The hunt for an alternative to Highway 50 for those traveling east of Old Town Dayton may lead to Lyon County acquiring part of the Dayton State Park.
Preliminary talks began Tuesday between Lyon County Manager Donna Kristaponis and David Morrow, administrator for Nevada State Parks Division, to consider a section of the park north of Highway 50 to be used for a road around central Dayton.
"It's in a very preliminary stage," Morrow said. "We are revising the park's master plan in cooperation with Lyon County and the community, and we're trying to develop a number of possible alternatives."
Morrow said the talks do not involve a land exchange, just the use of park land for a possible road easement for a route around Dayton.
"It would be a cooperative effort between the county and state," he said.
The parks division has been working on a new master plan for the park since the spring, and Morrow said, there are four topics under consideration for changes: Camping areas, group uses, trails and an amphitheater. He said a road easement would be added to that list once the county made a formal request.
"The road isn't yet on the table," he said. "It's too premature to do that. The county has to decide if it's something they want to do."
In June, the parks division held a workshop in Dayton to gain public input on what they would like to be included in the new master plan. The four topics to be included came from that meeting.
Morrow said the proposed road would be on land north of the Rock Point Mill site, and the parks division would seek input from the Comstock Historic District Commission as well as other entities in the area before any decision was made.
"We would seek approval and support from the public, county commission - everyone would have a chance," Morrow said.
The park's master plan alternatives were derived from information at a public workshop in June, and Morrow said changes would not be implemented without more public input at a meeting tentatively set for February .
Kristaponis could not be reached for comment.
• Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 351.