects and containers are not allowed in the riding area.
No smoking inside the track area.
No drugs or alcohol.
RESTRICTED ACCESS DURING PROGRAM EVENTS (view schedule here)
ONLY REGISTERED RIDERS are permitted on the Track and within the Track boundaries (think perimeter surrounding the outside most edges of the dirt surfaces that you ride on) during Scheduled Events and Activities unless otherwise noted.
CLOSURES FOR TRACK MAINTENANCE
Not all track maintenance is the same. Some efforts are significant and others are minor. We ask that you adhere to any signs, temporary fencing/ropes, etc. used to identify sections of the Track that are CLOSED and NOT AVAILABLE FOR USE.
Any riding, walking on, etc. of surfaces being worked on and marked as CLOSED can cause damage that requires significant hours and financial resources to repair. Any additional repairs needed will only further delay the re-opening of the BMX Track for General Public Use. Additionally, unexpected closures due to damages could lead to the cancellation of Scheduled Programming and Community Events at the BMX Track which would have a significant impact on many residents of the Westerville Community and beyond.
During the presence of heavy equipment such as dirt rollers, skid steers, wheel loaders, etc., whether currently in use or not, requires us to CLOSE the track and NO ONE IS PERMITTED on the track at ANY TIME until the work is completed and the heavy equipment HAS BEEN REMOVED from the premises.
EACH YEAR a team of PROGRAM VOLUNTEERS spend in excess of 1500 HOURS to maintain the track surface to provide a SAFE SURFACE for everyone to enjoy! Please SHOW APPRECIATION and RESPECT for their time and efforts by staying off the track during posted closures,
WEATHER RELATED CLOSURES (POSTED OR UN-POSTED)
RIDE DIRT NOT MUD! Never ride or walk on the track when it is too wet
Riding and even walking on the track when it is wet will damage the track and create unsafe riding conditions that will require significant efforts to repair and lead to additional closures of the BMX Track. A single rut 4 foot long in length takes 1 hour to repair. The track is approximately 1000 feet long from the starting gate to the finish line which means someone that leaves a single rut from start to finish has created an extra 250 hours of repair maintenance.
HOW DO I KNOW IF THE TRACK IS TOO WET?
There is STANDIING WATER on the track
The dirt/mud is STICKING TO YOUR SHOE
You are LEAVING VISIBLE FOOTPRINTS when you walk on it
Your tires are LEAVING A RUT (an indentation in the surface)
IT'S MORE THAN DIRT!
The Westerville BMX Track is maintained with SPECIALLY ENGINEERED PRODUCTS DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE WEATHER IMPACTS leading to safer, smoother riding conditions and fewer weather related closures, but WE NEED YOUR HELP to make sure we can get it applied in an efficient manner, and then give the products the time they need to properly cure in order to be effective.
Starting in Mid-March we begin efforts to prepare the track for use. Over the course of the Spring and Summer we apply several coats of an environmentally safe and biodegradable product to create a surface barrier which stabilizes and bonds the soil to prevent dust, erosion, and wash-out from adverse weather conditions. It is this application that provides a sustainable surface that is smooth and safe for BMX Racing and public enjoyment.
During these applications the track will look fine but this product has a required cure time before it can be walked on or used for bicycle use. Riding or walking on an area that has not cured creates the same outcome that walking through wet cement does...the area becomes permanently damaged and the only way to fix it is to break the area up and start over!
Riding the track while it is too wet will also damage the barrier and make it unsafe for other riders and lead to the erosion of the protective barrier which will ultimately get to the point that it has lost all of its protective value.
The Westerville BMX Track surface is paid for by the Westerville Program at no cost to City residents. As a Non-Profit organization serving the benefit of the Westerville Community, additional repairs can cause significant financial impacts to the Westerville BMX Program and significant impacts to the quality of programming we can make available. Additionally, Westerville BMX parents and riders volunteer their personal time to complete all maintenance and repairs of the BMX Track surface so please respect their hard work as well as other community members who enjoy using the BMX Track.
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