County may allow biker rally after all

County may allow biker rally after all

Alcohol ban at fairgrounds would have to be waived

Jan. 23, 2001

By Jim Mimiaga
Journal Staff Writer

After a meeting with organizers, Montezuma County officials are reconsidering whether to allow the Four Corners Iron Horse Motorcycle Rally to move to the county fairgrounds.

Waiving the no-alcohol policy at the fairgrounds is critical if the rally is to be moved there, organizers told local officials Saturday.

"They said the alcohol ban there is the deal-breaker for coming here," said Cortez City Manager Hal Shepherd. "They’re looking for a new permanent home for the event beginning in 2002 or 2003."

Shepherd along with the county commissioners, Sheriff Joey Chavez, Mesa Verde Superintendent Larry Wiese, Cortez Police Chief Roy Lane and Cortez Mayor Joe Keck met with Iron Horse President Warren Bernard to discuss bringing the rally to Montezuma County.

Citing space problems at their current location at the Sky Ute Downs in Ignacio, rally organizers have eyed the spacious Montezuma County fairgrounds. Services and structures at the fairgrounds could better handle camping and entertainment needs for rally-goers. And it has the capacity to handle the event’s approximately 140 vendors.

Other locations being considered for the controversial but popular event include Durango Mountain Resort, Pagosa Springs and Farmington, N.M.

Whether the county commissioners will make an exception for the Labor Day weekend event, which last year brought 30,000 motorcyclists to Ignacio and surrounding communities, has yet to be decided.

The commission was initially hesitant about the proposal because of the alcohol ban and the fact that the facility is already booked that weekend for the next two years by the Ute Mountain Ute High School Rodeo Team.

But they appeared to be swayed somewhat by Saturday’s meeting, calling the group’s leaders very organized and informative.

"I’ve got friends for it and friends who are against it . . . and I am for my friends," said Commissioner Ken Lindsay, refusing to commit either way. He added that the alcohol policy "needs to be looked at very closely with a lot of public input that involves all parties."

The commissioners suggested holding a public hearing on whether to overturn, or revise, the no-alcohol policy at the fairgrounds.

Allowing the Iron Horse Rally to buy out or somehow sub-lease the Ute Mountain Ute rodeo slot could be possible, they said.

If those issues were overcome, a high-impact permit from the county would "probably" be required for the event, Lindsay said. That process is necessary under the county land-use code when development exceeds threshold standards, such as for noise and traffic. Public hearings are held and mitigation measures discussed to minimize impacts under that process.

But deciding if land-use regulations should be translated to include major events at a county-owned facility has no clear precedent here.

County Administrator Tom Weaver said that a private citizen hosting a concert on private land would definitely be required to obtain a permit, but that events at the fairgrounds may not need to because the facility is specifically designed to handle larger events.

"It’s already set up for crowds and has acceleration and deceleration lanes for heavy traffic," he said. "But I think deciding to have the rally or not is more of a political issue for the commissioners rather than a planning-department one."

Bernard told local officials that he will know by February whether he can get out of his contract with the Sky Ute Downs in time to move the event by 2002. He hopes to have a decision from the commission on the fairgrounds by May, Lindsay said.

Chavez said he and his officers would be ready to handle the event if the commissioners allowed it to take place at the fairgrounds.

"If you decide to allow it, we will deal with it; if not, then we will deal with that. We’ll smile either way," Chavez said, adding that "the sheriff in La Plata County would like to see it moved over here."