New Site Sought for Bicycle Raceway

Although they have encountered a slight detour, Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District officials are still forging ahead to find a site for a bicycle motocross raceway.

The site that officials originally had in mind--a barranca on city property between Mission Oaks and Mission Verde parks--is no longer a possibility.

City Manager Bill Little told park district officials that the city has spent thousands of dollars improving the natural habitat so that it can be enjoyed by residents.

“Not only would [a bicycle raceway] spoil the natural beauty and severely restrict other uses, but such a course would undoubtedly arouse strong opposition from residents,” Little wrote in a letter to park officials last month.

But park district board members vowed at last week’s meeting not to let this derail the project.

John Williamson, park district general manager, said he would check with the Camarillo Airport to see if there are three to five acres available there, as well as ask people who work for the city if they know of any sites the park might be able to lease for a reasonable rate.

“There’s a lot of people out there that would like to see this happen; it’s just a question of what we can work out to make it come to fruition,” Williamson said.

Raceway supporters from the community submitted more than 600 signatures to the park district last month, and Ted Saville, owner of the Camarillo Bike Shop, said he would gather the materials and volunteers needed to construct the park.

The American Bicycle Assn., the largest BMX-sanctioning body in the U.S., would design and insure the track. Ventura County already has BMX raceways in Simi Valley and Ventura, but Camarillo youth say transportation to those parks poses a problem.

To inform the park district of a potential site, call 482-1996.