Visalia’s BMX park flattened by the city: what riders want to happen next

VISALIA, Calif. ( KGPE/KSEE ) – A BMX park that had operated in Visalia for a decade was bulldozed by the city on Monday – destroying something that residents say took thousands of hours to build.

James Karr has been riding BMX bikes for over 30 years and is a member of The Academy BMX in Visalia. The Academy BMX is a group of veteran riders who want to foster values of community among its members.

Karr says he was alerted by fellow members who were getting ready to ride at the park that Visalia Code Enforcement had arrived with a bulldozer. Code Enforcement told the riders that they were going to flatten the jumps. According to Karr, the riders were told by code enforcement that the city had to remove the jumps to prevent anyone injured from suing the city.

Karr says he and other members showed up and pleaded with officials not to bulldoze the park.

“We asked if we could speak to City Council or if there was some sort of waiver we could sign, and we were told no,” said Karr.

In a few hours, the park’s hills were gone. Karr says over the last 10 years, hours and hours of effort had gone into building the hills and it was emotional to see them gone.

“It would take five or six guys ten hours minimum to build one jump, and we had over 50 jumps out there.”

Since the flattening, the community has responded with uproar and Karr says he wants to use that to help build a new city-approved park.

“A lot of people were very bitter and very angry,” Karr said, “but we’re not gonna hold this against the city and we want to work with the city to build a great place for the whole community.”

In a statement, City Manager for the City of Visalia, Leslie Caviglia said that the city acknowledges the disappointment of those who made the bike track.

Due to the sensitive nature of the riparian area, the presence of protected oak trees, limited access, and liability concerns, the track had to be removed. However, this situation has highlighted the existence of an active BMX bike community interested in a new course.

City Manager for the City of Visalia, Leslie Caviglia

Riders who want to contact the city about what happens next are asked to call 559-713-4355 or email city.manager@visalia.city and also asked to include their name, phone number, and email address.

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