Tusten board says no to rally

Public hearing draws large crowd

By FRITZ MAYER

NARROWSBURG, NY — After months of contentious meetings regarding the races staged in Tusten by Rally New York, the town board voted three-to-two on June 25 to not allow the race to be staged this fall.

The vote followed a public hearing that drew about 70 people. Residents repeated a litany of familiar complaints: the races are unsafe, the spectators don’t respect private property, people leave trash behind, drink and urinate in public.

Those who spoke opposed the rally by a margin of more than two to one, and sign up sheets recording whether residents were for or against the event showed 29 opposed and four in favor.

Several who opposed the rally cited news reports of a recent racing disaster to point out the dangers of racing. On June 16 in Selmer, TN, a drag-racing demonstration went bad; the vehicle skidded off the road, killing six spectators and wounding 23 others.

But Rally New York also had defenders. Several residents said they supported the event because of the money and new visitors it brought to the town. A petition signed by 11 Narrowsburg business owners, which was read into the record by Supervisor Ben Johnson, also called for the board to allow the rally to be repeated in Tusten.

Rally president Ivan Orisek addressed the issue of residents being denied full access to their property on race days. He said, “The great cities of the world” close down to accommodate rally races. “Monte Carlo, Monaco shuts down three times a year for races,” he said.

Supervisor Steven Barnes of the Town of Highland was neutral about the rally. He said his town had agreed to let the rally be staged in Highland last spring, but the event did not occur because rally organizers would not put up a $10,000 bond to ensure a thorough cleanup after the race.

Tusten supervisor Ben Johnson, who continued to support the rally, offered a resolution intended to address some of the complaints. The insurance requirement for the event would be raised from $5 million to $20 million, fixed barriers would be installed to separate the track from spectators and Rally New York would be required to post a $2,000 cleanup bond.

But the stipulations were not enough to persuade a majority of the board. Council member Carol Wingert said she could not support the rally because, at a previous meeting, rally president, Ivan Orisek, “was not respectful to our homeowners.”

Wingert was joined in her no vote by council members Eileen Falk and Lewis Meckle Jr. Council member Barbara Buckman joined Johnson in voting yes to the rally.