A new BMX track is now officially open in Steinbach. A grand opening was held Tuesday afternoon at A.D. Penner Park.

Russ Dyck with Steinbach Parks and Recreation says the nine hundred foot long track is built of clay and has a series of jumps and berms. Though the track only officially opened this week, Dyck says kids had been using it for awhile already.

Mayor Chris Goertzen says the track cost $30,000 to build, with one-third of that coming through a Community Places grant. They had planned to complete the work last year already but the wet fall forced them to push the start date to this spring.

"It's exciting, it's the first one in Manitoba and it's a great place for people to come with their kids, to enjoy the space, or if they are adults who enjoy BMXing, they can come here too," says Goertzen.

He notes city council often talks about enhancing recreation and cultural facilities. He notes sometimes that means large projects, but in this case, it is a smaller project that will allow a lot of people to use it at a low cost and low maintenance for the city.

"You see kids here right now being active, having fun, and trying to be safe at the same time as well as really enjoying themselves with their friends," notes Goertzen. "It's great to see, we need more of these type of facilities in the city."