Funding Proposed For Nebraska Projects  

Opinion By Dan Nitzel

If you have been a reader of this publication for the last several years, you know how we have harped about how Nebraska has not used Recreational Trail Program ( RTP ) funds for ATV and dirtbike projects.  Now we have a situation where the RTP committee is faced with a situation where there are so many projects that all of them can’t be funded.  People are now about to begin standing in line to apply for the funds for new projects!

Just to refresh your mind, the Recreational Trails Plan fund represents a refund of the Federal gasoline tax that Nebraska’s off road users pay.   Federal gasoline taxes collected from ATV, dirtbike, snowmobile and other off highway vehicles are refunded back to Nebraska from the Federal Highway Administration via the Recreational Trails Program (RTP).  As recommended by the Federal Government, these RTP funds are allowed to be used on public recreational ATV, dirt bike, snowmobile and off-road vehicle trails.   This year, Nebraska has about $800,000 to spend, of which 30% or $240,000 can be used for motorized projects. 

Three off-road projects are potentially in the works for Nebraska, that we know of.  These projects are the Lincoln Motocross project at Abbott Sports Complex in Lincoln, the proposed Little Blue OHV Park near Hebron and Deshler, and the Harlan OHV Park project near Harlan County Reservoir near Republican City, Nebraska. 

The proposed Lincoln Motocross Park is expected to cost $2,000,000 to $3,000,000.   The park will mainly serve the interest of competitive motocross Dirtbike and ATV riders.   It is touted as a world class facility, when completed.  Current projects estimate that riders will have to pay $25 per day to ride at the complex.   It will be a motocross facility and they are requesting $750,000 in RTP funding.   Last year $255,100 of Nebraska ’s trail funds were granted for the project and they are asking for another $500,000 to get the project started.  The track will be managed by the Abbott Sports Complex.   While there is $24,000,000 available for projects at the Abbott Sports Complex, they are lobbying hard to use as much RTP funding as they can get their hands on.  Sponsors of the project include the Lower Platte South Natural Resource District and Lancaster County.    

The proposed Little Blue OHV Park project near Deshler and Hebron Nebraska is planned to be from 250 acres to 500 acres.   It is estimated that the project will initially cost about $250,000 to $300,000, but the exact amount of the grant requested is not known as of this writing.  The Little Blue OHV Park will be one of the most innovative grass roots involvement projects in the Midwest as it will be used to help keep young people and families in the area and will be used to attract visitors locally and across the nation.  It will feature trails and hills for ATVs, dirtbikes, snowmobiles and BMX bikes.  Also included is a motocross track, a drag strip, a kids track, picnic and possibly RV camping.  A small maintenance fee maybe charged to use the area and it will be open to the public.  The Little Blue OHV Club, a chapter of NOHVA will help manage the area.  Sponsors of the project include the Cities of Deshler and Hebron, NOHVA and other local developments corporations. 

With all of these projects, the RTP Committee will be faced with making some difficult decisions.  The Lincoln Motocross track and the Abbott Sports Complex is lobbying hard to funnel much of Nebraska ’s motorized trails into this single project for the next two years.  The problem is that if $500,000  were funneled into this project, the Little Blue OHV Park, the Harlan OHV Park and possibly other projects will not be possible.  

Additionally, there is concern about opposition to the facility in Lincoln .   The City of Lincoln is rapidly expanding toward the sports complex.  Lincoln and Lancaster County has a long reputation of closing down motorized recreation tracks as nearly every track developed in the county in the past has been closed by the county.  Also, the facility will only serve competitive dirtbike riders, and maybe some competitive quad riders.  There are a number of competitive racing tracks near Lincoln.  It is the contention of the Lincoln Sports Foundation that these facilities are un-acceptable. 

With this article, and speaking only for myself and not for NOHVA (at least not yet), I am asking the Nebraska Recreational Trails program committee to consider the number of people each one of these projects will benefit.  Maybe the committee will be able to come up with a plan that benefits all three projects.  However, if this is not possible, I ask that they consider these points.  While I support the concept of  a world class pro motocross facility in Lincoln, the facility will benefit only competitive dirtbike racing and will have little benefit to the average recreational ATV and dirtbike user.  The Little Blue and Harlan projects will be directly geared towards all ATV and dirtbike users, young, old, recreational and competitive, and will include snowmobiles and bicycles.  The cost to the daily user of the Lincoln facility will be the same as a NOHVA annual membership.   The cost to the daily user at the Little Blue and Harlan facilities will be low or none at all, and a membership will not be required.    

The intent of the RTP fund is to fund recreational trails that benefit a wide range of users.  Nebraska needs areas that cater to competitive AND recreational ATV and dirtbike enthusiasts.  For over ten years, NOHVA and NOHVA members have been encouraging the state to help us fund ATV and dirtbike trails using RTP funds.  NOHVA has been bending the ear of politicians about this in Nebraska from the state house and the governors office in Lincoln , to offices in Washington D.C.  

The interest in Nebraska’s communities to sponsor ATV and dirtbike projects using RTP funds are finally beginning to take root.   The funding of a world class motocross track instead of trails may cause communities to become disillusioned with the RTP process. 

It would be a grand accomplishment for the committee to be able fund all of these projects, but if all three projects are presented to the RTP committee at once, one or two projects could be cancelled or will have to be placed on hold for a couple of years, which would detrimentally effect Nebraska's chance to create several motorized areas for recreationalists across the state to take advantage of in the near future.

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This page was updated on Thursday, February 22, 2007