Cunningham 'Pops a Wheelie,' Lands Site for Poway BMX Track

Poway City Councilman Jim Cunningham said he has found a site to serve as a much-needed park for teenage bicycle motorcross, or BMX, enthusiasts.

He said the site, an empty lot that was cleared for new homes that were never built, is located on Garden Road, some distance from the central business district.

He said he won’t give the exact address while he’s in talks with the owner, who has indicated he is willing to sell or lease to a private business to build a park.

“The owner is one of the largest land owners in Poway. You’d know the name if I told you who it was,” Cunningham said. “I’ve met with his nephew, and will be meeting with him next week to discuss the site as a suitable place for a BMX track.”

He said the zoning designation could be changed from residential to recreation to allow for a park at the site.

He said the city won’t pay for a facility, as it did for the popular 9-year-old skateboard park, which cost the city $1.3 million in 2003.

Close to $100,000 was spent two years ago to install security equipment to lock out vandals and other troublemakers.

He said the city can’t afford new projects.

“There isn’t a public solution to this,” he said. “We’re fighting for our lives right now.”

He said several promising private parties have indicated a willingness to build a park, and he's working with them, too.

“These are people who are willing to put some money into it,” he said.

However, Cunningham said he would work with City Hall to speed approvals and permitting to get the park built, and said the final result would resemble the successful public-private effort that built Poway Veterans Park, which opened in November.

In addition, Cunningham said he’s been in talks with two BMX track designers about a facility that would include plenty of safety features for riders.

BMX bikes are built for dirt tracks, and have become the rage among teenage boys in Poway. 

The kids use their bikes to do all sorts of tricks, such as jumping off platforms built of wood and hay, often at dizzying heights.

Riders favor dirt lots for their pastime, and scour the city looking for empty lots, both public and private, for riding. Cunningham calls them “stealth” parks.

The riders use the lots until they are booted out by owners concerned about trespassing and related liability issues in case someone gets injured.

Cunningham launched his quest more than a month ago, after discovering that there are very few places that BMXers can ride legally in Poway.

The city’s skateboard park locks out BMX bicycles, forcing riders to seek other venues, said Cunningham.

A BMX park is needed because a large number of kids need an outlet for their energy, said Cunningham, who has two teenage boys.

He said these kids don’t participate in organized sports at or after school, and are left with few activities, save bowling at the local bowling alley or going to movies.

Tim Gill, owner of the Bike Empire store in Poway, said he’s amazed by the explosion of interest in BMX riding, and said the lack of a legal place to ride is probably needed.

“It’s all they can talk about,” said Gill. “I am surprised how popular it has become.” BMX riding was sanctioned as an event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Gill said he would favor a BMX park, but wonder if the current mania is a fad or lasting trend, thus justifying the expense of using public monies for such a project.

“I just wonder how long this will last.”

The city has looked at a number of ideas over the years for a BMX track, including a 22-acre parcel at the end of Meadowbrook Lane nine years ago suggested by two adult BMX riders.

But nothing came of the idea, because city officials said it would be too expensive, given the limited number of bikers who would use it the time.  

Escondido allows BMX riders several days a month at its Kit Carson Park, but the venue is too far for most Poway kids because they can’t drive.

Among the ideas Cunningham raised was sharing the skateboard park with Poway residents several days a month following the Escondido model.

But city official said they feared damage to the concrete surfaces from pegs used by BMX riders to balance bikes while they perform tricks.

Meanwhile, Cunningham said he would use his position as a member of the Metropolitan Transit System board to install bike carriers on local buses so that riders could get to the new site. He said he would urge the regional transportation agency to charge only $2 to ensure access for young teenagers.