By Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune.

Photo by Thomas Bender, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

***

Sarasota County officials have developed a formula they hope will grow a variety of sports in the region: Build it and they will come.

Following the success of Nathan Benderson Park, once a mining pit used for highway construction and now the site of the 2017 World Rowing Championships, Sarasota County plans to build an Olympic-level supercross BMX track for cyclists at the existing Sarasota BMX Track on Tuttle Avenue and 17th Street.

The 40-year-old park is the longest-standing BMX track in the United States and will soon be one of only two in the country that boasts an Olympic-level supercross track, said Carolyn Brown, Sarasota County’s director of parks and recreation.

“Over the years the park has served thousands of children and adults, but the improvements will allow Sarasota to host a higher level of competition,” Brown said. “More people can stay here and train. The economic impact will be great — these people will use our hotels and possibly even move here.”

The county has allocated $1.7 million, partially funded through tourism development tax dollars, to go toward building the professional-level track, which will run alongside the existing amateur track. The new track requires an 8-meterstarting ramp, compared with the existing 5-meter ramp, and larger obstacles.

Construction is set to begin in October, Brown said, and the new track is expected to be completed by summer 2015. Officials are considering doing the construction in phases, which would allow the track to remain open.

Read the full story here.