Neighbors blast speedway

Permit renewed for 2010

By FRITZ MAYER

KAUNEONGA LAKE — For Marsha Schubert, the noise of the engines was most aggravating. “I have to close my windows, blast my television; you can’t hear yourself think,” she said.

For John Van Fradenburgh, the main complaint was the loudspeakers.

For his aunt, Marietta Von Fradenburgh, it was the fumes from the cars. “I got very sick last June, and I think that’s what it was from,” she said. All three people live close to the Bethel Motor Speedway on Horseshoe Road.

The remarks came at a meeting of the Bethel Town Board, as lawmakers considered conditions that would be inserted into the permit that would allow the speedway to operate again this season.

The speedway, which had been closed for a couple of years, was purchased by Joseph Graf and re-opened in August 2008. Graf said the track brings revenue to the town and, with a $5 entry fee, provides an affordable evening of entertainment for local residents.

He had a lot of support at the meeting. Ed Lindstadt, a local driver, noted that the speedway is opening a special program for drivers as young as eight years of age this year. He said the track gives young people and the adult drivers a positive way to focus their energy.

Paige LaPolt, who is 17, echoed that sentiment and said that she is going to begin racing this summer.

No one suggested that the permit should not be issued, but some wanted conditions imposed on the track that would keep complaints to a minimum. Councilman Richard Crumley said he did not want a repeat of last season, when he was called out to the track numerous times because of various complaints regarding noise and other matters.

One item that was discussed was how to minimize the revving of engines during the time period before the racing started. Graf resisted any limitation to the revving of the engines, saying it was something he could not control and, if it were written into the permit, it would open the door for the town to issue violations to him.

Crumley said, “We’re not going to be stupid about it,” and that he trusted that Graf would try to control the revving as much as possible. In the end, the wording used was no “unreasonable” revving during the two-hour period before racing begins.

Another issue was the time of night when the last race could be run. Town officials wanted to make it 10:30 p.m. But Graf argued that on days when the races were interrupted by rain, and the track needed to be dried, a 10:30 p.m. deadline could cost him thousands of dollars in lost revenue. Ultimately, the board relented and agreed to an 11:00 p.m. deadline.

Another issue was the length of the permit. The neighbors did not want the track to be open for as many months as planned. The track scheduled opening day for April 24, and closing day could be as late as the first weekend in November if the track needed to run make-up races. The board ultimately granted the permit for the length of time requested by the speedway.

As she left the meeting, Schubert said, “Thanks for nothing.”