Commission rejects Riverside Park BMX agreement amid infrastructure, timing concerns

Aztec commissioners on May 20 declined to approve an operating agreement with NASDAQ Riverside BMX Inc. for Riverside Park, citing legal and infrastructure risks and uncertainty about when construction could begin.

Commissioners and staff said the draft agreement would become effective when signed, which several members said could allow the operator to proceed before the city completed engineering work to locate and, if necessary, relocate underground sewer and water mains. Staff noted the contract spells out operator responsibilities but does not make execution contingent on completing an engineering report.

Commissioners asked public-works staff to use available tools to verify the location of buried mains before the commission signs a binding agreement and urged a prompt engineering feasibility and cost study to clarify whether relocation is feasible and how long it would take. Staff and commissioners discussed line-locating calls and GIS limitations; several speakers said GIS records are incomplete and older mains may not be mapped accurately.

The motion to approve the agreement was seconded and placed for roll-call vote; the motion failed after several commissioners voted no. The commission gave direction to the city manager and staff to accelerate locating infrastructure and to return the agreement for reconsideration after the engineering work and line-location are complete.

Outcome: The proposed agreement with NASDAQ Riverside BMX Inc. was not approved; the commission asked staff to complete infrastructure locating and an engineering feasibility/cost study and to return with recommendations.