So, Murray Bridge council, about that BMX track…?
A BMX rider has urged the rural city to fund a two-year-old plan for a dirt track at Sturt Reserve.
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Shea Reddington just wants somewhere he and his mates can ride their bikes.
Until not so long ago, one such spot was Hume Reserve, where community members had built a few dirt jumps.
But the Murray Bridge council had them levelled.
Fair enough, Mr Reddington says – but the city’s BMX riders need an outlet, and not everyone wants to ride on concrete or bitumen.
The long-time local rider has spent the past couple of years lobbying the Murray Bridge council to move ahead with a planned dirt track at Sturt Reserve.
The council commissioned plans for a track at the corner of Charles Sturt Drive and Jaensch Road back in 2022, on the advice of its own youth advisory group.
Those plans were finished 18 months ago, ready to go out to tender … but that is as far as things have gone.
On Monday night, Mr Reddington fronted up to a Murray Bridge council meeting to ask the city’s councillors to do better.
“The money that is spent on chasing the kids around town, trying to flatten their spots or demolish what they’re trying to create … the money that’s wasted (could be) better spent within the community,” he said.
“What I want to do is keep (a new track) on your agenda and hopefully push this … for the youth of today, not the youth of tomorrow.”
He brought with him more than 600 signatures he had gathered since launching anan online petitionjustthree weeks ago.
Plenty of signatories left supportive comments:
- “The jump park in the Adelaide CBD is a perfect example of what some good infrastructure can do for kids: the jumps are safe and offer youth of all skill levels and abilities a place to spend their holidays in a positive and welcoming environment while being outdoors and physically active”
- “The positive effects of riding these types of jumps have had on my health, mental and physical, cannot be overstated … it’s good to see all the younger kids and teenagers cheering each other on and giving each other tips … some on $5000-plus carbon mountain bikes, others on hand-me-down BMX bikes”
- “As a father of two and a rider myself, the more facilities like this, the better”
- “Not all kids are into ball sports”
- “This is the best idea ever and they should build that s***”
The councillors did not immediately agree to build the BMX track – they would first need to formally amend the council’s budget for 2023-24, or include the project in their 2024-25 budget.
But councillors John DeMichele, Mat O’Brien and Andrew Baltensperger suggested they were in favour of getting the track built.
“I’m surprised it hasn’t progressed,” Cr Baltensperger said.
“I thought it was getting underway.
“We’ve got the perfect spot.”
- Sign the petition: www.change.org.
Why hasn’t the track been built?
The council had hoped to win federal government funding to build the BMX track, and make a host of other improvements to Sturt Reserve.
It applied for $13.5 million through the Growing Regions Program last year.
But Murray Bridge failed to make the cut when a list of successful applicants was released in May.
Applications for a second round of funding from the same program opened last week.
The council has not yet indicated whether it will apply again.
