The Velodrome at Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills, Michigan, was honoured with the 2006 Daniel L. Flaherty Memorial Award, given by the Great Lakes Park Training Institutes at its annual conference, held recently in Angola, Indiana. The Velodrome was the project of note among entries from six states - Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Iowa and Wisconsin - and proved to be the perfect blend of Public, Private and Non Profit groups working together for the greater good of the community and its residents.
The privately-funded Velodrome, spearheaded and completed by velodrome designer and builder Dale Hughes, is a model for private-public cooperation. The 1/8th mile oval was built on an abandoned parking lot in Rochester Hills' Bloomer Park after a creative fundraising campaign. Volunteers provided the labour and continue to maintain and operate the track, which was given to the city upon completion, making Rochester Hills one of only 17 communities in the U.S. to list a Velodrome among its facilities.
