City council takes up tearing down BMX track

ALBUQUERQUE CITY COUNCIL IS ONE STEP CLOSER TO TEARING DOWN A B-M-X TRACK NEAR ISOTOPES PARK AND MOVING IT SOMETHING THAT WILL COST MILLIONS OF DOLLARS NEIGHBORS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT NOISE FROM THE TRACK -- AND SOME CITY COUNCILORS SAY THE TRACK WAS PUT THERE ILLEGALLY BY THE CITY JEFF MAHER IS LIVE NEAR ISOTOPES PARK WITH THE STORY JEFF CITY COUNCILOR ISAAC BENTON SAYS SEVERAL YEARS AGO PLANS WERE APPROVED BY THE CITY TO BUILD A B- M-X TRACK RIGHT NEXT TO ISOTOPES PARK IN THIS DIRT LOT BUT INSTEAD IT WAS BUILT FURTHER EAST -- CLOSER TO A NEIGHBORHOOD BENTON SAYS THAT S REASON ENOUGH TO TEAR IT DOWN AT LAST NIGHT S CITY COUNCIL MEETING -- COUNCILORS APPROVED A BILL SPONSORED BY ISAAC BENTON THAT CALLS FOR CITY DEVELOPERS TO LOOK INTO HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST TO DEMOLISH AND MOVE THE BMX TRACK BACK TO IT S ORIGINAL PLANNED LOCATION it s the city s mistake and unfortunately the city is going to have to pay for it SINCE 2003 -- THE CITY AND STATE HAVE INVESTED CLOSE TO SIX MILLION DOLLARS INTO BUILDING AND DEVELOPING THE TRACK -- AND RECENTLY ADDING BATHROOMS AND ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES CITY OFFICIALS SAY IT WOULD COST BETWEEN FIVE AND SIX MILLION DOLLARS TO TEAR IT DOWN AND MOVE IT 500 FEET CLOSER TO ISOTOPES PARK BENTON SAYS IT WOULD BE MUCH LESS it won t be anywhere approaching the five million that s been spent there a lot of the construction that s been spent there has been with concession buildings parking lots and so forth that don t have to move THE MONEY TO MOVE THE PARK WOULD LIKELY COME OUT OF THE CITY S GENERAL FUND -- WHICH IS ALREADY FACING A POSSIBLE 68 MILLION DOLLAR SHORTFALL CITY OFFICIALS SAY IT WOULD ALSO CREATE SOME REAL PROBLEMS FOR THE KIDS WHO USE THE TRACK it s something that would delay having nationals here we would lose all that money so it s more than just tearing it down and building it back up CITY OFFICIALS SAY THEY RE GOING TO CRUNCH THE NUMBERS AND GIVE COUNCILOR BENTON THE EXACT ESTIMATES FOR HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST TO TEAR DOWN THE TRACK LIVE NEAR ISOTOPES PARK JEFF MAHER EYEWITNESS NEWS FOUR FORMER STATE