Thurston/Grays Harbor ORV to open soon!

[schwen_108]

Originally Posted by Tod

County gets serious about ORV Park
By Steven Friederich - Daily World Writer
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 10:53 AM PDT



MONTESANO - The county took "an exploratory first step" toward taking over operations of the Thurston-Grays Harbor ORV Sports Park, commissioners said Monday.

The park, east of McCleary, had been used to give dirt bike riders and four-wheel enthusiasts a place to play. It's been closed since November of 2001 after a lawsuit was filed over a death at the park.

Commissioners agreed to send a letter of interest to the state Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation and Thurston County commissioners Monday saying they are "interested in exploring the feasibility of Grays Harbor County acquiring and operating the Thurston County ORV Sports Park."

Commissioners have until October to reopen the park. In October, the state permit for the park expires, forcing the county to seek a new one and hold public hearings if they want to reopen it. Commissioners have said it is unlikely they would be able to get a new permit.

The letter doesn't mean the park would open immediately, if at all. "But it puts us out there saying, 'Don't shut it down for good until we have a chance to look at it,' " Commissioner Al Carter said. "We're serious about this. We want to run it if it's feasible."

The park is owned by Grays Harbor and Thurston counties, but Grays Harbor signed off on a plan giving Thurston County control of the park shortly after it was bought from a private party in the late 1970s. To reopen the park now, Grays Harbor County would have to take over operations.

Thurston County paid for operations with a combination of user fees and state grants. County Commissioners would like to do the same.

The park, which had 35,000 visitors the last year it was open, costs $250,000 a year to operate.



"We're at the first stages of doing the information gathering," Carter said. "I want to see the finances of it, I want to know how much it costs, I want to see how much the state is going to put in."

Last week, commissioners toured the ORV Park and, on Monday, they planned on touring the site again with a number of special interest groups, a staff member from the Thurston County Commission and Thurston County's deputy parks director.

Commission Chairman Bob Beerbower said the park has all of the foundations still in place to start it back up.

"There's some vandalism on the buildings and we still need to open the buildings up and take a look inside, but the park is in pretty good shape," he said.

Carter described the park as "a great big ol' empty place."

"It's got the track and everything you can see where it was a very viable project," Carter said. "The footprint for a great project is there if the funding is available. I don't want to start something that will last a year and not be funded. And it will not come out of the General Fund."

The state "collects an $18 fee for these motorcycles and four wheelers and stuff for a state license," Carter said. "I want to know where that money goes and if any of that money is available for us."

Beerbower said the letter is the direct result of "so many people asking us about (the ORV Park) so we just wanted to let people know we're looking at it."

Something I found on Dirtrider.net I just thought I would share it with all the Washington people, to let them know that the ORV will have a chance some time between now (2005) and 2008

[wamxp1mp]

actually us washintonian's will get screwed out it if the park does not open by at least nov 1st this year and it's open for 30 days otherwise the land use premit will be up and chances of getting it reopened after that are zero!