Sunset Hills is officially saying goodbye to its local BMX track in Minnie Ha Ha Park. 

A video was posted by Sunset Hills BMX in July to announce the closure, and as of the Sunset Hills Board of Aldermen’s Aug. 12 meeting, the lease has been terminated. During the meeting, city administrator Brittany Gillett explained to the aldermen that Sunset Hills BMX had requested the termination of the lease.

“I’m not sure they were getting the participation that they intended to, and I think the upkeep and maintenance is becoming a little more difficult than they anticipated,” Gillett said. 

Gillett also mentioned that flooding may have played a key role in the high maintenance costs and lower participation — a factor that Sunset Hills BMX operator Johnny Murdock mentioned in his closure announcement on Facebook.

“Since we got flooded last year in November, we’ve been flooded two more times,” Murdock said in the video. “It’s left so much river silt on the track that it’s a sand track. It’s almost impossible to compact to make it rideable.”

According to Murdock, the business will keep its equipment; he hopes to find a new place for a BMX track for 2026. In July, he said he had a location in mind, but he did not share where that might be. Murdock thanked Mayor Pat Fribis, Alderman Casey Wong, Parks Director Gerald Brown and all the volunteers who helped Sunset Hills BMX throughout the years.

“It’s not an easy decision,” Murdock said. “There was a lot of hard work put in here.”

The BMX facility will donate the concrete blocks and fill dirt located on the site to the city of Sunset Hills. Staff has recommended that it be used for future projects in the park facility. 

Flooding has been an issue since the opening of Sunset Hills BMX in 2021. Its anticipated opening date was Aug. 29, 2021, though due to unexpected flooding — in this case, a water main break as opposed to the recent weather that can in part be blamed for the lease termination — it was pushed back.