Last November, the New Ulm City Council approved a $100,000 interest free loan with 15-year payback for River Valley BMX association to make additional safety and track improvements.

Track operators Brittany and Josh Nosbush said with this loan and a combination of donations, fundraising and operation revenue from the track they were able to pay for the improvements.

Josh Nosbush said when it was all done, the total cost of the improvements would likely be $200,000.

Brittany Nosbush said the main idea for the improvements was safety.

Jeremy Walters of Walters Excavating digs into the River Valley BMX track as part of the safety remodel. Walters said he was happy to be part of the track upgrades. His father Richard Walters helped with the original construction of the track in 1995.

Josh Nosbush said they want to have a wider starting gate, wider corners, wider jumps and wider finish line.

Brittany Nosbush said widening the track improves the safety of the course. She explained with the faster riders, the tighter lanes can create safety issues. Trying to hit a 12-foot finish line at full speed can be challenging. The hope is the wider track will encourage higher level riders to race here.

At the same time, they want to make sure the track is welcoming to new riders. River Valley BMX is popular with new riders, those in the 10 and under range.

“We want to have a track that works for all skill levels,” she said.

It is believed that with these improvements, the number of riders and spectators will increase for BMX competitions.

River Valley BMX track operators Brittany and Josh Nosbush (right) was the initial excavation work at the bike track ahead of the repair. Jeremy Walters (left) from Walters Excavating removes a tree from the grounds. The park improvements will included widening the track for safety.

River Valley BMX hosts BMX races every Monday night through the spring, summer and fall. Typically, the track does not close until the first snowfall.

Josh Nosbush said on an average Monday, they will have 60 riders competing at the track with a full grandstand of spectators.

“Every rider has four grandparents in the audience,” he said.

Brittany Nosbush said one of the reasons for doing the upgrades now is that River Valley BMX has a great volunteer base to assist with the project. The Nosbushs were impressed by the volume of community support for the project. Several of the people working on the construction had a connection to BMX.

On Friday, Jeremy Walters and Jason Kemple were working to in an excavator and skid steer to remove New Ulm’s existing BMX track.

River Valley BMX track operators Brittany and Josh Nosbush and assistant operator Zach Dummer watch the early excavation work being performed at the track Friday.

Walters said he was happy to be a part of the project because his father, Richard Walters, helped with the construction of the BMX track 30 years ago. It feels appropriate to have Walters Excavations working on the rebuild.

Kemple helps run the Crow River BMX track in St. Michael’s. In addition, his kid has raced in BMX for 15 years. He is very familiar with the sport, the riders’ devotion to their track.

The demolition phase of the project started last weekend and will continue in full force this weekend. Once the demolition is complete, the rebuild should move quickly, but there was some concern that the demolition work would be permanent.

Kemple said he has seen many kids riding their bicycles past the construction site with fear in their eyes.

“Now, every time I see a kid ride past, I say, ‘Don’t worry, it’s coming back,” Kemple said.

The Nosbushs estimated the track should be back up to ridding conditions by October. Some of the final details, like asphalting the corners, will need to wait until spring.

The Nosbushs said they were still taking donations, both monetary and in-kind. Anyone interested in donating could contact them at rivervalleybmxnewulm@gmail.com