Motocross track plan stirs up debate

After two hours of public debate on Tuesday night, in a room packed with more than 100 people, the Douglas County Parks & Recreation Commission gave the green light to a proposed motocross park off Pinenut Road.

Park commissioners voted unanimously, with commissioner Jacquie Manoukian absent, to approve a parks use application for a temporary motocross track to be built on 15-20 acres of county-owned land across from the county fairgrounds, between the animal shelter and the transfer station.

The application, which was reviewed by county commissioners on Thursday, would allow 18 days of use on the track this summer, including several practice days, five local races, two vintage races and one pro race event. Any permanent track after this summer would have to come back before the public and board members.

"As far as recreation, this will bring positive visitors and tourists to the community and will help all of us," said Kelly Gardner, park commission chair. "We want to help them find the right place. Maybe this is not the right place. But maybe the events will be so successful that we'll come back later and find a better place. It's only 18 days. We can live with a little dirt."

But opponents of the track, mostly prospective neighbors, argued that dust, noise and increased traffic would outweigh any benefit of the project.

"When it's not a race day, the track will dry out," said Susan Cryderman, who lives on Log Cabin Road, north of the project. "When the wind comes through, there will be dust like you won't believe."

Cryderman also questioned why the county didn't perform an independent, scientific study of potential noise impacts.

"The county's not going to spend that kind of money," said Community Services Director Scott Morgan.

Morgan said he and other officials conducted an informal test on the site, starting up a dozen or so dirt bikes, then positioning themselves on adjacent parcels to hear the different noise levels. He said in a lot of cases, the dirtbikes couldn't be heard over the model airplanes of the airplane park next to the property.

"The bottom line is that it (a scientific test) wouldn't matter if you don't like the project anyway," he said.

Don Henderson, who lives on Tenabo Court, said that he and neighbors already have to put up with noise from the fairgrounds, the model airplane park, the shooting range and the transfer station. He said many residents bought their houses after those facilities were in place, but that the motocross park would constitute a new use.

"Sound carries from the parcel," he said. "Residents in the area have enough impacts on them without a new use. I would like to see the energy put forward here go towards finding another site."

The energy he referred to, the force driving the project, has two primary sources: Nevada Motocross Park, LLC, which will be producing the events; and the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Authority, which submitted the parks use application.

"Our job is simple " we're here to encourage visitation, but the right kind of visitation," said Bill Chernock, executive director of the chamber. "We want folks who aren't going to tear up the town, have money to spend, and will come in a controlled way."

Chernock estimated that when added up, the proposed motocross events would generate more than $1 million for the community.

"Right now, that means jobs," he said. "That means servers in restaurants, checkers at Raley's. That means opening the Holiday Inn and having it stay open."

Park commissioner Tom Moore, who supported the project, said his decision was based on recreational opportunity, not economic factors.

"I'm also on the school board, and this community has some real concerns about not providing adequate recreational activities for our students," he said. "It's only 18 days, then it's over. It will be a good test."

Another concern of residents was the site's proximity to the animal shelter. Cherie Owen of the Douglas Animal Welfare Group said the fence around the track's parking lot would be about 40-50 feet away from their building.

"My biggest problem with the location is the detriment to animals," she said. "The biggest stressor on any shelter animal is noise."

Consequently, park commissioners included in their approval a requirement that extra precautions be taken to mitigate any impact on the animals. Gardner suggested maybe earmarking some money for the shelter.

Morgan said the applicant would have to follow a "whole host of conditions," including noise mitigation, dust and traffic control. He said the same kind of motocross events are held at the fairgrounds, but that the new location may be a better fit.

"It's 1,700 feet further away from residences," he said.

Still, opponents insisted the track would affect property values.

"People come here for the serenity," said Johnson Lane resident Gary Brown. "They choose their homes in a certain place for the environment and the quietness. People don't invest in their homes with a motocross track in mind. Who desires to live in range of a motocross facility?"

Leslie Williamson, a resident of Cortez Lane, agreed.

"I know that we need income," she said. "I know that the financial impact on the county would be good, but this will also impact everyone around it in a way that we can't mitigate. It will affect our quality of life."

But Ruhenstroth resident Greg Lee argued the opposite.

"We paid more for our house so we could ride (dirt bike) and have access," he said. "This is a wonderful thing for our youth. A lot of people were opposed to the skate park, but when you go over there, it's full of kids."