Tomball City Council received a proposal at its July 1 meeting for an Olympic-level, multi-use BMX park to be constructed at the corner of Ulrich and Hufsmith roads in the city.

The proposal was made by Mike McIntyre, an architect and BMX advocate who has helped design parks for the nonprofit USA BMX in the past, and John Purse, a professional BMX rider and former national champion who lives in Tomball. Purse said he wanted to gauge how much interest there was in the park among city officials. Many of the details on where it could be located and what it could consist of are up for discussion, he said.

"None of these plans are final," he said. "We are just proposing the idea of a Tomball BMX and fitness park to Tomball, Texas."

Several council members, including Preston Dodson and Field Hudgins, said they were interested in hearing more about the park, but thought the location identified was not ideal because of its proximity to residences. Parking would also be an issue with the Tomball Little League fields nearby. McIntyre said he was open to considering different locations.

"We took a look at the potential for this site because it was the site that was being considered a few years ago," he said. "The purpose of the presentation was to demonstrate the intent of the park and to try to see if there was any interest in dedicating some land in Tomball. If that is the case, there would be an attempt to fundraise and possibly use land value as leverage for matching grants."

McIntyre is asking the city to donate the land for the park, but the city is not being asked to put any money into its development. The city's investment through donating land would help with the acquisition of grant funding from organizations like USA BMX, McIntyre said.

"The most success we've had with fundraising is when we can demonstrate that the city is a partner with us," he said. "We can't really fundraise and apply for grants unless there is some sort of agreement on the use of the land with the city. No one is asking for any money from Tomball for this facility—just the use of this space of land to fundraise and reach out to several grants that are available."

Track construction and insurance would ideally be covered by USA BMX through grants. The project would also involve starting a 501(c) nonprofit organization, which Purse would spearhead.

McIntyre said only around four acres of the proposed 14-acre multi-use park would be used for the BMX track. The rest would be for a possible dog park, playground, fitness center and other features the city can choose to develop.

Mayor Gretchen Fagan and several council members expressed interest in incorporating soccer fields into the park. There are currently no soccer complexes in city limits. Purse said soccer fields would be a nice addition, but would require more acreage.

The return on the city's investment would come through increased tourism and money spent at gas stations, restaurants and hotels, McIntyre said. He expects the park to draw around 4,000 people to the area for national events, and smaller events with 200 participants might draw in 100–150 families. The park would also be used to host camps and clinics, which is where Purse sees himself involved.

The popularity of BMX riding as a sport has grown since it was added as an Olympic event, Purse said.

"You're starting to see it brought more into school activities, even at the collegiate level," he said. "It's not a question of 'if,' but 'when.' These facilities that will be built in the next two years will be destinations for people looking to train for the Olympics in 2016."

The Tomball park would be the third Olympic-level BMX park in the country. The other two are in Rock Hill, S.C., and Chula Vista, Ca. To be considered "Olympic-level," a park must have an 8-meters-tall start hill. The nearest BMX parks are in east Houston and Pearland. The cost of the overall park remains to be seen, but the BMX track itself would cost an estimated $600,000–$800,000 to build.

Several residents spoke against the park at the opening of the council meeting. Concerns ranged from increased traffic to noise complaints to whether the park would be worth the city's investment. Purse assured council that no motorized vehicles would ever be used at the park outside of maintenance purposes, which would keep noise low.

"There would never be a motorcycle on the track, ever," he said.

McIntyre was instructed by council to review the city's Parks & Recreation Master Plan and return to council with other locations to consider.

The benefits of the park are not limited to BMX riders, Purse said. The main purpose is to provide Tomball residents with more recreational options within the city.

"There may be more residents using this facility for other uses than for BMX," Purse said. "We want this to be vehicle to add recreational value to Tomball. Every town deserves this type of facility."