County eyeing permanent motocross track near Topaz campground

Douglas County officials are testing the sonic waters of a site north of Topaz Lake Campground in order to determine its suitability as a permanent motocross track.

On Tuesday, members of the Douglas County Parks and Recreation Commission met in the Topaz Lodge to discuss the proposal and witness an informal sound test on-site.

Community Services Director Scott Morgan said Tuesday morning that the roughly 60-acre parcel lies directly behind the campground in a canyon near the outlet to Walker River. If the track were feasible, he said the county would expand their lease with the Walker River Irrigation District, which owns the land. In turn, the county would lease the motocross land to a private operator.

"It's pretty preliminary at this point," Morgan said. "It's really just a follow-up to the commitment the county made to look for additional sites."

Morgan said the area is sheltered enough to mitigate both visual and noise disturbance. The closest house, he said, is approximately 9,000 feet away, but is separated from the site by a hill. He said there are houses southwest of the canyon directly across the lake near the California border, approximately 12,000 feet away.

"Prevailing winds are west to east," he said. "It's the best location to limit and mitigate noise."

However, Morgan said prior to Tuesday's meeting, his office had received 16 letters from homeowners opposed to the proposal.

"That's out of 250 notices," he said. "The site has a lot of things going for it, but is it something the community can get behind? We respect their opinions very much."

Morgan said there are other reasons for the location besides geography.

"The reason we chose this is that we talked to business owners down there, and they're hurting. They really need something," he said. "Also our campground is struggling. We hope this would bring some additional events in to help the success of the campground."

First approved in 2009, a temporary motocross track off Pinenut Road became controversial when neighbors raised objections over noise and dust.

The Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce had spearheaded the application, citing economic benefits to the community.

In February, Douglas County commissioners approved an additional year at the location (the applicant had requested two years) with the expectation a permanent track would be found.

On Monday, Nevada Motocross Park operator Steve Brown, who operated the Pinenut track, said he didn't know many details about the Topaz site other than an informal sound test would be performed using dirtbikes to simulate a start.

He said his organization is interested in finding a permanent track.

Morgan, however, said if the site were selected, the county would issue a request for proposal to find the best operator.

"The county wouldn't spend money on this," he said. "We would lease the facility to a private individual who would pay the county money to rent the property and operate the track."

Morgan said the site would be furnished by a county well that is under-used. He said putting the water rights to beneficial use would keep the state from targeting the water.

"It has the water, power and all the infrastructure needed for a successful facility," Morgan said. "We did bring in a guy who built Hangtown in Sacramento just to take a look. He was pretty excited and said it would be a very successful location, similar to Mammoth, Hangtown, and Honey Lake."

Scott Neuffer can be reached at sneuffer@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 217.