The Hill BMX Track in Elgin to open public riding hours
Good, clean fun in the dirt at The Hill BMX Track in Elgin will soon be open to the public two days a week.
The Elgin City Council gave preliminary approval to a plan that would provide public riding hours on Thursday evenings and during the day on Sundays at the track located inside the Elgin Sports Complex.
Though on city-owned land, the track is operated and maintained by the Elgin BMX Riders Association, a nonprofit, all-volunteer group that funded over 97% of the original construction cost when the track opened in 1990.
The group oversees practices, races and special events and has made numerous improvements to the track and facility over the years, Parks & Recreation Director Jen Hermonson told the council on Wednesday.
“They focus on a place where individuals of various ages can participate in BMX riding with the emphasis on family involvement and fostering a positive atmosphere,” Hermonson said.
Hermonson said the USA BMX-sanctioned track is the top-rated facility in Illinois, number four in the central region and number nine in the United States and Canada. It will host the state BMX championship finals for the first time in September.
The track would be open for public use on Thursday nights from 6 to 8 p.m. and on Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. Admission will be $5 daily for Elgin residents and $7 for nonresidents. A season pass will be available for $100.
“We would treat this as any new program and we’re going to continuously monitor and evaluate,” Hermonson said, adding they’ll do a user survey at the end of the season.
Hermonson said the fees would help defray the city’s cost of staffing the facility during open riding hours, training and general maintenance.
The Elgin BMX Riders Association, Inc. is one of many affiliate organizations that operate on city-owned properties under a land use agreement that grants the organizations continued access to run programming while they maintain the grounds and facilities.
Other affiliate organizations include Elgin National Little League, Elgin Men’s Baseball League, Elgin Classic Little League, Elgin Babe Ruth Baseball and Elgin Youth Football League.
The city offers an annual “Athletic Facility Improvement Grant” that provides financial assistance for capital improvements on city-owned properties.
The land use agreements are set for five years and will be up for renewal in 2030.