Cycling ‘Fieldhouse’ backer fires back as critics slam $40M facility in BB Park
A wealthy donor has offered to build what is being described as a $40 million indoor recreation and cycling “Fieldhouse” at Brooklyn Bridge Park, and developers of the park and some local schools have embraced the idea.
But skeptics — including Peter Flemming, co-chair of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Community Council and a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Park Corporation — say that the proposed Fieldhouse is a specialized velodrome masquerading as a community recreation center — and it doesn’t belong in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
A velodrome is a racing track, banked 45 degrees or more at the curves, for competitive bicycle racing. Competitors ride special fixed-gear bikes without brakes, and must travel at least 16 miles an hour to avoid tipping over. There is only one other indoor velodrome in the United States, the Home Depot Center Velodrome in Carson, California, though there are dozens of outdoor velodromes.