Ride the Velodrome!

Growing up in Northbrook, a town of about 30,000 people 25 miles north of downtown Chicago, I spent a lot of time at the town's Park District facilities, be it their athletic fields, ice rinks or swimming pools. But the most distinctive, and memorable, amenity was the velodrome in Meadowhill Park, right next to my junior high school. I remember sneaking in with my friends and our bikes to ride the sharp turns, pretending we were in a race. The Ed Rudolph Northbrook Velodrome also hosted soccer and football games and the annual Fourth of July celebration with marching bands and fireworks. Needless to say, it was a unique part of growing up in the suburb.

So when I read in the Chicago Tribune today that the Velodrome will most likely be saved from destruction, I was relieved but also a bit confused. How could something like the Velodrome ever be in danger? Land values have risen dramatically over three decades, but Meadowhill has expanded as outdoor recreation and sports have increased in popularity, so it must not be threatened by development. 

It turns out that the Park District would not wholly pay the estimated $325,000 to repair the crumbling track, whose asphalt topping is patched annually to maintain its usability. They thought the users of the Velodrome should pay for half of the construction cost, since the track itself is used for racing, not recreation. 

A group, headed by the Northbrook Cycling Committee was able to raise $225,000 before the eight-month deadline given them by the Park District, going over the halfway mark in anticipation of a construction bid above the estimate. Given that the first bid came in at $416,000, that extra paid off. 

Even though Northbrook turned 100 a few years ago (the town began as Shermerville, also known as the fictional town in John Hughes' films of the 1980's), it doesn't have a historic downtown like Lake Forest or Highland Park, so unique pieces like the 40-year-plus Velodrome help to give the town its own unique character.