The VELODROME at BLOOMER PARK
Rochester Hills, Michigan, U.S.A.
www.velodromeatbloomerpark.com
3-7-06
For Immediate Release
Contact: C. S. Walden, 248-961-3704

The Velodrome at Bloomer Park
receives prestigious Flaherty Award


Rochester Hills, Michigan -- The Velodrome at Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills,
recognized for its excellence as a park facility and for its superb programs,
was honored with the 2006 Daniel L. Flaherty Memorial Award.

The prestigious award is given annually by the Great Lakes Park Training
Institutes at its annual conference, held recently in Angola, Indiana. The
Velodrome was the project of note among entries from six states – Michigan,
Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Iowa and Wisconsin. The Velodrome was the perfect
blend of Public, Private and Non Profit groups working together for the greater
good of the community and its residents.

The privately-funded Velodrome, spearheaded and completed by velodrome designer
and builder Dale Hughes, is a model for private-public cooperation. The 1/8th
mile oval was built on an abandoned parking lot in Rochester Hills’ Bloomer Park
after a creative fundraising campaign. Volunteers provided the labor and
continue to maintain and operate the track, which was given to the city upon
completion, making Rochester Hills one of only 17 communities in the U.S. to
list a Velodrome among its facilities.

Beyond the actual construction of the $1 million sports facility, the institutes
also recognized programming at the Velodrome, a carefully designed opportunity
to engage the public to ride, race or watch events.

“Programming is everything,” he said. “Our track is open seven days a week.
Youngsters, adults, everyone can come and ride—it’s free the first time. After
that, there’s a nominal fee. Youngsters 18 and under are free all the time, all
season long.”

“Its accessibility is critical to its success,” said Hughes, but he also noted
that in the site design and construction every effort was made to blend the oval
into the forested acreage surrounding it. Tiered festival seating is carved out
of a grassy hillside and the track itself is nestled into the terrain.

“Unless you know its there, it really is not even noticeable,”
said Hughes. “But the riders know and so do the fans.”

Alan Buckenmeyer, Park Manager with the city of Rochester Hills, agrees as the
Velodrome has increased Park income by over 40%.

Hughes will pass it onto Mayor Pat Somerville of Rochester Hills at a special
presentation planned for early Spring.

The Velodrome will open May 1st . starting its 6th season. The Velodrome at
Bloomer Park is really a prototype facility for communities around the globe to
copy – world class yet low cost.

For more information contact:
Dale Hughes
Velodrome at Bloomer Park
248-961-3705
dale@...



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