Metcalf Road

[Butch]

(Santa Clara) County Motorcycle Park is pretty cool for a few hours of fun. The MX track is better every time I have been on it, with the addition of soil amendments. Its off 101 in south SJ between Bernal and Bailey.

Next to the park is the "Rocket Ranch", 25 square miles of United Technologies property where up to a few years ago the built and tested solid fuel rockets. The Titan motors did about 1.2 MILLION pounds of thrust.

Some of us hope to add that property to the Motorcycle Park.

And there is a Friends of Metcalf website. Check it out.

http://fmmp.org/forums/index.php?act=idx

 

[squidhunter]

I grew up in south Sj and still remember when they used to test those rocket engines. It was pretty cool, the whole area would rumble and shake for miles. It's been a long time since they've fired off a rocket there, people would probably shit themselves now if one of those engines started up. It would be very cool to expand Metcalf to include rocket ranch.

 

[omegajeff]

Spammer!!!!

(Santa Clara) County Motorcycle Park is pretty cool for a few hours of fun. The MX track is better every time I have been on it, with the addition of soil amendments. Its off 101 in south SJ between Bernal and Bailey.

Next to the park is the "Rocket Ranch", 25 square miles of United Technologies property where up to a few years ago the built and tested solid fuel rockets. The Titan motors did about 1.2 MILLION pounds of thrust.

Some of us hope to add that property to the Motorcycle Park.

And there is a Friends of Metcalf website. Check it out.

http://fmmp.org/forums/index.php?act=idx

 

[Butch]

What?!? There's a barf banner on the FMMP site...

Besides, this is your government at work. And it needs your help. We don't need a nother golf course and gated community. We need riding areas.

Spammer!!!!

 

[omegajeff]

Just bustin' your chops. That's what the was for.

What?!? There's a barf banner on the FMMP site...

Besides, this is your government at work. And it needs your help. We don't need a nother golf course and gated community. We need riding areas.

 

[campisi]

(Santa Clara) County Motorcycle Park is pretty cool for a few hours of fun. The MX track is better every time I have been on it, with the addition of soil amendments. Its off 101 in south SJ between Bernal and Bailey.

Next to the park is the "Rocket Ranch", 25 square miles of United Technologies property where up to a few years ago the built and tested solid fuel rockets. The Titan motors did about 1.2 MILLION pounds of thrust.

Some of us hope to add that property to the Motorcycle Park.

And there is a Friends of Metcalf website. Check it out.

http://fmmp.org/forums/index.php?act=idx

What's being done to add it to Metcalf? What can be done that is not?

 

[Butch]

What's being done to add it to Metcalf? What can be done that is not?

I've got an email out to Dave Cortese, the new county supervisor, that we want to persue this. I'm waiting for a reply...

 

[campisi]

Keep us posted on this as I'd like to help if possible. Do you know who owns that property?

 

[Butch]

Keep us posted on this as I'd like to help if possible. Do you know who owns that property?

United Technologies. Used to be the Rocker Ranch. Wifey worked there for 19 years. And she's a rocket scientist. And she has red hair.

 

[tj-los]

Pratt Whitney is not going to let the land go so easily. Currently it is being restored to its original condition. There is soil/land contamination from the rocket testing and explosives manufacturing. 5 years left on clean up if im not mistaken. I believe once UTC officially shuts its doors it will go to the highest bidder. I hate to see it go to MORE homes...I would love more land to play on.

 

[jrbruin]

Pratt Whitney is not going to let the land go so easily. Currently it is being restored to its original condition. There is soil/land contamination from the rocket testing and explosives manufacturing. 5 years left on clean up if im not mistaken. I believe once UTC officially shuts its doors it will go to the highest bidder. I hate to see it go to MORE homes...I would love more land to play on.

Maybe this housing downturn is good for something afterall, should limit the number of developers that are interested.
Edit: Wasn't really thinking about it, but 5 years from now we're hopefully not going to still be in a downturn...

 

[campisi]

It doesn't take a rocket scientist (not even a red-headed one!) to figger out that the county is NOT going to be in much of a mood to help us take over that land for an extension of Metcalf. Gated communites contribute lots of property taxes!

MTA: Metcalf, all things considered (distance from where I live being very important), is probably my #1 place to go. Anyone else think it's more likely that Metcalf gets closed rather than expanded? We need to work to make sure that doesn't happen.

 

[Butch]

It doesn't take a rocket scientist (not even a red-headed one!) to figger out that the county is NOT going to be in much of a mood to help us take over that land for an extension of Metcalf. Gated communites contribute lots of property taxes!

MTA: Metcalf, all things considered (distance from where I live being very important), is probably my #1 place to go. Anyone else think it's more likely that Metcalf gets closed rather than expanded? We need to work to make sure that doesn't happen.

Agreed...
I think we have brought this to the attention of the state OHV folks and the BRC, as well as Dave Cortese, supervisor elect.

Open land to recreate on is an important resource to the folks that live here. Hopefully we can organize and reach out to enough VOTERS to get our voices heard. This is a political process. We may be able to get our government to execute the will of the people.

 

[#1Freak]

UTC has about 20 years or remediatiion before anything can happen there. Then many years or monitoring. I used to work in finace there and was responisble (financewise, for facilites and EH&S. I actually did a study and report on an exit strategy. Sellin git cheap to the county is probaly never going to happen....