Message to all Members, Supporters and Associated Parties.

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Message to all Members, Supporters and Associated Parties."

Martina Walton
6 years ago
Views:

1 Friday 2 nd February 2018 RELOCATION OF NORTH HARBOUR BMX Message to all Members, Supporters and Associated Parties. It is with both sadness and at the same time excitement that I have to inform you all that North Harbour BMX Inc is on the move. As part of the Northern Corridor Improvement project there is to be a new motorway interlinking the current Northern Motorway with the Norwest Motorway via the Constellation Drive Expressway. The NZ Transport Agency has to relocate the current Harbour Hockey Stadium as part of its consent conditions given new motorway connection will run thru part of their current facility. If you re asking, what s this got to do with us then the answer is the new hockey facility is being constructed on top of our current track, In turn, our own BMX facility is to be relocated to Hooton Reserve and rebuilt, also the Rosedale Pony Club is to be relocated alongside other pony clubs in Wainoni Park at Greenhithe. We have outlined many of the details below, however I wish to stipulate that to get this far has been a rigorous process over the last 18 months, involving multiple hearings, weekly meetings and at times a frustrating amount of dialogue to gain the best possible outcome for NHBMX. Given no construction could begin until we had relinquished our current lease, it gave us the unique position to negotiate a new world class facility that as BMX evolves and our young riders progress we can look back, as we now do, and be proud of what we have all achieved. It will be a sad day when we last ride our current track, however I relish the opportunity to get on the new one! Best Regards, Nigel Arkell, President. North Harbour BMX Inc.

3 1-3D MODEL FOR APPROVAL BMX TRACK OTEHA VALLEY RD AUCKLAND NZ TRACK LAYOUT 3D MODEL MARKING PLAN A3 TW MP01 E NTS 9/11/17

4 SUMMARY North Harbour BMX will be relocating to Hooten Reserve, Albany New World Class Premiere BMX Facility Amateur Track 5 meter ramp with Rhythm section Pro Track with 8 meter ramp and Berm jump Covered Start Ramp with stair access and ramp access Both tracks covered by SIC Surface - an all weather substrate Canteen & decking area overlooking the track NHBMX Car park with lockable gate Toilet for NHBMX members only Fully fenced facility Points Hut, Gear container and Maintenance container Flood Lighting for after hours racing MyLaps system Complete substrate drainage solution KEY DATES 2018: Bush Road (current facility) North Harbour 1000 Sunday 11 th March 2018 Security Fencing separating the RoW will be Installed Club Champs Sunday 15 th April 2018 Current Track Officially Closes 1 st June 2018 Relocation Commences September 31 st 2018 Hooten Reserve (new facility) Works Commence March 2018 Track ready for riders test team August/September 2018 Works completed 31 st September 2018 First Club Night 16 th October 2018 NEW LOCATION / MAPS North Harbour BMX will be relocated to Oteha Valley Road, Albany, North Shore, Auckland. Access will be via Appian Way, We will be part of Hooten Reserve which houses a Tennis Centre, Skate Park, Basketball area, walking track and park. It is roughly 1km from the Northern Motorway Off Ramp: Oteha Valley Exit (410) Driving, it is 3.2km from our current track at Bush Road, Rosedale. Once the Northern Corridor (connecting East to West) is completed we expect those members travelling to the track via the Northwestern Motorway (SH16) on the Western Ring Route or via the Northern Motorway (SH1) to have a streamlined route to the track, as you will stay on the motorway until the Oteha Valley Off ramp.

