(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)a
A major renovation project at the Alpenrose Velodrome is moving forward.
On Monday, we shared the news that the concrete surface on the fabled track had gotten so bad that Oregon Bicycle Racing Association officials decided it was time to bite the bullet and replace it. The owners of the track (Alpenrose Dairy) agreed that the track needed some work. The only thing left was for OBRA to show the folks at the dairy that the community would step up and donate a considerable portion of the project cost.
In the past few days, OBRA’s track program manager Mike Murray has been gathering donations. Today he emailed with some good news: “The renovation project is moving forward. We had a meeting yesterday with the Dairy and the contractors and the project was green lighted.”
Construction work on removing the existing concrete on both the straightaways will begin today. Depending on the weather, Murray says, “there will be new straights on the track roughly two weeks later.”
Murray also warns that the community’s work is not done. “I also want to make it clear,” he wrote via an email to the OBRA list, “that we need to continue to raise money for this project. The Dairy has authorized moving forward on the project with the understanding that we will continue fund raising not only to help cover the cost of the straights replacement this spring but also to cover the planned replacement of the apron in the fall.”
OBRA has set up online donations (you’ll need an OBRA login), and you can also send a check to:
- OBRA/ Portland Velodrome Committee
4318 SE 8th Ct.
Gresham, OR 97080
