State fair racing permit debate clouded by misinformation

Michael Janecek/Spectrum

January 19, 2007

I'm writing in response to the letter that appeared in Jan. 14 edition. The letter from Michael C. Kolivosky (&#8220State fair racing permit needs public attention”) contained many misleading statements and some poor reporting as to what was said at the Palmer Planning and Zoning meeting of Jan. 4.

This meeting was a special meeting considering the application by the Alaska State Fair for a conditional-use permit for all of the activities on the Alaska State Fairgrounds. He states, &#8220The racing was finally stopped by the city officials because the fair did not have a permit.” Not accurate.

The fair chose not to seek a permit for the 2006 summer racing season because they wanted to better understand what it would take to work with the neighbors that were offended by the noise generated by sprint car racing. After the inaugural 2005 racing season, it was clear that the fair's investment in car racing should include some measures of sound abatement.

Mr. Kolivosky failed to report that the fair funded a project for the 2006 fair to ensure that all cars racing at Union Field would be required to use high-tech 90 decibel mufflers. This was no small effort - $5,000 to be exact, and I understand that will be the standard - no cars racing without the mufflers.

This effort did exactly what the fair was told. It reduced the sound levels in surrounding neighborhoods to 70 decibels or less. A professional sound engineer took the sound measurements in various places in Palmer. The measurements are available from the city of Palmer, as well.

Could this be why there were no complaints about too much noise during the 2006 fair?

Secondly, Mr. Kolivosky stated that no one at the meeting knew what &#8220decibels” means. Not accurate again.

I have a good understanding of what sound level measurement is about. I have an electronics degree and delivered many years of service teaching electronics at Mat-Su College and Palmer High School. One significant lesson in my curriculum was measuring sound level and the computations associated with it.

He stated, &#8220During the meeting, state fair officials attempted to explain a &#8220noise expert” had been contacted to mitigate the noise.” Well, Mullins Acoustics was contracted by the city of Palmer to measure the sound generated by the races during the fair. They don't mitigate sound. They measure it. Their measurements show that the races generated sounds that exceeded the national (and Palmer) standard of 70 decibels only once - by 1 decibel.

Plans are ongoing to fund and build a sound abatement wall that would protect nearby neighborhoods even further.

Lastly, Mr. Kolivosky said, &#8220If a special-use permit is issued, the commission acknowledged that enforcement is virtually nonexistent.”

I honestly can't remember if the P & Z commission stated this. However, I would remind all of those involved that the permit clearly states that upon receiving complaints the city would request that the fair hire (at the fair's expense) a professional to take measurements, and if the fair was not in compliance, it could lose its permit to operate its business. All of it.

Seems enforceable to me.

In closing, I should say that Mr. Kolivosky says he is willing to accept any noise levels during the fair because &#8220that's the fair.” I would like to remind Mr. Kolivosky that, in my opinion, the Alaska State Fair likely will not survive with the limits of only the 12 days of the annual fair.

The fair needs to market itself during the interim months to ensure the viability of its business interests. And, unfortunately, that may involve making some noise on the fairgrounds in the process. I am disappointed that Mr. Kolivosky would be willing to be so misleading, considering he is a retired state trooper and private investigator.

Just the facts, Mike. Please.

Michael Janecek is a Meadow Lakes resident and private contractor currently doing business with the Alaska State Fair who is involved in development of the racing facility on the fairgrounds.