County tourism official previews Castle Rock Motocross Park grant and ‘bike week’ event

Kim Boca of the Cowlitz County Event Center told commissioners that the county will consider a contract with Castle Rock Motocross Park tied to a large grant the track received.

"The grant is to put a, asphalt pad out at the, motocross track property," Boca said, adding the pad will be used for an event and provide long-term capacity for motorcycle training classes. She said the work is being paved this week and is intended to support an upcoming bike-week event and future weekend races that generate revenue for Castle Rock and the county.

Commissioners asked about the number of events at the track and heard that the park hosts multiple weekend races and recently hosted a national-style event. Boca described the grant as designed to support longevity and revenue opportunities rather than one-off events: "this project is exactly what this large grant was really designed for is to have longevity, not just to support an event or events, but also to have some income generating potential for the track also."

Boca said the track organizer is calling the event a "mini Sturgis" and hopes it will be the first of many such draws to the area. The county will consider the contract at the next meeting; no formal county action on the contract was recorded during the update.