bikesarefun
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Firstly, a huge thank you to everyone who showed their support for last night's meeting. There was hardly a spare seat in the Council Chambers, and over 400 emails were received. Council seemed entirely convinced of just how serious and committed we are as a user group.
The outcomes were extremely positive. Council, particularly Mayor Regan, are wholeheartedly behind the bike park concept. And they want it to move ahead quickly, adopting a position to push the state government to lodge a Development Application ASAP. Council, however, do not want responsibility for the site. The great news is that they want the site to be operated and managed by a rider driven association. It's not just about cost passing; Council know that their involvement will hinder the facility ("you don't want us telling you how big the jumps can be"), noting that we have the capabilities within the community to get the job done better, faster, and more cost effectively. Mayor Regan even went so far as to use Council's internal arguments on the evening of a "prime example of why you don't want us involved".
Council want us to run with this opportunity. They want to see the site handed over to a rider driven association, on a token lease, to manage a bike park created using the available resources (about $3.5M).
So.... where to from here.... We have put together a strong and diverse team of professionals with a full range of necessary experience, and a common vision, and are in the process of incorporating a new purpose-specific association (more on that in a couple of weeks). This provides for involvement from existing local advocacy and rider groups, and creates a vehicle through which we, the riders, can make sure the facility lives up to its potential. There will be plenty of opportunity for people to get involved in various capacities, and we'll keep you posted.
The outcomes were extremely positive. Council, particularly Mayor Regan, are wholeheartedly behind the bike park concept. And they want it to move ahead quickly, adopting a position to push the state government to lodge a Development Application ASAP. Council, however, do not want responsibility for the site. The great news is that they want the site to be operated and managed by a rider driven association. It's not just about cost passing; Council know that their involvement will hinder the facility ("you don't want us telling you how big the jumps can be"), noting that we have the capabilities within the community to get the job done better, faster, and more cost effectively. Mayor Regan even went so far as to use Council's internal arguments on the evening of a "prime example of why you don't want us involved".
Council want us to run with this opportunity. They want to see the site handed over to a rider driven association, on a token lease, to manage a bike park created using the available resources (about $3.5M).
So.... where to from here.... We have put together a strong and diverse team of professionals with a full range of necessary experience, and a common vision, and are in the process of incorporating a new purpose-specific association (more on that in a couple of weeks). This provides for involvement from existing local advocacy and rider groups, and creates a vehicle through which we, the riders, can make sure the facility lives up to its potential. There will be plenty of opportunity for people to get involved in various capacities, and we'll keep you posted.
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