Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126242
Curt says he doesn't think anyone
co uld understand it without actually
working on it. He refers to the BLM as
the biggest non- agency in the world ,
operating under ' 170 different laws .
I got the impression that in many
cases when government officials tell
you they can't develop a facility, it
means that there's just no one there
who wants to find a way .
r#
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(But at least in Utah, somebody
apparently wants to try . . . Ed .} ' .
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What's a noise
park and who~s
Mr. Russet?
By Dorde Woodruff .
I
da ho is one of the fortunate
states, from a motorcyclist's
viewpoint: The 1973 state
legislature made available a
portion of Ida ho gas tax money for offhighway vehicle facilities . The OffRoad Motor Vehicle Fund 'th us
obtained totals up to $300,000 per
year. C lubs work with public agencies
on projects, since it is not legal to give
this money directly to
private
organizations.
The Russets Noise Park in Idaho
Falls is one of the projects partially
bankrolled by ORMV money. Current
funding for the pa rk is 525 .000 from
the ORMV , $27,000 from the ci ty ,
and matching funds from the U.S.
Bureau of Outdoor Recreation of
552 .000. Thus the ORMV fund made
possible a more costly project than
could be achieved by any other means .
Long before this kind of money was
available. the Noise Park idea started,
several years ago , with the local drag
_racers. They bought 440 acres of sage
and lava, never much use even for
grazing, from the BLM for $2.50 an
acre. Money for a drag strip was hard
to find and the land would revert to
the . BLM if not developed within a
reasonable time. The project was
taken over by the Russets Lions Club
(hence the name) , the city. and also
Bonneville County.
The early development of the park
was a masterful example of civicmindedness ,
cooperation ,
and
scrou nging. Two Lions led the p roject.
Cliff Pa tt erso n . a dentist. is a member
of state advisory boards and a motorcycle freak. Cliff knows how to get
th ings done in Boise, the sta te capitol.
Gene Evans, a trucker who directs the
hauling of radioactive materials from
nea rby Arco, gave freely of his time as
co -chairman, and he's not even a '
bi ker. The Russets put in m uchissimo
hours of pla n ning . fu nd raising and
wo rk at the park.
(Continued on page 28)