ponto
May 7th, 2007, 09:32 PM
When a local man started developing dormant farmland on the outskirts of the downtown area, seven years ago, Mayor David Cartmell hardly paid attention.
Today he says the 2,000-acre park has become key in the town’s growing recreation and tourism base, attracting 8,000 to 10,000 annually to ride, shop and dine.
‘‘Before it was built, I would’ve pooh-poohed something like this ... but this park just fills everything up here,” Cartmell said. ‘‘We see Michigan, Indiana [and] Ohio tags, and they drive in with their ATVs and spend the whole weekend.”
Big Rock Off-Road Park was born as a new use for old land — the former, a onetime strip mine site, and the latter, a cattle farm.
A drought in 1999 put an end to generations of farming on Duke Ford’s 2,000-acre property.
He had to sell his cattle, he says, and while he was waiting for grass to grow, the idea popped into his head.
‘‘People thought I was crazy,’’ Ford added, admitting he wasn’t sure what to expect either.
He bartered to build his trail system, swapping logging rights for bulldozer work.
Then Ford posted a sign on the highway and set up shop near his property’s driveway. He used his pickup truck for an office.
‘‘Two people came the first day — that’s it,’’ he said.
But word spread through area ATV dealers, and then the numbers grew, he says.
Big Rock now boasts a welcome center, restrooms, a campsite and new additions to the park, like a four-wheel drive trail, the park’s Web site (http://www.bigrockoffroadpark.com/articles/home.asp) shows.
Cartmell says he wishes the community would have seen it coming.
But either way, it’s become a major attraction in a region that also boasts an indoor BMX track nearby and an underground railroad museum and the Herb Farm @ Strodes Run.
‘‘They don’t come here for the museums,’’ he added. ‘‘But they come and spend money. They camp or stay in hotels, they fill up on gas and they eat in our restaurants.”
Two hotels were recently built in town, he says, and another has broken ground.
Maysville’s population of nearly 9,000, but Cartmell says the area is mostly rural. He is quick to credit recreation for his community’s ‘‘mini-boom.”
‘‘This used to be a tobacco-dependent area, but recreation and tourism is going to be our future,’’ he said.
Tourists only come in town to eat, explore or sleep, he says.
Lessons were learned from the biggest gaffe — an ambulance parked on the site was robbed of a $3,300 drug kit, the mayor said.
‘‘Making sure there’s good medical access is important,’’ he said. ‘‘But don’t send your ambulance out there and leave it unlocked.”
Ford says he made sure safety was an enforced priority early on, and says for any park to succeed, they must do the same.
The local fire department is five minutes down the road, he said, and GPS landing zones are established throughout the park for helicopters.
‘‘You’ve got to have a tight rein on riders, their behavior and everything else. You have to be strict from the beginning so you earn a reputation for it,’’ Ford said.
‘‘If not, you’re going to attract a crowd that will cause trouble. You can’t just open the gate and turn everyone loose.”
Source (http://www.altoonamirror.com/News/articles.asp?articleID=11519)
Today he says the 2,000-acre park has become key in the town’s growing recreation and tourism base, attracting 8,000 to 10,000 annually to ride, shop and dine.
‘‘Before it was built, I would’ve pooh-poohed something like this ... but this park just fills everything up here,” Cartmell said. ‘‘We see Michigan, Indiana [and] Ohio tags, and they drive in with their ATVs and spend the whole weekend.”
Big Rock Off-Road Park was born as a new use for old land — the former, a onetime strip mine site, and the latter, a cattle farm.
A drought in 1999 put an end to generations of farming on Duke Ford’s 2,000-acre property.
He had to sell his cattle, he says, and while he was waiting for grass to grow, the idea popped into his head.
‘‘People thought I was crazy,’’ Ford added, admitting he wasn’t sure what to expect either.
He bartered to build his trail system, swapping logging rights for bulldozer work.
Then Ford posted a sign on the highway and set up shop near his property’s driveway. He used his pickup truck for an office.
‘‘Two people came the first day — that’s it,’’ he said.
But word spread through area ATV dealers, and then the numbers grew, he says.
Big Rock now boasts a welcome center, restrooms, a campsite and new additions to the park, like a four-wheel drive trail, the park’s Web site (http://www.bigrockoffroadpark.com/articles/home.asp) shows.
Cartmell says he wishes the community would have seen it coming.
But either way, it’s become a major attraction in a region that also boasts an indoor BMX track nearby and an underground railroad museum and the Herb Farm @ Strodes Run.
‘‘They don’t come here for the museums,’’ he added. ‘‘But they come and spend money. They camp or stay in hotels, they fill up on gas and they eat in our restaurants.”
Two hotels were recently built in town, he says, and another has broken ground.
Maysville’s population of nearly 9,000, but Cartmell says the area is mostly rural. He is quick to credit recreation for his community’s ‘‘mini-boom.”
‘‘This used to be a tobacco-dependent area, but recreation and tourism is going to be our future,’’ he said.
Tourists only come in town to eat, explore or sleep, he says.
Lessons were learned from the biggest gaffe — an ambulance parked on the site was robbed of a $3,300 drug kit, the mayor said.
‘‘Making sure there’s good medical access is important,’’ he said. ‘‘But don’t send your ambulance out there and leave it unlocked.”
Ford says he made sure safety was an enforced priority early on, and says for any park to succeed, they must do the same.
The local fire department is five minutes down the road, he said, and GPS landing zones are established throughout the park for helicopters.
‘‘You’ve got to have a tight rein on riders, their behavior and everything else. You have to be strict from the beginning so you earn a reputation for it,’’ Ford said.
‘‘If not, you’re going to attract a crowd that will cause trouble. You can’t just open the gate and turn everyone loose.”
Source (http://www.altoonamirror.com/News/articles.asp?articleID=11519)