| Subject: | Help save 7-Eleven Olympic Velodrome |
| Date: | 08/31/2000 12:19 AM |
| From: | Mike Murray |
|
Mike Murray -----Original Message----- From: tan-@hobbes.ucsd.edu [mailto:tan-@hobbes.ucsd.edu]On Behalf Of Larry-@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2000 11:00 AM To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: [T@H] Help save 7-Eleven Olympic Velodrome ----------------------------------------------------- The 7-Eleven Olympic Velodrome, on the campus of California State Univ.-Dominguez Hills in Carson, Calif, was built expressly for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The university is the sole owner of the velodrome. Now the university wants to build a soccer stadium on campus for the Galaxy pro soccer team. Nearby residents objected to the stadium, so the university, to move the stadium as far from the residences as possible to reduce noise, wants to demolish the velodrome and build the soccer stadium on the site! (There is plenty of room elsewhere on campus). The university has presented no evidence showing that noise from the soccer stadium could be a real problem, or that placing the soccer stadium on the velodrome's site would alleviate such problem. The university has even tried to evict the current tenant of the velodrome -- the Southern California Velodrome Association -- to clear the way for demolition of the velodrome. There are only 18 active velodromes in the U.S., and only 6 on the west coast. The Olympic Velodrome is the only world-class velodrome on the west coast. Though it is 18 years old, it is the newest of the 6 on the west coast. So obviously we can hardly afford to lose any velodromes in the U.S. -- particularly first-class velodromes like this one. The best long-term protection for the velodrome is to have it added to the State Register of Historical Resources -- then the university would have to show truly compelling reasons for demolishing the velodrome. At first, I thought that the velodrome did not have much historical significance, but I changed my mind. For example, the velodrome was one of only two all-new stadiums built expressly for the 1984 Olympic Games, and today is much better preserved than the other one, and the velodrome would therefore serve as a nice memento of the 1984 Games. So I applied for state historical registration, but the state Office of Historic Preservation is giving me a hard time about the velodrome being much younger than 50 years old ( there is no absolute bar against registering properties under 50 years old ). They do not even want to submit my nomination to the State Historical Resources Commission for consideration (Incidentally, I have also filed a lawsuit for a temporary restraining order to bar demolition of the velodrome pending review of my nomination for historical registration ). I have found that getting historical registration is ninety percent political and ten percent historical. For example, the Marine Stadium in Long Beach, Calif. ( site of the 1932 Olympic rowing events ) has no more historical significance than the velodrome ( maybe even less historical significance because changes have greatly impaired the Marine Stadium's historical integrity ), but the Marine Stadium got state registration because the city of Long Beach was behind the nomination. Santa Anita racetrack got registration for merely being a stopover point for Japanese-Americans on their way to internment camps. I could go on. So to get registration for the velodrome, I need your support. I cannot do this alone. If we cyclists unite, we have the power to save the velodrome -- but only if we use that power. Please help now -- or you may wish you had. Please tell the Calif. Office of Historic Preservation that you want the 7-Eleven Olympic Velodrome added to the California Register of Historical Resources. The email address and fax number of the California Office of Historic Preservation are - cals-@ohp.parks.ca.gov Fax: (916) 653-9824 Names of individuals in the OHP are -- Daniel Abeyta, Acting State Historic Preservation Officer (916) 653-6624 Marie Nelson, California Register program (916) 653-9514 Dwight Dutschke, State-owned properties (916) 653-9134 The snail-mail address is -- California Office of Historic Preservation P.O. Box 942896 Sacramento, CA 94296-0001 Also, please spread the word. T@H is the only bike-related email discussion group I subscribe to. I would greatly appreciate it if you would post this message with other groups, or please send me the names of the groups so that I may post the message. Larry Fafarman |
