The Cupertino Courier

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Photograph by George Sakkestad

Can't Wait: Josh Marcus gets air at the Calabazas BMX Park--in spite of the fact that it is officially closed and fenced off.

BMX park to be resurrected at the edge of Calabazas Park

By Laura Rheinheimer

Sometime in the '70s, a handful of bikers moved dirt around in an old cherry orchard and used the fruits of their labor to catch some air on wheels. The resulting bike course has been in place in different forms since.

The moguls sprawl at Calabazas Park along the western edge of Cupertino, between a creek and playgrounds from Rainbow Drive to the south end of the park.

The city of San Jose closed the park in November 2004 after several incidents, including one that left a teenager partially paralyzed when he came up short on a jump. His father later filed an $8 million claim against San Jose for allowing unsafe conditions in the bike area. Such accidents and lack of official oversight pushed the closure of the park.

But San Jose always intended to reopen the area, and now a design is in place. Construction should begin within two months, after cost estimates are received from the contractor.

"I hope it gets back to what it was--a place where kids can interact," says Matt Cooper, an employee of Calabazas Cyclery on Bollinger Road who has been biking BMX-style since the '70s.

Marion Sotcher, a local resident, says she was impressed with how the park was self-regulated for most of the 40 years she has lived next to the creek, but the high jumps concerned her. With lower-level jumps in the new design, Sotcher hopes the park will once again cater to neighborhood youth and bring it back to a safe level of riding.

"The kids in our neighborhood need a place to play," Sotcher says. "If you want to keep them healthy, exercising and out of trouble, it's the best the neighborhood has."

Although initially set for completion at the end of 2006, the park has been delayed because the city faced liability and design issues. Few consultants have expertise designing BMX parks, and many tracks are built through groups such as the American BMX Association and require it be affiliated with the organization.

In the meantime, riders who have been using the PAL bike course in Santa Clara and tracks as far as Livermore and Pleasanton are excited to be able to use the park again.

Employees of Calabazas Cyclery, a business that advocated for the park's re-birth, has encouraged bikers to stay out of the park while it's closed. Now that it's about to reopen, bike shop employees say they are anxious and skeptical about when the project will begin.

"I know there are safety issues, but that comes with any sport," says Rob Carnahan, co-owner of Calabazas Cyclery. "It keeps kids out of trouble," says Carnahan, who has been biking at the park since 1980.

The park, which is to be free and open to the public, should be completed by the end of April.

Staff writer Hugh Biggar contributed to this story.