Could the World Nationals be on the move??? (1 Viewer)

[Triple Nickel II]

From the Friday, April 13th edition of the Mansfield (OH) News Journal

Construction on Mansfield Motorsports Park drag strip hits EPA permit snag

Mansfield Motorsports Park's impending drag strip has been delayed

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At the heart of the delay is the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, which (Mansfield Motorsports Park President Chris) Mize said will not allow further construction.

"We're waiting for the EPA permitting to come through, which has shut us down," Mize said. "The standard process is 150 to 280 days.

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"As far as the drag strip goes, we're at the mercy of the EPA, and we're not going to fight them. That's a battle we can't win, so we'll go along with them and what they want."

It's not known what this does for the International Hot Rod Association's World Nationals, set to debut in Mansfield in September

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"I think as president and Mike (Dzurilla) as the owner, we got so excited about it that we got over our skis a little early," (IHRA President Aaron) Polburn said.

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Polburn said they will wait a few weeks before making any decisions regarding the September event

 

[luxexpress]

Reading between the lines, I would say they are probably looking for another site as we speak. Seems funny that they would have made this kind of investment and promises before having EPA approval. It always raises red flags with me when someone saying it is not about the money, because that usually means that it is.

 

[Triple Nickel II]

Reading between the lines, I would say they are probably looking for another site as we speak.

It seems to me there was talk when the event was announced that the World Nationals would be held at one of the Michigan facilities if Mansfield fell through.

Seems funny that they would have made this kind of investment and promises before having EPA approval. It always raises red flags with me when someone saying it is not about the money, because that usually means that it is.

It probably doesn't win them any friends at the EPA if the permits were not in place while track officials are being quoted in articles stating:

"We’ve had a lot of hoops to jump through with the Ohio EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers, but we have those issues worked out and we’re full speed ahead on construction"
January 10, 2007 IHRA.com

"Governmental issues prevented construction from taking place in the unseasonably warm fall and early winter months experienced in Ohio. The project was still well ahead of schedule until the February snow and cold halted progress"

and

"The plan was to get a jump on construction and stay ahead of the timeline"
March 2, 2007 IHRA.com

 

[n/a]

I doubt they move it. They will just cancel and go with 11 races

 

[luxexpress]

The IHRA did the same thing several years ago with a proposed track in Niagara Falls. They promised an National Event and put it on the schedule before a shovel of dirt was moved. The track was never built. Sometimes I wonder if this is a ploy to help get funding and zoning approval for a facility that someone proposes to build, with the thinking that a promise of a National Event and its economic impact will help get everything through all the legal and financial loopholes. Kind of a "approve it and they will come" philosophy.

 

[Triple Nickel II]

It always raises red flags with me when someone saying it is not about the money, because that usually means that it is.

At least part of it is about money.

According to today's follow-up story in the Mansfield News Journal the Ohio EPA spokesperson says that MMP COULD continue to do construction if they wanted to so.

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"They (Ohio EPA) never determined it's a stream until March 27," Mize said. "We had to draw up a 200-page report on the watershed, which we turned in this week. The Army Corps has our permitting."

Mize said what the EPA calls a stream was built by MMP as a drainage ditch during construction on the oval track in 2003. The facility wants to lay pipe in the area and cover it to put grandstands and concessions over the spot.

However, because it's been branded a stream, the state has jurisdiction, according to Ohio EPA spokeswoman Heather Lauer.

She said the EPA became more involved when MMP said it was making changes to the disputed area after first saying they wouldn't. Mize said MMP moved the strip east in hopes of avoiding the issue.

The track has support from government officials at all levels, Mize said.

"They're all going to bat for us," he said.

It's not sure how long the permit process will take.

"If the report is complete and done well and there's no public comments or public meeting, it can be relatively quick," Lauer said. "If it's not as complete or there are a lot of public comments or a public meeting, it could take longer. There are a lot of variables to this."

Lauer also said construction could continue, but Mize said they don't want to build something they'll have to redo later.

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The News Journal - www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com - Mansfield, OH

 

[luxexpress]

Well Comp Plus says the track manager resigned - that just can't be a good sign. At this point, I think we should be happy if the track just gets built.