Road racing in Tusten?

By DAVID HULSE

NARROWSBURG, NY — Tusten officials are considering a plan to add several miles of the town’s dirt roads to the racing course for Rally New York and making them available as soon as this October.

Forestburgh resident and rally official Ivan Orisek appeared before the town board on May 10. Orisek said that based on the success of their April 17 rally, which included town roads in Forestburgh and Lumberland, County Manager Dan Briggs had asked rally officials about setting up a fall event in early October.

Orisek said rally officials are continually looking for new roads for events and are now seeking permission for the use the Cochecton Turnpike and Deep Hollow Road. They also are interested in using Swamp Pond Road and Brook Road, but their use would require a closure of County Road 23 during the time trial race.

Orisek said the rally does not involve “wheel-to-wheel” racing, but is based on time trials for portions of the course known as “special stages.” Tusten’s dirt roads would become special stage roads this fall and again in April of next year.

The board scheduled a 7:00 p.m., June 14 public hearing, where Orisek will again appear and respond to questions from the board and the public.

Orisek said Monday that the event is a positive for the area, bringing in spectators and tourism dollars.

Asked by Supervisor Ben Johnson to discuss any negatives, Orisek said the rally does involve some traffic delays and he admitted the sport is dangerous for the drivers. “That’s car racing. There is a risk for our competitors,” but he said the cars and drivers are equipped for those risks. The rally provides strict crowd control management to avoid spectator injury.

Rally New York had two medical incidents, resulting from accidents at the April rally. Neither involved life-threatening injuries, according to a rally statement.

Driver Gerry Brinkman suffered a broken pelvis from an incident on Baer Road in Forestburgh. Driver James Fox suffered a broken ankle from an incident on Plank Road, also in Forestburgh. Both were airlifted to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, New York.

Planning Board Chairman Ed Jackson said he attended the April rally and found it “so organized that it was scary. The [crowd control] marshals forced you back away from the road,” he said.

In other business Monday, the town board discussed but took no action on Senator John Bonacic’s proposal for a Delaware River Greenway, approved a resolution to direct the town attorney to draft a local law dealing with spurious automatic fire alarm calls, and agreed to advertise a position for maintenance at the town hall.