Brownsville, Pennsylvania, a borough some 35 miles South of Pittsburgh, has sent a letter to USA cycling urging the national governing body to relocate its headquarters, according The Gazette. The request for USAC to move from its Colorado Springs base is centered around ambitious plans to build a climate controlled wooden velodrome as a part of a 125 million dollar re-development plan for the town.
While USAC spokesperson Andy Lee dubbed the chances of a move as "very, very slim", a Los Angeles-based real estate firm is pushing ahead with a feasibility study, at an expense of $277,400 USD, to determine whether the town could accommodate both the velodrome and USAC.
USA Cycling currently occupies about 25,000 square feet in an aging building at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs that may be demolished in 2008, according to Darryl Seibel, chief communications officer for the US Olympic Committee. Other locations within Colorado have been investigated as a possible new home for the governing body.
Ray Koffler, director of the Greater Brownsville Area Chamber of Commerce, described Brownsville as a war zone, saying: "the town looks like downtown Baghdad. It looks like they just dropped a bomb. Roofs have fallen in. Walls have deteriorated. Buildings are in bad, bad shape."
Koffler, however, sees this as an advantage for the town. "We have a lot to offer them. We have a whole town to offer them!"
But despite Brownsville's attempts, it's unlikely USAC will be leaving Colorado Springs anytime soon. "There are a couple communities out there that have discussed the possibilities of us moving our offices," Lee said. "Those tend to happen pretty frequently, and nothing has materialized. We're not actively looking to relocate our offices outside of Colorado Springs."
While the nation's governing body may not be moving to the area, with 15 million USD in state funding, its possible the proposed velodrome, which would be only the second indoor venue to meet UCI standards in North America, will get the green light. The only other indoor velodrome in North America that meets international standards is the ADT Event Center in Carson, California.