5 LOCATION INTERESTING LINKS New Hockey Visual - Northern Corridor Improvement Project Info Location Map Google Maps

6 Q&A We understand there will be many questions. Here are the answers and questions that we think you might have and might want to know. If you have other questions please chat to a committee member or you can these to enquiries@nhbmx.org.nz and we will answer these as best we can. PROJECT QUESTIONS Q. How long has this project been in the pipeline? A. The committee was advised in 2016 that there was a major roading project underway and our land was marked as an area of influence. A small team of volunteers as part of the committee have been working on this project for the greater part of 18 months. Q. When was this approved? A. The decision to relocate the three facilities was approved by Auckland Council in late December Auckland Council will also provide long term leases to all three of the clubs, as part of the relocation process. Q. Why does NHBMX need to relocate? A. The relocation is part of the North Corridor Improvement Project. In order to widen the motorway, build the new connection between the two motorways, and extend the Northern Busway further to Albany Bus Station, additional land areas on each side of the motorways are needed for construction. The NZ Transport Agency has been negotiating with property owners whose properties back onto SH1 and SH18 for the past few years, and late last year won a resource consent order via a national Board of Inquiry to proceed. The land required at Rosedale Park at the hockey facility is owned by the council, so over the past few years Auckland Council has worked with NZTA and Watercare to investigate a new relocation site for Harbour Hockey for when they have to move. After many options were looked at, it was decided that the best option was to relocate hockey within Rosedale Park to our site, and relocate ourselves and the pony club to other locations. Q. Did we have a choice to move? A. Ultimately no - we have been through a large consultative process to get to this point. It was always our objective to work positively with all parties including Auckland Council and the NZ Transport Agency to get the best outcome for NHBMX. We didn t see that there was an option to stay in our current facility when we looked at the overall scope of the project. The Northern Corridor project is a $700 million project with the purpose of linking East to West. We are proud & grateful that BMX was seen as a growing sport and that the NZ Transport Agency and Auckland Council were willing to work with us to retain a World Class BMX Facility on the North Shore of Auckland.

7 Q. Why was Hooton Reserve chosen as the location? A. Several locations were flagged early in the process but Hooton Reserve was always presented to us as the favored location. This was due its close motorway access, local facilities, adjacent neighbours, the effect of wind tunnels and the navigation of the track on the land. We supported the Hooton Reserve location choice. Our new location means we have close access to a collection of hotels/motels, public transport facilities with the Northern Bus way development (which links from the airport), and a location where we are supported by additional car parking options and sporting facilities that may compliment our sport. Q. If we refused to move could we have stayed in our current location? A. It is the nature of our sport to act professionally, and consider all our options. It is clear that the new facility was the best possible outcome we could have got for our members in this process. Given what was being offered we did not believe staying at Bush Road was the best option. Q. What is the timeline for the new track? A. We have a week-by-week timeline for the build of the new facility. The land was blessed by the Local Iwi and Tangata Whenua on Monday 15 th January. We expect works to commence in March 2018 The track will be able to be ridden for testing late August/September 2018 Track to be completed 31 st September 2018 First Club Night 16 th October 2018 Q. Who is building our new facility? A. The NZ Transport Agency completed a tender process & with our consultation have approved a range of professionals who will complete the earthworks and build of the track, however the actual track layout and profiles has been prepared by SIC Surfaces from Australia. The Transport Agency has assigned a designated Project manager who shares our goal of creating a high quality world class BMX facility. He has a weekly schedule and project plan and the committee will work closely with him to ensure the facility is developed as we have planned. North Harbour BMX s new track is one of the first relocations as part of the Northern Corridor Plan. Q. When will the old track close? A. Officially the Bush Road Track will close on 1 June This date will allow our members who are travelling to the BMX UCI World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan to ride the track until they depart. The BMX World Champs commence on 5 June 2018.

