Vegas to Reno race gets town’s blessing

BEATTY — Casey Folks, Director of Best in the Desert off-road racing, secured the blessing of the Beatty Town Advisory Board at its July 8 meeting for the 18th Annual Vegas to Reno race.

The Aug. 16 event will once again start in Beatty, with the state gravel yard next to Fluorspar Canyon Road being used for staging. The first 50 miles of the race will follow the same course as last year.

Board member Erika Gerling requested that the board be notified when the grading and clean-up work on the course had been completed. She also said that the county would be performing more oversight on the clean-up this year.

Folks said that grading of the course is planned to start in Beatty as soon as the last racers have cleared the Springdale checkpoint. He said that 520 miles of the 550-mile course will be graded. Beatty businessman David Spicer’s company will handle the first 50 miles.

Folks also advised the board of another race, tentatively planned for October 2014. This would be a 200-mile race that would start and end at Johnnie. That course would pass near Beatty, passing near the former Daisy Gold mine area and Springdale. It would also cross Highway 374 west of Beatty within the speed zone and proceed south by the Beatty airport.

Spicer spoke in support of Folks, saying he was “a major player” in reclamation projects in which Spicer’s non-profit is involved.

In closing Folks handed over $500 checks as donations to the Beatty Volunteer Fire Department and to Beatty High School athletics.

The board approved several expenditures during the meeting, including a portable readerboard sign for publicizing community events.

Ann Marchand said she thought the signs were “a great idea,” and would help groups like the VFW and Lions Club, as well as the town, publicize their events.

The board initially considered purchasing two of the signs, but after board members expressed some concerns about how well the portable signs would handle high winds, decided to go with one as a trial.

They also approved up to $5,000 plus shipping for solar LED lighting for the town mural. The bid from Tytre does not include installation, which will be done by volunteers.

Randy Reed noted that the company recommends burying the batteries of the system, which greatly extends their working life.

Recognizing the hard work by Reed and by town secretary Carrie Radomski in cleaning the town’s trash receptacles and benches, the board approved purchase of a pair of spot sprayers to be used for the purpose.

Kelly Carroll said, “I don’t think they’ll work, but if Randy thinks they’ll work, he can give it a try.”

Marchand said she really appreciated the trash receptacles, calling their purchase “one of the best things we’ve ever done.”

She did say she’d like to see additional receptacles in certain locations, one being between KC’s Outpost and the post office. She said she picked up a lot of trash there recently. She also thought it might help keep people from throwing trash off the bridge into the riverbed.

The board also approved a map showing the changes to the proposed BLM disposable lands that were suggested at the last town board meeting.

“It looks much better,” said Gerling, looking at the revised map.

In her role as treasurer, Gerling also reported that the town and all the departments came in under budget with the close of the fiscal year.