MINOT – The first year brought fun and excitement. The second was filled with anxiety.

Now, coming up on the third year and about $250,000 later, the Hemond family is wondering what will become of its motocross operation.

After the Hemonds received a permit in 2001 to build and operate a motorcycle race track, they had no idea that they would still need to attend public meetings and make their case to town officials and residents, said Serae Hemond.

The most recent public hearing held Thursday at Minot Consolidated School over the issue of allowable noise levels had Hemond nervous the night before as she prepared her speech.

“It’s starting to feel like we’re strangers in our own town,” said Hemond. “I hate it when people are upset with me. We’ve really tried to do everything the town has asked of us and then some.”

However, the public support shown by those who attended the hearing last week reassured the Hemonds that this town, where the family is rearing its fourth generation, is still home, she said.

“I had no idea what to expect,” said Hemond. “But it was really good to see some friendly faces.”

The family, who donated more than $3,000 last year to local causes, has had to spend about $30,000 in attorney and noise consultant fees over the past year to answer complaints about excessive noise coming from the Route 119 operation, said owner Don Hemond.

He said his original paperwork and his understanding from the town was that his operation would have to meet the state Department of Environmental Protection standard of a 60-decibel maximum noise level, measured from the nearest property owner.

A stricter town standard of 55 decibels surfaced this past year, and most recent noise studies conducted by both the Hemonds and the town showed an excess of 55 decibels at times but within the 60 decibels.

“If people didn’t want us to do this, then they should have said so before they gave us the permit,” said Don Hemond. “They seem to keep changing the rules. But we’re already into this now. There’s too many people coming into this town who want to change everything that they came here for in the first place.”

Family business

The entire motocross set-up, including parking, takes up about 27 acres, said Hemond. He added that they already owned 365 acres and bought another 135 as a buffer around the track area.

But the issues of noise pollution and neighbor complaints have repeatedly found their way before Minot planners and selectmen over the past year.

Mike Hemond, the 18-year-old son who has taken a primary role in maintaining the race track and has dreams of becoming another Hemond family business owner, recently took matters into his own hands.

He managed to gather 224 signatures of registered voters to change the town ordinance to match the state noise standards. That issue comes up for a ballot vote on March 5.

Mike Hemond said he was confident that the ordinance change will pass, but his mother still worries. Even though her husband has operated an auto garage for about 20 years and is in no danger of losing income, Serae said the motocross venture was a retirement investment and a future for her son.

However, because of the ongoing need for ground improvements, attorneys and consultants, the track has been subsidized by the garage business and the family savings, said Don Hemond.

What started out as an idea among her son and neighbors to have a bike track has turned into a full business that has employed 30 Minot people and brought in an average of 800 spectators from all over New England for each event. The season consists of six events from April through October.

The races range in age of contestants from 4 to 60 years old and in size of bike engines from 50 cubic centimeters to 250.

Out of each entry fee, $1 goes to a local cause, said Serae Hemond. Last year, the Hemond Moto X contributed to the Minot Community Club, the Hebron-Minot Athletics Association, Minot Rescue, The American Heart Association, a local chapter for Multiple Sclerosis and the Minot families of Nolan Williams and Tom Slattery.

The Hemonds said that they want to promote a family atmosphere and to keep their land as a family business. “We’ll do whatever it takes,” said Hemond. “But we’re in it all the way to the end.”