Residents to vote on motocross park

Jeffrey Libby

Wednesday, July 10, 2002 | 9:48 a.m.

A proposed 50-acre motocross park wending its way through the El Dorado Valley will minimize dust pollution, not increase it, proponents say.

On Nov. 5 Boulder City voters will decide for themselves. The city charter requires any residential or commercial development in the El Dorado Valley to be approved by residents. The flat, dry lake bed is about 12 miles southwest of downtown.

The Boulder City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to put the nonbinding question on the ballot.

It was a shift from a previous 3-2 vote to decide whether to discuss the project. Mayor Bob Ferraro and Councilwoman Andrea Anderson, who had opposed discussing the park, on Tuesday supported putting it on the ballot.

The motocross park, to be built and operated by Club MX, would be fenced and feature winding, hilly tracks similar to a facility Club MX runs at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The club has 1,200 members and would charge $15 for daily entry to the park. Boulder City residents would pay $7.50.

The track would be watered heavily to keep visibility clear for riders, proponents said. It would also attract riders to the facility, leaving fewer riders disturbing open desert crust that then "becomes a source of air pollution when the wind blows," Councilman Bryan Nix said.