BMX Back On Council Agenda

WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg City Council agreed last Wednesday to put back on the agenda the BMX track proposal for a parcel of city-owned land on the edge of town.

All but one of the five council members said they did not object to Mayor Walt Gobel's request to discuss the proposal at the council's next meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 19, after track proponents used the public comment session to ask for a full hearing.

Orville Branson was the only one who did not want the item back before the council. Marty Dunn, Scott Nettles, Kevin House and Karl Newell said they would not have a problem with a hearing.

About 50 people, including local residents and representatives from Walla Walla Valley BMX track, showed up for the Dec. 15 meeting. BMX track advocate Tawnya McVey made a plea to the council to reconsider its decision on Nov. 17 that denied the use of the land.

In the wake of that decision, McVey, her husband Greg and local volunteers said they gathered 400 signatures from people who favored a public discussion of their plan for a regional BMX track east of the Mc- Gregor plant and north of Highway 12.

"In addition to the exercise and healthy lifestyle surrounding BMX, it would permit an opportunity to bring families, friends and the community closer together," McVey said.

She argued the previous council spent about 40 hours deciding if a nationalclass track would benefit the Waitsburg community, its children and the city's revenue before they voted to agree on the use of the land during the same meeting at which the new council was sworn in.

City council members elected earlier this year said they decided on Nov. 17 to deny the use of the land because they had too many unanswered questions about costs, liability, sanitary facilities and upkeep. They had specifically requested that the outgoing council not vote on the proposal so they could study it themselves.

After McVey's presentation and the council's decision to put the proposal back on the agenda, Gobel encouraged the McVeys, their supporters and the council to gather their facts about all aspects of the initiative and be well prepared for the Jan. 19 meeting. He asked the city clerk to tap city attorney Kris Hedine for an opinion about the city's liability exposure.

Most of those in attendance applauded McVey's pitch and seemed grateful for the council's reintroduction of the proposal as an agenda item.

"I just want to say thank you for bringing this issue up again," Waitsburg resident Lois Winchester said.

McVey said her BMX group will now have a chance to provide the council and the public with a full presentation of their proposal in January.

"I'm extremely pleased they decided to put the BMX track on the agenda to give us a fair opportunity to justify why our community deserves options for activities here," she said.

The Waitsburg City Council meets at 7 p.m. at the Lions Club Building at the city's fairgrounds on Wednesday, Jan. 19.