Steamboat Springs — Work to refurbish the BMX dirt track at Howelsen Hill with a $10,000 grant is being delayed by the oblivious.

Crews place cones and taped off the track and began removing rock, improving the jumps and laying a new clay surface Monday. However, three mornings in a row, after a section of the track has new clay freshly laid and watered so it dries to a compact, smooth surface, crews found that oblivious BMX bike riders pedaled through the wet surface. That forced the workers to refinish the clay surface and caused time delays, said local resident Cassandra Krause, who has helped spearhead the track refurbishing effort.

“They can’t go on the track while it’s wet; it leaves ruts in it,” she said.

Krause helped secure a Steamboat Springs Ski and Resort Corps. grant for $10,000 in November, proposing the need for track refurbishing to the Ski Corps. Contribution Committee.

“Our main goal is the relayering of clay,” she said.

Bike riders need to stay off the track until the work is completed on Aug. 29, to ensure the clay properly dries, Krause said.

Anyone is welcomed to come to the track during the daytime to give their opinion on how the jumps will look.

“We are open minded about what the the kids want. We are working to meet their needs,” Krause said. But BMX bike riders need to show patience with riding on the track so the work can get done correctly, she said.