COLORADO SPRINGS — The Colorado State Parks Board awarded $20,000 to El Paso County on Friday to create a plan for a proposed dirt bike motorcycle park.
El Paso County had asked the parks board for $320,000 to help pay for 522 acres east of Colorado Springs that the county has a $750,000 contract to purchase in August.
The county is expected to return to the state parks board in June.
The proposed park has sparked controversy from nearby neighbors and traditional open-space advocates, who say the motorcycles will be too noisy, will ruin historic artifacts and fossils and chase wildlife out of the area. A development that is expected to be home to 175,000 people over the next four decades is near the park.
Proponents of the park say it is the perfect place for trail riding. It is near a motorcycle track run by a private company as well as the city’s largest landfill, shooting ranges and auto salvage yards.
Money for the grant from state parks comes from $25 fees paid by owners of unlicensed vehicles. The fee generates about $3.2 million annually.
