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« on: December 13, 2006, 12:45:05 pm »
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Marathon meeting ends with track approval
From The Modesto Bee Newsroom
THE MERCED SUN-STAR
Last Updated: December 13, 2006, 09:10:24 AM PST
MERCED -- Riverside Motorsports Park moved from plan to reality early this morning when the Merced County Board of Supervisors approved the raceway complex in a series of votes that spanned 8½ hours.
With Supervisors Deidre Kelsey and John Pedrozo dissenting on two key votes, plans for the 1,200-acre racing venue earned just enough support to move forward.
The board's 2:30 a.m. decision followed hours of emotional public testimony from raceway supporters and opponents, and nearly four years of countywide debate over a project that many say will set the course for the county's development for decades to come.
More than 300 people filled the board chambers and nearby overflow rooms at the meeting's 6 p.m. start. When the final vote was cast, the crowd had thinned to a weary three dozen.
While racetrack supporters hailed the decision as an economic boon for the county, opponents called the project's approval an assault on both the environment and local agriculture.
"By approving this project ... you are pushing development to my doorway," said Karen Crane, whose family runs a farm near the raceway's proposed site, close to the former Castle Air Force Base. "Our land will never be the same, and that rests in your hands."
Proponents pointed to the raceway's economic benefits, which are projected to include hundreds of jobs and $180 million in annual business.
For the complete story, see Thursday's Bee or
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