Racing groups wonder about Optimist Park status

Racing enthusiast Lehi Hartwell wants to know if his 4-year-old nephew will be able to race motocross this summer at Optimist Park.

As it stands right now, he has no idea.

"The little guy is so excited about it, has been since he first starting riding," says Hartwell. "But now I don't know what to tell him."

Hartwell, a member of the local motorist club Wild West Off Roaders, is one of many racers who are concerned about the future of events held at Optimist Park.

In October, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the City of Mountain Home, members of the Urban Renewal Agency, and Marathon Cheese, outlining the eventual modification/relocation of existing facilities at the park.

In that MOU it states that, "The City of Mountain Home agrees to relocate the existing bike track, motocross tracks, and all other existing structures no later than two years after the date on which the Certificate of Occupancy is issued."

That date is tentatively set for October of this year or as soon as the completed project has been inspected and is ready to begin operations.

Until then however, the MOU makes no direct reference as to exactly when the tracks are to be taken out and relocated.

"We are trying to put our schedule for the summer season together right now and people are asking me if we are going to have races or not," said Chris Bowman, President of Wild West Off Roaders.

"What am I supposed to tell them? Why should they plan on coming to Mountain Home and spending their dollars here when they hear that the city council doesn't even want them here."

Tag Hawks, owner of White Knuckle Racing, already oversaw the closure of the mud bog, dirt track and related seating in October as that was another stipulation of the MOU.

"We had to get all of that out of there by Oct. 31," he said, "but they never said if they were planning on putting it in somewhere else."

The site of the old mud bog and dirt tracks is scheduled to be "cleaned, landscaped, and maintained by the city to enhance the overall appearance of the Optimist Park access prior to the date of occupancy," the MOU states.

Funding for the removal was provided by a $50,000 GEM grant from the State of Idaho but Hawks never saw any of that money.

"I was required to do it but never got reimbursed for any of it," he said. "And it's a damn shame, too. So many people worked hard to make that place not only one of the best in the area, but one of the best in the entire state."

"Now all that is wiped out."

Bowman mentioned the amount of money it will cost to relocate.

"The cost to replace those tracks, as promised in the MOU, is enormous," he said. A recent estimate put the cost to replace everything but the softball/baseball fields at almost $750,000.

"And where is that money going to come from? The taxpayers. They are going to ask us to pay for them ripping out our own tracks. It's unbelievable," he said.

The competitions at Optimist Park attract thousands of motorists and fans every year, many who come to compete at the only permanent mud bog in the state.

"Not anymore," said Hawks. "Those people came into town, spent money and left. Now they won't, it's as simple as that."

Bowman talked about the impact the park has had on the community.

"The mud bog races are how we (Wild West Off Roaders) got started. We don't make any money off of these competitions, all proceeds go right back to the track and the club, to the people who are actually involved," he said.

"Maybe that's why the city doesn't support us, because they don't make any money from it. If it was a different form of recreation, like golf or frisbee, maybe they would approach us in a different way."

Hartwell cited the City of Weiser as an example of a city working with the racing groups.

"I went to a race up there and it was very poorly ran, they lost a ton of money and yet every city official I met was excited about next year's race," he said.

"We run our outfit a lot more tightly, with a lot better security but we never see the same kind of support from our officials."

However, Hartwell and Bowman are not prepared to accept the closure of Optimist Park sitting down.

This past week, they met with Mayor Joe B. McNeal to discuss the issue. Hartwell said the mayor told him that the people at Marathon Cheese had shown interest in modifying the MOU to appease the racers.

When asked about the MOU agreement, McNeal simply said, "That is what we have as of right now and it is what we are going by.

"If there are any changes made," he added, "the public will be the first to know as all documents are public record."

In the MOU itself, it states that all three parties (City of Mountain Home, Urban Renewal Agency and Marathon Cheese) must agree on any modifications to the original document.

The MOU also states that, "If necessary, the city agrees to develop and implement a plan to deal with any public opposition to the project's development at the site."

Hartwell says they need to do just that.

"We are going to wait a little while and see if anything happens on their end before we do anything brash," he said.

"But if we don't see some action soon, we are not afraid to raise hell. We have hundreds of people, not just from Elmore County, but all over the state who are just waiting to come down here and start a grass roots campaign."

Bowman said, "We can't wait two years to see if they stick to their word. By then, the racing scene will all but be dead in this area."

"The mayor has told us not to contact Marathon Cheese directly but pretty soon we'll have no choice."

In a recent meeting, the city council stated that a public hearing will be held in the near future to discuss a new ordinance pertaining to Optimist Park. Hartwell said they are very interested to see what the ordinance will say.

"Now we are fully aware of what the MOU states and what they intend to do," he said.

"They didn't ask for our input before but they are sure going to hear it now."

He continued, "Not only for my sake and the sake of this club but also for my nephew, who doesn't have a voice of his own."

Currently, there are no events scheduled for the 2006 season at Optimist Park. The first event is usually held in early June.