Could there be a place in Rowan County for properly zoned and popularly accepted recreational pursuits like quarter-midget racing, motocross and skateboarding? Surely yes. Too many people engage in these sports to keep pushing them out onto the fringes of legality. Someone just needs to identify locations that are safe -- and acceptable to neighbors. Good luck. The controversy over a motocross course on Black Road arises at an opportune time for the person who runs it, Lee Casper. As neighbors complain about the bikes' noise, Rowan County is trying to site a quarter-midget racetrack, another potentially buzzing attraction. What's good for the county goose should be good for the private gander. Casper hopes to convince county officials to rezone his father's 18 acres to make the motocross activities meet guidelines, or to convince them that he is not running the course as a business. Frankly, the rezoning option doesn't look hopeful; the commercial or industrial zoning required would open the door to many uses that would truly ruin this rural setting. Proving that the track is not a business might be easier, but the course's existence will be short-lived if the owners can't make some money off it, at least enough to buy the kind of insurance an operation like this should have. It's easy to sympathize with neighbors of the motocross course who don't like the constant buzz of the bikes. But people threatening to bring out noise meters might want to think twice. The boats and personal watercraft that zoom around High Rock Lake all summer -- in a good summer -- are probably just as annoying. Turning a deaf ear to that noise while condemning the motocross course has the smell of hypocrisy. In an ideal world, someone would grab all these recreation demands and put them in one location where the noise won't bother anyone, or where it won't be any worse than the noise that's already there, like beside the 24/7 hum of the interstate. Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium would be an option if baseball continues to flounder as a moneymaker there. But county commissioners have expressed a desire to bring track-related growth close to their county seat, Salisbury, rather than direct it toward Kannapolis and Cabarrus County. That's good thinking on the county's behalf, but it puts the debate back at Square One. Sports that involve speed, youth and risky maneuvers don't sound desirable to people responsible for public safety. Parents envision casts, cracked skulls and worse -- and big regrets. But these activities are a part of today's recreation scene. The best tack would be to find a place for them to go on and make it as safe as possible. Motocross bikes and skateboards are not going away. And quarter-midget racecars are headed our way. Both city and county need to consider these activities and review their zoning ordinances. The Salisbury Planning Board will be reviewing the racetrack question soon; members might as well include in their study these other sports that so far don't fit existing park designs or zoning. Rowan planners should also review their code to see if there's a place for motorized sports outside the industrial and commercial classification. These questions are going to arise again and again. The community needs to come up with safe and acceptable answers.
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