The winner of a Bloody Oath BMX bike frame valued at more than $400 will be announced at the Albany Bike Park Task Force meeting Thursday.

The task force, which has been working for 18 months to get a park built in Albany, meets at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. Tickets for the drawing are on sale at the parks and recreation office at City Hall until 5 p.m. Thursday. They are two for $1.

The frame, donated by Peak Sports in Corvallis, is on display at City Hall.

Money raised will be used in marketing and fundraising campaigns for the new BMX bike park to be built on the vacant lot next to the Albany Skatepark near Eleanor Hackleman Park.

The frame comes with no handlebars or tires "because the kids change their bike parts like they change their socks," said Tari Hayes, administrative assistant for the parks and recreation department. She is coordinating everything necessary to bring a BMX bike park to Albany.

A tentative design for the park is undergoing refinement by three designers at no cost to the city. The designers selected are in Cincinnati, Joplin, Mo., and the City of Industry, Calif.

"They are helping decide the park's flow," she said. "They also are advising us on how to raise money and what materials would work best in the Pacific Northwest."

Concrete appears to be the most durable in rainy weather, Hayes said.

At a date still to be decided, the council will be asked to allow BMX bikers back into the skatepark until a new facility can be built, she said.

Bikers were banned at the outset because of concern about damage to the park by bike pegs and handlebars, and there was reason to believe that bikers and skaters would not get along.

"The relationship between the two groups has changed considerably," she said. "It's like night and day. The bikers need some place to ride legally, and bikers won't feel an ownership in the park unless they can ride there."

Members of the task force and the parks and recreation advisory committee are recommending that the ban be lifted.

Meanwhile, fundraising for the new park expected to cost about $300,00o has not started. Raising money is going slowly because of the economy, she said. The city will rely on grants, sponsorships and donations.

Contributions can be sent to Hayes in care of Albany City Hall, Parks and Recreation Department, P.O. Box 490, Albany, OR 97321.