There have been proposals in recent years to bring a bicycle moto-cross (BMX) course to Ellensburg. A former resident of Ellensburg pushed for the recreational addition for many years before leaving town.

Ellensburg City Hall announced in December 2012 that a BMX track had been added to Rotary Parks master plan.

The Parks and Recreation department of Ellensburg acquired more property for Rotary Park and has created a plan for the addition of the BMX track. Brad Case, the Parks and Recreation director, led the team.

“At the time we did the master plan update, [the former resident] was big into BMX and was pushing hard to get something out of Rotary Park,” Case said. “His input and involvement in the process was the catalyst to including BMX into the plan.”

The 100-acre park currently has four regulation Little League baseball fields, four other baseball and softball fields, four soccer fields, a basketball court, a play structure, walking trails and 324 parking stalls.

If there are no more additions made to the plan, the future Rotary Park would include the four youth baseball fields, four softball fields, seven full-sized soccer fields, three smaller soccer fields, an off-leash area, a play structure, a basketball court, a roller rink, a BMX track and 1,600 parking stalls.

According to Case, the BMX track would be full-sized, large enough to host certified BMX or other unsanctioned races. The plan includes asphalt turns, dirt and a starting hill wide enough for a starting gate and eight bikers wide races and competitions.

“The idea would be to serve local riders and also be a way to bring people from outside the community to come to Eillensburg,” Case said. “But the details of the track are not even close to being developed.”

A landscape architect generated a cost estimate for each component of the master plan, with the BMX track estimated at $250,000, without lighting.

Case and his team are agreeing to move forward with the project. Case sees the addition of the property as an economic generator and a way to bring the community together through racing.

The inclusion of a BMX track could play a factor in the decisions of high school seniors from around Kittitas valley on where they plan to attend college.

Central’s Outdoor Pursuits and Rentals (OPR) program provides opportunities for students wishing to engage in recreational activities.

OPR connects with skiers and snowboarders searching for transportation to the Snoqualmie Summit and offers other connections with people who like to raft, hike and rock climb.

OPR could work with the BMX track at Rotary Park in the future and create another connection with recreational BMX riders looking to attend Central.

Case said that the establishment of the track is years away, but it’s on the future plan for Rotary Park and will be taken seriously by the Parks and Recreation department.