How asbestos got onto a Helensburgh mountain bike course is a "mystery", according to the club president.
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The site has been closed since May 3, when asbestos was found on a portion of the land owned by National Parks and Wildlife.
Wollongong City Council, which owns the bulk of the site, was then informed and the entire park was closed.
Wayne Teal is the president of the Helensburgh Off Road Cycle Club, which leases the bike park land from the council.
He said several pieces of asbestos were found on the ground at the cycle club but have since been removed - adding that it didn't come from any soil brought in to build the track.
That soil was subject to testing from a geotechnical engineer and was not used until a clearance certificate was issued.
"It's a mystery to us how it got there," Mr Teal said.
"We'd like to know how it got there. We had a meeting with [council] the other day and the minutes came out mentioning illegal dumping. We said we didn't illegally dump anything - we did all the right things. We've even held up the trucks with soil.
"November last year the trucks [delivering soil] were actually held up and weren't allowed on site until that certificate came through."
Mr Teal said the track was due to open in a few weeks, with the council now concerned about "particles of bricks and tiles which they claim is classified as contaminated".
The council's Open Space and Environmental Services manager Paul Tracey said they had reports of asbestos "right across the site" - a claim the cycle group disputes.
"Council has comprehensive laboratory results and reporting from an independent expert that has confirmed the presence of asbestos fragments right across the 2.3 hectare site," Mr Tracey said.
"This is something we take very seriously as it's a question of community safety. No bike ride is worth that risk.
"Now we have the detailed reports, we are focused on finding the right solution to make the site safe before it can be re-opened to the public to enjoy.'"
Mr Teal said there was an issue with the fencing around the site being damaged and claimed the council wanted members to police the site.
"We can't do that - we have 8000 people in the Helensburgh area and 200 members," he said.
"They want us to get a message to our guys to stop damaging the fence - and it's not our guys. It's kids coming on trains from other areas. We had a meeting the other day and there were about 15 kids on the bike track doing the jumps and I said 'we can't stop that'."
Having the bike park closed for three months has been "terrible", Mr Teal said - and not just for members.
"Our members keep asking why it's still closed and when's it going to open," he said.
"But it's not just the races, we have people having birthday parties there. We have a mums and bubs section. People will just come for a Sunday afternoon barbecue.
"We had guys coming up from Shellharbour and didn't know the park was closed. They'd driven almost an hour to be turned away."
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Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
