Grippen Park BMX Racing Remains On Hold Due to Pandemic

BMX races in a former covered ice rink at a park in West Endicott have been suspended because of the recent rise in COVID-19 infection rates.

Gary Gitchell of Binghamton has operated the Grippen Park BMX track for the past decade.

Gitchell said the facility at the park owned by Broome County was permitted to reopen in July after being shut down for more than four months due to the pandemic.

Gitchell said significant restrictions were imposed on who could participate in the BMX races at the track. Guidelines stipulated riders could only be from the Southern Tier region.

BMX races have been held at Grippen Park in West Endicott since 2010. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Speaking on WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program, Gitchell said that posed a problem because the track typically attracts many participants from outside the immediate area.

The track now is effectively closed because of the additional restrictions in place after coronavirus infections started to increase again in recent weeks.

Gitchell said he and the BMX riders who use the Grippen Park facility are frustrated. He said there seems to be "no rhyme or reason" in the way government officials are dealing with the situation.

A view inside the Grippen Park BMX facility on October 23, 2020. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)