Cathy Perfect
Kern Valley Sun

Volunteers flocked to Kernville last weekend in preparation of Denver-based BMX bike park designer/builder Eric Bress’ arrival on Monday.

Bress was tapped to build a long-planned National Bicycle League-sanctioned bike park in Kernville. Construction on the BMX section of the KV Bike Park began Monday.

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The driving force behind the community project is BMX enthusiast Chris Brayman, aka Whiskey Flat Deputy Mayor “TurnCoat Chris.” He has been dreaming of getting a BMX track built in the Valley for almost three years.

Brayman searched for a BMX track site for some time, but did not find an ideal location until last fall, when he proposed his plans before the Kernville Chamber of Commerce, which owns about 20 acres of land near the John E. McNally Rodeo Grounds. The chamber agreed to the bike park and donated five acres of land located across the road from the Kern River.

“There have been questions about insurance,” said Kernville Chamber president Jill Sloan. “We are fully insured through the Chamber and the National Bicycle League.”

KV Bike Park is a 501 3(c) non-profit corporation, added Sloan.

“They’ve been trying to get a park up here since I was in high school, and that was 10 years ago and it never got done. Chris did a good job,” said TJ Swanson of Bodfish.

In late April, the Kern County Planning Commission approved the conditional use permit and a month later the engineering grading plans were submitted to build the BMX track.

After about $9,000 in fundraisers, donations, and volunteer labor, the bike park is on schedule for its grand-opening in mid to late July, Brayman said.

“Big thanks to all the community members that have contributed or are still putting forth the great effort to support the bike park endeavor,” said Pam Alten of Kernville. “As a mother of two young children and a teacher in our valley I see a need for more recreational and physical outlets for our youth.”

The project has not been without detractors.

On the Kern Valley Sun blog, ‘Kernville’ posted, “Nice for the Kernville kids, but who is driving the other local kids to Kernville – the poor kids in Southlake and Bodfish – all the way to Kernville after school or during the summer to use this facility? It ain't gonna happen.”

According to National Bicycle League's west coast track development director Cody Wilson, this is the 128th BMX track in the nation.

Bress said this is the newest track in the state and the builders want to get everyone involved in the process.

The KV Bike Park will not only be a place to race BMX, but will also offer dirt and wooden jumps for freestyle riders. It will offer a bicycle skills course and a mountain bike pump track, too.

Use of the facility will be free, but to compete in races, riders need a National Bicycle League license, which carries a $50 fee.

For more information, about KV Bike Park, visit kvbikepark.com/index.html.