Bringing visitors now more important

After reviewing the comments submitted on the Nevada Motocross Park and reviewing the letters and stories that appeared in The Record-Courier, it's difficult to detect a clear majority either for or against the track.

Ruhenstroth is closest to the track, but some of those who've been most vehement in their opposition don't live anywhere near it, just as some of those who've been constant supporters live there.

Make a list of the names and positions received by both the county and the newspaper since the track was first proposed in April 2009 and you'll find the debate as split down the middle as any we've seen.

If that were all county officials based their decision about the park on, it would be difficult, but there are other factors.

No community in Douglas County is immune from the inconveniences that come with a tourist-based economy. Bringing people to the Valley translates into cash for businesses and the public coffers.

It's nothing new. H.F. Dangberg invented Carson Valley Days in 1910 to attract visitors to the new town of Minden. While Candy Dance's mission was always to raise money for Genoa, that's not a possibility anymore without attracting thousands of people.

Concerts in the park, poker runs, bicycle races, horse shows have all been part of the effort to attract visitors and their money here.

The chief issue with the motocross park is noise, and that's always going to be in the ear of the beholder. We agree with the county, the Carson Valley Visitors Authority and residents that the sooner the park moves the better.