8 Q. What are the benefits of moving track? A. We feel the benefits to our members far outweigh the negatives. There is no doubt we love our current bush road facility and what we have built over the years. However when you consider the volunteer effort to maintain a lime surface vs. a new all weather permanent coating, new lighting and PA system, new start gates considering how ours will need to be replaced as the requirements are changing for health and safety, an additional 8m start ramp with two extra pro straights - it becomes very attractive. When we arrived to Bush Road many years ago, we were lucky to receive (at the time) a worldclass BMX facility, one of the first to have sealed berms. We were proud. Likewise with Hooton Reserve, we would never have been able to raise funds for a facility such as this. There are many benefits to the new track for our club, our member s development and for BMX as a sport. Q. Will it cost our club to move? A. The total relocation and build of the new facility will come at NO cost to the North Harbour BMX Club. This means we can continue to use our savings/spend to make our track better rather than paying for basic upgrade costs - The budget to build the new facility is over $3.5Million. TRACK QUESTIONS: Q. What style of a track will it be? A. Our aim was to take nothing away from the style of our current track but to add a complete pro track inc a berm jump. North Harbour BMX has always has a reputation for being a more technical track, designed primarily for riders wanting bigger jumps, wide berms and a smooth rhythm section. By adding the berm jump we can maintain fast and fair corners for all abilities rather than share the corners with the pro sections. It is out intention to retain the same style of track that we have now. We will be able to use the 3 rd and 4 th straights for our sprocket riders as we do now. Q. What type of surface will it have? A. Due to our location, a traditional lime BMX surface is not suitable as this is too dusty for the sport groups around us. We have been approved to apply an all weather surface to both of our tracks (amateur and pro). This has the added benefit of being low maintenance, able to be ridden after rain as its not permeable. It s a total win/win for our club and track team. SIC Surface has been appointed the company to apply this seal. Sic Surface is a weatherproof and hardwearing poly aggregate coating. It is used in many BMX tracks in Australia; we will be the first club in NZ to have this applied. It s similar in texture (to give you a comparison only) to a light sandpaper, gritted but fine. You can read more about Sic Surface here.

9 Q. What input would we have in the actual track design i.e.: shaping of the track/dirt? A. The basic design of the track has been done, fundamentally this is what will be shaped and tested. However we realize that whats on paper doesn t always correlate to how the track performs when it is ridden. We have a window of time where the track will be shaped before we seal it. This means that until the track is sealed we have the ability to finesse the track design. It is the goal of our committee is to create an NHBMX Track Test Team. This will be a team of members across age groups who can feedback on the tracks performance. We will ask these members to ride and test the track to give feedback back to the track team. It is important this track is built for all riders. We want to make the fastest, smoothest track, safest track possible. We want a track that our riders enjoy and want to ride again. We want a track that our members are proud of. Q. How long do we have to finalize the track before it is sealed? A. Once the track shaping/design is tested and approved the track needs 3 weeks of fine weather before it is fully sealed. We have a good amount of time built into the track build to give us time to test the track and ensure we are 100% happy with the track before it is sealed. Q. Why do we need a Pro Track and Berm Jump? A. We don t have to have a pro track, however the progression in BMX is seeing younger and younger age group riders do more. Those competing are younger, they are hungry to challenge themselves and we want to keep them in our club and BMX longer. We want a facility which sets up our riders to excel in our sport which means we need to challenge them, we need to give them the opportunity to grow and develop so when they travel to Australia, Oceania s or Worlds to compete on the world stage that they are at the level where they can be competitive. An 8- meter ramp, a Pro Track and a Berm Jump will help them develop at an international rider level. It also means we may be considered to host international events. Q. Have we sacrificed the main track for the pro track? A. This has been the main point of conversation with the new track relocation. We have two areas, which are squeezing the 3 rd straight - 1. The Canteens Location and 2. The Berm Jump. We cannot fit in all 3 requirements in the space allocated. If we move our Canteen then we continue to hide our volunteers away we remove a great viewing platform to watch our riders and an area to build team spirit. If we remove the berm jump, then we must merge the two straights into one corner, which will favour the pro riders. We want to make a club, which can offer more to our members. The sacrifice is a shorter third straight for the ability to make a track facility awesome for all members not just our challenge riders. The overall track length is 12m less than our current track. We decided that this was the best option to deliver a world-class facility for NHBMX and meets UCI standards/rules meaning we can host an international event on the new track if required.

