Out-of-state track operator revs up anger in Marysville

Local motocross enthusiasts did not care much for Marysville's decision on Tuesday night to go with an out-of-state operator for the Beckwourth Riverfront Park track.

Armstrong Racing LLC out of Gardnerville, Nev., secured a five-year contract with the city after its proposal was selected from among eight contenders.

The proposals received by the city in January had included four from Yuba-Sutter area businessmen.

"We have a track that's known nationwide and we've never benefited from the resources we have in our own backyard," said Garrett Chissie, manager of Twin Rivers Polaris in Yuba City.

Chissie and longtime Riverfront Park track operator Charlie Sexton spoke on behalf of a proposal from Tony Milner, owner of Honda /Yamaha Sports Center in Yuba City. Milner, who submitted a proposal to the city in 2010 during a previous bidding battle over the track, had not been among the four finalists interviewed for the contract.

"I support Tony Milner because he's local," said Sexton, who ran the Marysville track for three decades.

"I've been in the business more than 30 years and I don't know them," he said of the Armstrongs.

Management of the track has been a contentious issue since Sexton was outbid in 2007 by E Street MX operator Scott Davis.

Davis offered the city three times what Sexton had been paying to run the track.

The city accepted Davis' proposed 10-year lease and contract to pay $120,000 annually. But in the spring of 2010, Davis turned the track back over to the city after failing to earn enough money to hold on to the deal.

A nearly identical contract was awarded to Todd H. Nelson of Loomis in the fall of 2010. Nelson abandoned the track five months later without making a single payment.

Local motocross enthusiasts and business owners said Tuesday they have been frustrated with past decisions regarding the track.

Failures of the last two operators, they said, pointed to short-sightedness on the part of city officials, and a lack of respect for and understanding of the sport and its fans.

Council members and staff, said Chissie, "never really consulted with local people or people with professional experience in this industry."

The Armstrong family — Dale, Suzanne and Zebulen "Zeb" Armstrong — were present at Tuesday's meeting.

Zeb Armstrong, a professional rider, said he plans to move to Marysville to assume responsibility for overseeing the facility.

The track, which has not been maintained in more than a year, will need to be restored. The process is expected to take three months.

Year one of the contract calls for a $42,000 fee to be paid to the city. From the second year on, the fee will be $60,000.

The council voted 4-1 to approve the contract with Armstrong. Councilman Ricky Samayoa opposed the agreement.

"Is it right?" said Mayor Bill Harris of the council's decision. "I don't know. I guess we'll find out."

CONTACT Nancy Pasternack at npasternack@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4781. Find her on Facebook at /ADnpasternack or on Twitter at @ADnpasternack.