The proposed conversion of the football stadium at South-Doyle Middle School into a BMX track/stadium has hit a bumpy road, thanks to estimated costs exceeding initial expectations.
But Carson Dailey, who represents South Knox on the Knox County Commission, feels reasonably confident that the county will “give the community what they were promised.”
Dailey has set a meeting for 4:30-6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the school, 3900 Decatur Road. The public is invited to join officials from USA BMX and Knoxville BMX in the SDMS library for an informational session. Dailey hopes fellow commissioners will also attend and decide to support the project.
Meetings about plans for a bicycle motocross track at South-Doyle have been held for more than a year. Dailey says he’s witnessed an outpouring of support for the project.
“The reaction from the community’s all been positive,” he says. “I have not had one person contact me in a negative way. They want to see it done.”
The football stadium was built when the campus was home to South-Young High School, but for nearly three decades it has hosted not football games but school assemblies, field days, and practice sessions for rec-league sports.
The first phase of the project called for two new practice fields to be built on open land on the west side of the school (now in development), while the stadium was converted to the BMX course (not yet started).
“I am going to do my best to see that they get what they were promised – the BMX track and the two fields,” says Dailey.
Phase two would include making the stadium and bathrooms ADA accessible, upgrading utilities on the site and resurfacing the parking lot.
Dailey believes seeing the project through will be a big economic boon to Knox County, thanks to the popularity of BMX. He’s not sure where Mayor Glenn Jacobs stands, however.
“Hopefully, we’ll get the mayor on board to see that it’s worth the investment that would have to be done,” he says.