10 Q. Why is the canteen located in a prime position? A. As above. Part of being a club means we want to foster great club culture and team camaraderie. Currently, our canteen is hidden behind two old bus shelters, we want to build an area people are proud to volunteer to help in, where we can meet as a club and celebrate wins/losses. This will be the heart of our club. The idea of this area is a deck with shade sails, picnic tables and a place to congregate. The Canteen will have a new internal fit out. Q. Why do we need a berm jump with pro straight and 8-meter ramp? A. With 8-meter ramps being used on the international BMX circuit we need to provide a facility that our riders can train to compete at the highest level. There is limited access to 8-meter ramps in NZ (we will be one of three club in NZ to have one). An 8-meter ramp is what our skilled riders (typically 14+ years) need to be riding on to be at a level to compete on the world stage in the pro circuit. If they stay in the sport we want them to have the best track to practice and develop on. The Berm Jump jumps the Amateur track. Whilst this looks knarly on paper the actually jump size in relative terms is not greater than the jumps on our current Pro Track. Q. Do we have exclusive car parking? A. The car park on the Northern side of our new site layout will be for our members, with the ability to be closed with our current NHBMX gate. Bollards will be around the perimeter of the car park to stop other vehicles coming onto the site. When we hold big events we will be able to request the use of additional car parking in the area however it is possible that council may require the use of our car park in return. Q. Do our current containers move with the club? A. No they will all be new, we may utilize some of our current facilities /containers as well if we see fit. They will have a new fit out installed with plumbing, electricity installed etc. MEMBERSHIP/CLUB RELATED QUESTIONS Q. Does our membership move with the new facility? A. Yes. If you are a registered member with NHBMX you will continue to be until Dec 31 st We will be without a track from 1 June to October This is our off season and most riders do not ride during this time. Q. If we want to move our membership to another Club can we? A. Yes you can as per BMX NZ rules, but we ask that you stick with us, once the new track is up and running we can continue to offer you the same services we can now, if not better.

11 Q. Do we expect our club to grow with the move?? A. We have seen with several new tracks in NZ that when the track is located to a highly visible location (not set back from the road & hidden as we are now) the club naturally grows. It is without doubt we will have more interest from the local community; it may also increase our opportunity to work with sponsors. We expect over time that we will welcome many new riders to BMX from the North Shore/Rodney district and this will purely be due to our location and visibility from the road. Q. Will our club nights / sprocket sessions are on the same day as they currently are? A. At this stage Yes, however we aren t sure how the traffic will effect our new location. Dates and times may need to be addressed when we are at the new facility to ensure the times suit our member base.our goals is to get you riding or volunteering at the track NOT sitting in your car in traffic trying to get to the club! It is our expectation that once the Northern Corridor (connecting East to West) is completed any members travelling from the Northwestern Motorway (SH16) via the Western Ring Route to the North Shore should not be inconvenienced with the new location you would simply stay on the motorway rather than travelling via suburban streets. Q. What will the access restrictions be at the new track? A. This will be a fully locked facility with keys available to members to use the track as required. Due to our high profile location and current health and safety considerations it is likely both ramps (5 meter & 8 meter ramps) will have locked gates with a strict operating timetable. We will be working through how this looks/works as our new location develops. Q. How wills this effect NHBMX hosting the Nationals in 2019? A. BMXNZ have a stipulation that a new track has operated for two years prior to running a National event however the committee are currently discussing this with BMX NZ, we will advise once we have more information. Q. Do we need any help for the relocation i.e. Volunteers? A. The relocation is fully managed by a relocation team but we might require help with packing up containers etc. We will let you know if we require any working bees to assist with this move. Q. Do we need sponsors for our track? A. YES! Our location change means we will now be very visible, and we are also open to every opportunity. We are looking for local businesses that are keen to support us. This could be from branding our new track (yes it can be coloured and branded), branding our fencing, owning the finish line, branding our canteen area. If you work for an organization that we could talk to and work with we would love to hear from you. Please send any interest to enquiries@nhbmx.org.nz

12 Q. How will we farewell our old track? A. The North Harbour BMX Club Champs is scheduled for Sunday 15 th April. This will be our last official meet at the track. Plans are underway to make this a fun event to farewell our track in good spirits. Mark it in your calendars. Q. Who do I talk to if I have further questions? A. You can discuss any questions with an NHBMX committee member or you can send your questions to enquiries@nhbmx.org.nz and the committee will discuss and respond to you. Wrap up. We welcome any feedback, please be mindful we are all volunteers, the time we put into the new track design and club is our own and we do it for the love of BMX and to make a great facility for our kids. We realize the club relocation may not suit all of you but we ask that any feedback is sent in or raised in person is done so respectfully. We have had the members best interests at heart through the process of this project.

THE NORTHERN CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT

THE NORTHERN CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT The Northern Corridor Improvements Project is the last link in the Western Ring Route, connecting the north with the west long SH1 and SH18. Major benefits of