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It is with great thanks and appreciation I want to THANK Sheriff Mike for his many years of work in bringing Strickland RC Park out of the weeds to one of the best tracks around. I can only strive to carry on and to keep this track the best it can be. We are entering a new phase and with new houses and roads, with gun range move very close things will only be getting better. Keep eye out for an e-mail about upcoming meeting next week. Lots to talk about. Mike Bean, Mark Nortness and myself attended a meeting on 040406 with the County, the design company architects and the developers that are building houses and condos around the park in the next 1-2 years. To implement the upgrades of new ball fields, playgrounds, basketball courts, and skateboard park at Strickland, it will be necessary to move our facility. The new location is on the east side of the BMX track where the road and bridge dirt storage area is now. We threw some ideas for our facility and some necessary layouts and items that would be best, such as parking around the tracks instead of a parking lot on one end of the facility where we would have to transport our stuff to the edge of the track and park cars and trailers in the lot. We had to remember that these people knew nothing about our sport and will have to be brought up to speed on all aspects of what we need. This move could be anywhere from 1 to 2 years away depending on money found to upgrade the park. (unless some unforeseen funding comes available sooner). There will be public hearings on this upgrade in the near future and we will post it on the home page and at the track so we have a large turnout at these hearings. This meeting was not for them to hear what we would like in a facility but to bring the core people together to get on the same page. We will work on the design of the facility and the amenities that will work with the funds that are allotted and the size of the area we will have to work with. The name of the park will change, as the Strickland gun range will move, the name will go with it. We can opt to change the name of our facility or keep ours the same. If we decide to rename the facility we will probably have a contest to pick the new name. As soon as it is feasible, we will get with the architects to fill them in on what at first rate facility should have and be made of. (type asphalt, type clay, driver stand construction, etc). As more new develops, it will be posted. The carpets will not be taken off the jumps on practice days. Bev and Jimmy are not able to put them back on by themselves which is what was happening too often. If you had to do it once, you would realize that they are full of dirt and are very heavy. We tried to go by "if you take them off, you put them back on", but that did not work because people would leave. The carpets protect the jumps from erosion, which saves us work. There is very little difference in the surface with the carpets on or with them off. Jimmy and Bev do not make a salary for opening up for practice, they do it because they like to see you have fun and to promote the sport and I will not have them abused. Clean up the area, take care of the track and act responsibly and they will continue to open. If not, practice can be curtailed. Also, the track will close at 6pm on Sunday and no one will be allowed to stay later. Other racers have brought to my attention that if certain individuals are allowed to stay and close up later, working on setups and practicing, they get an advantage on race day. Getting on my soapbox...............There was a question about why there is a fee charged on Sunday to practice and not on Wednesday night. This track is operated and maintained entirely by race and practice fees. The county insisted that we be open one night a week free for use because they supply the land that the track is built on. And we agree. So they put it in the contract. The fee was $3.00 for Wed night. Since we dropped the fee for Wed night, attendance increased to 15-25 users. When the fee was on there was about 5. Sunday attendance has dropped somewhat, but not too much. The bottom line is, if people do not support the track by paying race and practice fees, we cannot continue to provide this facility. If no money came in, the tracks would fold. This is not a commercial venture, No one makes any money from here. Expenses are paid and equipment and supplies are purchased. What we also need is workers when we put out the word. So, if you won't come out and work or do not contribute money for practice fees, ----------------. And I don't say this meanly, but, do your share so you can continue to enjoy the facility..... Sheriff Mike
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