Another New Track Coming

Motocross track owner ready to get to starting line

• BILL TOSCANO btoscano@poststar.com

FORT ANN — In a perfect world, Jeremy Treadway would already have a motocross track built and motorcycles would be making practice runs on it.

 

Instead, Treadway is aiming to begin construction sometime this week and has set a goal to be open by Oct. 1. In putting it together, he faces a dozen modifications put into the proposal by the Fort Ann Planning Board during the five-month application process.

"It's great to be able to get to building it, because we want to find out if there are any quirks that we have to fix for next year," said Treadway, who previously raced cars professionally and ran a motor sports shop in Ticonderoga until purchasing Country Meadows Golf Course earlier this year. He is living in a house on the property, which is located at 10786 state Route 149.

Treadway has been running the course and restaurant while he has gone through the sometimes frustrating and longer than expected process of getting approval from the Planning Board.

Neighbors organized opposition to the track, saying the noise and traffic would reduce the value of their homes and disturb them. But at the same time, motocross enthusiasts also sat in the Fort Ann Junior-Senior High School auditorium during public hearings, supporting the track.

Tuesday, the board finally gave its approval in a 5-1 vote, with Richard Winchell casting the lone "no" vote.

That means Treadway can bring in noted track builder Mark Barnett this week to start designing and building the 4,300-foot track. The golf course will close Monday, but Treadway said the footgolf course on the front of the property will continue to be open.

"People seem to like it," Treadway said. "And I know some of the soccer teams are using it.

Tightening rules

The board included a list of 12 conditions when it granted the approval, and some may make Treadway's first season a little more difficult than it might have been.

 

Many of the conditions had been previously discussed, either by Treadway or by concerned neighbors.

While the American Motorcyclists Association allows motorcycles to produce 112 decibels, the board is limiting Treadway to 105. It also put in a limit of 20 motorcycles on the track at a time. Treadway said some fields top 30 or more.

"I think it makes it a little unfair for us," he said. "It may stunt our growth."

The board mandated the track’s season be from the last week in April to the second week of October. The track will be allowed to be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

"We're good with a lot of the conditions. We actually brought a lot of them up," Treadway said. "We are looking forward to getting started."

His plan has been to work on the track and do practice sessions this fall, then begin having racing in the spring.