Anyone ever petition to the city?

[The_Otherside]

I want to petition the city for an outdoor track.

Anyone ever do anything like this before?

 

[Paultro84]

I live in a small small town. Less than 1,000. I'm thinking of starting a fundraiser to build a bmx/RC track. Haven't got the ball rolling yet. But I'm going to ask my town officials if they will allow me to build it at our local baseball field or if theres a piece of town property they will allow me to do it on. Let me know how you make out with it.

 

[The_Otherside]

I live in a small small town. Less than 1,000. I'm thinking of starting a fundraiser to build a bmx/RC track. Haven't got the ball rolling yet. But I'm going to ask my town officials if they will allow me to build it at our local baseball field or if theres a piece of town property they will allow me to do it on. Let me know how you make out with it.

I will definitely keep you posted!

 

[WoodiE]

I believe the guys over at kyrcrc.com has petitioned the city to get a track setup. Might want to reach out to them and see if they can provide any pointers for you @The_Otherside

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

I’ve worked for a few different municipalities and, given they have a suitable spot with no other plans, their main concern will be maintenance. Building it is one thing, but who will maintain it? Who will put it back to the way it was when interest is lost?? Have a plan outlined for this. Also bring some photos of other similar tracks and a generic site plan showing how much space you would need and the general layout.

City Councils normally meet once a month and will have a portion of the time set aside for public comments. You will have to win their popular vote before it will happen so I would start with them. This will take AT LEAST a month to go through their process and get approved.

 

[The_Otherside]

Thanks guys. Just got off the phone with the Appleton Parks & Recreation department. They basically said exactly that.

Gonna start with the petition and signatures and addresses, then once I present it give them the information & educate them as best I can.

 

[The_Otherside]

I’ve worked for a few different municipalities and, given they have a suitable spot with no other plans, their main concern will be maintenance. Building it is one thing, but who will maintain it? Who will put it back to the way it was when interest is lost?? Have a plan outlined for this. Also bring some photos of other similar tracks and a generic site plan showing how much space you would need and the general layout.

City Councils normally meet once a month and will have a portion of the time set aside for public comments. You will have to win their popular vote before it will happen so I would start with them. This will take AT LEAST a month to go through their process and get approved.

Hey boss, do you have any other information that might help me? Do you have any off-road tracks near you that you could give me some similar information about? Like size, cost, or anything?

Building one to me seems pretty cheap in the grand scheme of things. Push some dirt around into piles and put some plastic guard rails in the shape of a track. But I'm uneducated myself, so maybe I'm missing somethings.

Thanks either way!

 

[olds97_lss]

Might be easier to get a skate park put in. Then it's multi-purpose. Geared mostly for skate boards, in line skates, bmx bikes, but also fun for RC. Most, if not all skate parks don't have maintenance, other than mowing around it like they would any other "park" area.

I wish I could find more skate parks in my area. There's only a couple RC tracks within an hour or so drive, but I've never had interest to go to them. I've been to a bmx track that's an hour away, lots of signs saying NO RC's, plus they have a lot of necessary maintenance as well.

 

[The_Otherside]

There's a brand new all concrete skate p
ark near by. That's the park we're going to petition for. Parks and Rec guy seemed pretty excited about the idea.

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

Hey boss, do you have any other information that might help me? Do you have any off-road tracks near you that you could give me some similar information about? Like size, cost, or anything?

Building one to me seems pretty cheap in the grand scheme of things. Push some dirt around into piles and put some plastic guard rails in the shape of a track. But I'm uneducated myself, so maybe I'm missing somethings.

Thanks either way!

I do not have any experience with this specific type of project but all major changes to a city’s infrastructure are handled the same way. A plan is proposed, it is evaluated by the staff who consult the council, and then the council votes on it.

If the city has heavy equipment they might be willing contribute that portion of the work. There are going to be other costs to construct it and I can almost guarantee you the city will not have money available to cover them. Unless you want to ante up yourself, you will need a sponsor. A local business is your best bet, you may be able to offer them a small bit of advertising on a sign by the track and/or them choosing a name for it. Having their support will make your effort seem more official so the sooner you find a business to back the idea the better.

Good luck!

 

[The_Otherside]

Asking for help is free. I better get to work. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Piecejointe]

If you need arguments to convince the powers that be, the fact that rc cars can be a nice educational tool and introduction to STEM fields *for both sexes* and is healthy competition might carry some weight.

Some material:
https://www.horizonhobby.com/content/amp-camp?clickpath=ECX_BS_smRec1_11152017