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Official Release from KMC regarding Golden Jubilee Plans
There has been a lot of rumour and speculation about what is going on with the Golden Jubilee plans Ku-ring-gai council approved last year:
http://www.kmc.nsw.gov.au/www/html/4124-mountain...
As already discussed (see Hornsby Shire trails - support needed) a lot of mis-information has been circulated but we have been unsure as to if the reports in the Advocate (see Ku-ring-gai Council rejects three mountain bike trails were true).
Well, I have just recieved this from a council press officer so here it is:
After further consideration of community feedback, Council has decided to amend the first stage of the project (the playground at Golden Jubilee Oval) and not proceed with stage two (the upgrading and formalising of the track network from Golden Jubilee Oval to Clissold quarry).
The dirt jumps at the Golden Jubilee site have been scrapped but the pump track and freestyle mounds will be retained. A small skills zone which was originally proposed for the Clissold Rd site under stage two is instead be built at the Golden Jubilee site. This would comprise smaller features such as narrow beams for balance. Trails proposed for the Golden Jubilee site under stage one will also go ahead.
We anticipate the costs to be very similar to the original stage one costs.
The NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water and the NSW Aboriginal Heritage Office have reviewed the revised proposal and indicated they have no concerns with it.Consultants are now reviewing the traffic and environmental issues relating to the revised proposal. Unless this feedback raises any issues of major concern, the next step in the process would be calling for quotes to construct the facility.
At this stage we don't propose to do any further community consultation because this latest proposal addresses the concerns raised by residents.
Stage two of the project is unfunded and unapproved and there are now no plans to proceed with it.
Once the Golden Jubillee facility is built, we will assess and monitor its usage before considering any possible future development of mountain bike faciltiies in the area.
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Dear Sir,
I am in Barker in year 12 and am a keen member of the school's mountain team. In its second year of existance, the team's size has increased from about 20 to 35, and I believe that there are also numerous other people at the school who would do it as a sport if it didn't take so much time. It takes so much time because it is necessary to drive 45 minutes for the weekly training sessions and even further, up past Windsor, for the Saturday races. Why? Because there no facilities any closer to which the team can train on.
It has occured to me that there has been a recent discussion regarding the construction of cross country mountain bike trails around Golden Jubilee Field. I reckon that this is a great idea, as it helps people who would be inclined to drive long distances to get to a track save fuel as well as encourages people who would not be inclined to drive such a long way to be exposed to the sport. Additionally, they would give a location for school groups to train, as, particularly for people in their senior year of school, have very little time to drive to far away venues, it will be much easier to drive to the location. Even if no races were to be held at any of these places, it would still be an opportunity to train in a better location, as the only local tracks currently present are firetrails, which do not have the types of ascents and corners present in proper cross country racing.
As I followed this discussion, I also read many letters in the paper by concerned locals voicing their outrage about how these tracks would cause 'vandalism, drug abuse, extreme noise and parking chaos." I personally believe that all of these claims are outragous. I have never heard of vandalism occuring due to surrounding mountain bike trails. Neither do I ever hear of mountain bikers classified as drug addicts. Drugs and fitness rarely go together. The noise issue seems absurd to me as well - these people don't seem to understand that mountain bikes have no motors and will make little more noise than walkers. The fact that there is a large amount of parking at GJF that can fit the athletes and spectators for two fields there suggests that there should be plenty of parking for anyone who chooses to drive (as many will choose to ride to the venue.)
I personally, along with many others find the sport of off road cycling be great fun, good fitness as well as being out with nature, and it is a great opportunity for tracks to be made around GJF, so I hope you can heed the advice that my and my fellow cyclists are asking.
Sincerely,
Damn! I thought KMC chains were giving stuff away for their golden jubilee