Ed Rudolph Velodrome, Northbrook
Gallagher Asphalt bid to resurface track helps save facility
(Northbrook, Ill., May 27, 2004)—The Ed Rudolph Northbrook Velodrome has been saved.
In a historic vote that helps preserve the future of track bicycle racing in the U.S., the Northbrook Park District voted last night to approve the single bid received to resurface and improve the Northbrook Velodrome. This clears the way for Gallagher Asphalt to begin work, assuring a bright outlook for the venerable facility, one of fewer than 20 such tracks in the nation.
“This vote is the culmination of months of hard work by the bicycling community and the Park District,” said Peter Janunas, president of the all-volunteer Northbrook Cycle Committee. “The outpouring of support overwhelmed everyone, averting the bleak likelihood of losing the track.”
In August 2003, the Park District, which owns the Velodrome, announced that unless improvements were made the track would be shut down. The Park District charged the cycling community with raising half the funds needed, and the Nothbrook Cycle Committee responded by launching the “Save the Velodrome” campaign.
The response was, indeed, overwhelming. “Our initial estimate was that we would need about $165,000,” Janunas said. “When it became clear that the bid would surpass $400,000, we again called on our supporters, and they came through.”
In the end, the NCC raised nearly $230,000 in 9 months, thanks in large part to the “Velodrome Angel,” an anonymous donor who matched contributions through May 1. “Without the Angel, we may not have met our goal,” Janunas said. “But with his help, we have saved the Velodrome and can look to the future.”
Gallagher will now begin planning the project, which cannot commence until after the facility is used for a July 4 civic celebration. The NCC voted late last month to suspend racing on the track for 2004, to allow for the project to begin during the summer, rather than wait until winter, when weather may have been a factor.
Planning is already underway to determine an alternate venue for District Championship and other important events normally on the Northbrook calendar. The NCC will continue to work with the Park District as the project commences, including a planned commemoration to acknowledge all those who helped Save the Velodrome.
