Velowhat? drome Velodrome

Tim Anderson and the rest of the Fort Collins Velodrome Association have been working tirelessly to get a velodrome here in the Fort.  Come out next Wednesday to show your support.

Here is an email from the grand poo-bah himself.

Hey Velodrome fans, Plan now to come to next Wednesday’s BLT for a sneak peak at what could be a unique and complete cycling park in Downtown Fort Collins. Read the memorandum and my reply and check the links at the bottom of this e mail for some background on what has happened thus far. This will make the “tour” much more of an eye-opener Tim Anderson

Bike Lunch Talk

Wednesday, November 12, 2008
12 noon to 1:30 p.m.
Bike Fort Collins Sponsors Bike Lunch Talks the 2^nd Wednesday monthly
Home State Bank, Community Meeting room (basement)
303 East Mountain (corner of Mathews and Mountain Ave)

This month’s topic:

Volunteer opportunities and a cycling park at Legacy Park (12 – 12:30; then we hope to take a bike ride to and through Legacy Park)

Join us at our BLT Wednesday, November 12^th to learn about volunteer opportunities this winter & next spring to help the many bike projects that are underway.  One of those projects is a proposed cycling park and bicycle race track at Legacy Park north of Martinez Park.

We’ve invited the following groups to attend:

Bike Fort Collins; Fort Collins Bike Co-op; FC Bikes (City Bike Program); Fort Collins Bike Library; Diamond Peaks Mountain Bike Patrol; Fort Collins Velodrome Association.

We also hope City Parks Planning staff and a few City Council members might attend.

Call Rick at 310-5238 if you have questions.

MEMORANDUM

DT:  June 25, 2008

TO:  Darin Atteberry, City Manager

Diane Jones, Deputy City Manager

FR:  Marty Heffernan, Director CPRE

RE:  Velodrome at Legacy Park

Park Planning and Stormwater staff met to discuss the feasibility of locating a velodrome at Legacy Park.  The Park is located along the Poudre River, north of Lee Martinez Park.  It is 8.4 acres, with about 6 acres in the floodway and 2 acres in the northeast corner of the property out of the floodway.  Staff understands the velodrome site needs to be 5 to 15 acres in size.

It is very improbable the velodrome would be permitted by FEMA because it would need to built in the floodway.  Although the floodplain does not create an absolute prohibition, it is unlikely FEMA requirements could be met and the needed FEMA permit secured.

Additionally, Legacy Park was transferred to the City by the U.S. Forest Service in 1975 with the requirement that it was to be used for public park and recreation purposes.  The use of the park for a private velodrome would likely violate this restriction.

Future plans for Legacy Park are being developed and could include a loop trail with Martinez Park, amenities to compliment the new Museum/Science Center and other park facilities suitable to the site.  The City’s draft Cultural Plan determined a strong need for a flexible special event facility, especially in the Downtown area.  Legacy Park may be a very good site for this special event plaza.

Staff believes the use of Legacy Park as a park, or possibly as a special event venue, is the best use of the property.

Dear Mr. Heffernan

Thank you for your meeting and consideration of our request in the form of this memo.

The Fort Collins Velodrome Association Board of Directors met Wednesday August 13, and discussed this memo. It was agree that I should respond.

I know we have not made a formal presentation to you, so some misunderstanding of our vision is understandable. It has, however, been made available in printed materials distributed in UniverCity Connections meetings and we have had a presence at Parks Planning public input sessions for the past few years. I hope to clear up some of the misunderstandings and encourage reconsideration.

Paragraph one of the memo indicates that you understand Legacy Park to be a suitable size parcel for a velodrome. The adjacent open spaces and natural areas could perhaps be included in some of the park’s other cycling courses without much cost. This appears to be somewhat like what you mention in paragraph four (loop trail) Please visit

http://www.lehighcounty.org/Recreation/rec.cfm?doc=rec_rodale.htm for a comparable.

Paragraph two indicates that we also must understand that FEMA or other permission is a long shot. We do. Some of our advisors (Hendee, among others) however agree that it is worth a shot, as designing a velodrome for flood “ability” is perhaps less challenging that competing for land Downtown that has more development appeal.

Paragraph three indicates a basic misunderstanding of our vision. We would like to build a community velodrome with private funding on public land, then, deed it to the City, and operate it with a combination of corporate sponsorship, private patronage, and some public funding. We do not intend for it to be a private velodrome as Erie and Boulder will soon have. This public/private partnership model was used for one of the U.S.’s newer velodromes in Bloomer Park, Rochester Hills, Michigan. Please visit

http://www.lmb.org:80/pages/news/BikeShorts/Cont_Stories/veleodrome.htm

Paragraph four reiterates the community’s desire for another cultural event plaza Downtown, and we agree. Recreational AND Competitive Cycling are big parts of our culture in Fort Collins, and there is no reason a velodrome, perhaps covered, or partially covered, but “open air” could not serve as a venue for a multitude of cultural events of all descriptions in addition to cycling. This is the case in other parts of this country, but especially in other parts of the world.

Finally, we have no disagreement at all that Legacy should remain as a park, and that improvements should encourage special event use. It is just that cyclists want to be part of that, and “a velodrome fits Fort Collins”. (Atteberry).

Please reconsider the possibility of a recreational and competitive cycling facility at Legacy Park. Perhaps a survey of the community would be meaningful. We are working on the funding for an economic impact and feasibility study for such a park Downtown.

Sincerely,

Tim Anderson-President

Fort Collins Velodrome Association