Abbott Motocross Track
Newest information on Motocross Track
Site Plan
The revised site plan for the Abbott Motocross Track has been released.
The design process is still underway. There will be more input from both consultants and neighbors resulting in additional changes to the site plan before it is finalized. Check back for updated plans throughout this process!!
Click Here for the current Site Plan.
County Pledges $50,000 for motocross project
By JEAN ORTIZ / Lincoln Journal Star
The Lancaster County Board has offered $50,000 to kick-start a motocross project commissioners believe could be a boon to economic development.
The board on Tuesday voted 4-0 to direct funds to cover engineering and design costs and to complete other initial work to dislodge the stalled plans for a motocross track at the Abbott Sports Complex in northeast Lincoln. Commissioner Larry Hudkins was absent.
The allocation came with a sense of urgency, as commissioners stressed their concern about the potential loss of revenue if the project remains on hold.
“If we don’t do this, it’s not going to get done,” Commissioner Bernie Heier said. “We’re not even up to bat yet.”
The money will come from the county’s keno revenues, though commissioners agreed to a backup plan if the keno pot runs dry. If not keno, the board will use money it had set aside to build a road for the project. The board would replenish the road funds when the new budget cycle turns over in August.
If the board uses keno funds, it will need to hold a public hearing to formally approve the plan, county Chief Administrative Officer Kerry Eagan said.
Before the motocross project can move ahead, federal officials — who are partially funding the construction of the track — need to sign off on the plans. They can’t do that until the initial work is completed.
Project supporters said they need about $912,000 to build the first phase of the plan, which includes the track, parking and roads. They are leaning on the support of the Recreational Trails Program, a national effort that aims to create both non-motorized and motorized recreational opportunities.
The Federal Highway Administration funds the program and works through the state Game and Parks Commission in Nebraska. The commission relies on an advisory committee to determine how to distribute the grant money.
The committee last year awarded $255,000 to the project and pledged $150,000 annually over the next three years.
While funding is coming in increments, they can’t take the same approach in building the track, said Del Lienemann Jr., president of the Lincoln Sports Foundation, which operates the Abbott Sports Complex.
“I don’t want to build a half-completed track,” he said. “That would be a disaster.”
The project already has overcome its greatest hurdles, namely finding a good location and winning the support of the board, said David Samani, a Lincoln doctor who has spent more than three years on the project.
The track could generate $30,000 to $50,000 for one race, while a national race could generate between $4 million and $5 million, he said.
Samani, who is confident the plans will come together, said he’d like to have the track open by the fall. Upgrading the facility to a level that could attract national events could take another year or two and upward of $3 million, he said. To cover costs, he plans to pursue corporate sponsorship and ask for support elsewhere, including from the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and others who have a stake in tourism.
The effort to make the track a reality has been an educational experience, with challenges he’s seen play out for Greg Sanford who has proposed a drag racing strip in northern Lancaster County.
“The key is finding the right place,” he said.