Track rules OK'd

Dec. 26, 2006

By Michael Rovito

Frontiersman

PALMER - A series of amendments created in response to public outcry over the recently expanded race track ordinance brought a large response from both motorsports proponents and opponents Tuesday evening at a meeting of the Mat-Su Borough Assembly.

The ordinance passed

unanimously.

Much like the November assembly meeting, where an ordinance making race-track regulations boroughwide went into effect, public testimony brought the room to capacity and occupied more than an hour.

The amendments grew out of the direction borough planners received the night

race-track regulations were expanded.

At that Nov. 21 meeting, assembly members said they were passing the ordinance with the expectations of race track-friendly amendments coming forward in the future.

Sev Jones, the borough's chief of planning, said officials have been working to do just that, recommending at the end of a report to the assembly that the ordinance containing new amendments be adopted.

Those amendments address exceptions, such as one-time annual races - like the famed Tesoro Iron Dog - snow machine races that do not take place on a permanent track and the time period in which motorized race-track activities are permitted.

Assembly members slightly tweaked the ordinance by removing a clause which would permit motorized race track activities year round.

With the removal, the amendment now reads, &#8220motorized race track activities may be permitted between May 15 and Sept. 15.”

Perhaps the biggest indication of the controversy still surrounding race-track regulations came about during sometimes fiery testimony from both sides of the issue.

Resident Lud Larson, who said he came out in support of race tracks, said he believes lawsuits will be the eventual outcome of the borough's regulation.

&#8220This is not about what's good for the borough,” Larson said, adding his belief that politics brought on by the organization Friends of Mat-Su, a group advocating responsible development in the Valley, is partly to blame for regulations.

That's impossible, said Kathy Wells, the executive director of Friends of Mat-Su, citing the group's nonprofit designation, which excludes it from taking part in political activities.

The organization has repeatedly been labeled by some residents as the driving force behind boroughwide track regulations.

Wells said the perception of political influence may come from many residents' knowledge that assembly member Michelle Church is one of the founders of Friends of Mat-Su.

&#8220It's an unfortunate statement made by people who may have been angry with Michelle,” Wells said.

More than one person Tuesday night asked for Church to recuse herself, saying she stands to gain from any decision against race tracks.

As in past meetings with the same request, Church kept her seat.

&#8220I think they don't know why you would ever recuse yourself,” Church said Thursday.

Church, who is still a member of Friends of Mat-Su, said she does not stand to make any gains from decisions on race tracks.

&#8220We're trying to create an opportunity for someone to make a better choice of where they want to put a race track,” Church said.

Motorsports industry representatives and concerned neighbors will get a chance to work through their differences over the coming months when borough planners put an advisory committee together.

The group will include seven members - both proponents and opponents of race tracks - and either a borough facilitator or an outside hire would moderate the meetings.

Borough Planning chief Sev Jones appears to have considered the possibility of a committee breakdown that may come about when individuals with different ideas clash one on one.

&#8220That's the art of facilitation,” Jones said, adding that if a meeting were to get out of control it would be stopped, and those behaving uncivilly would be removed.

The group, Jones said, is expected to report back to the borough in April.

Contact Michael Rovito at 352-2252 or michael.rovito@frontiersman.com.