Track at Quonset Point

L

leforrest

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anyone hear yet? I'l see if I can dig up some info.



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A drag? Inappropriate use




By: Staff March 14, 2002




The drag racing issue has cropped up again, thanks to the well-organized effort put on by fans of the sport. Some 300 racing fans turned out at a meeting of the town council last week - certainly the largest turnout for anything hereabouts in recent memory - and their collective voices were enough to elicit an approval from the town council.

On a split vote the council granted a license, good until June 30, that is loaded with restrictions and if state officials agree Rhode Island Raceway Park Inc., will be allowed to stage drag races on weekends using an unused runway at Quonset. If it can get the green light after June 30, the group plans a total of 12 drag racing dates this year extending into November.
The big IF, of course, is whether the group can clear the biggest hurdle-getting the State Airport Corporation's approval as well.
That could be a big problem for racing fans because at last report, the state economic Development Corporation which has control over Quonset/Davisville, is opposed to racing events on the airport. It is true, the EDC does not have jurisdiction over the airport property but whatever goes on at the airport can affect what goes on at the industrial park that surrounds the airport on three sides. You can be sure, EDC officials will exert some influence on the airport corporation, not to mention political pressure from local legislators, some of whom are opposed to the idea.
Another voice of opposition might come from the Air National Guard which is based at Quonset. With today's increasing military activity stemming from the Sept. 11 attacks, the military might be even more reluctant to see non-aviation events staged on airport property.
The council's vote granting a conditional license was 3-1 with Robin Porter being the only dissenter. (Councilmember Dale Grogan was absent but wrote a statement to the council asking the matter be tabled pending more information.).
While drag racing is a well organized sport (the cars race only for a short distance and the winners are determined by extremely accurate timing devices) and obviously enjoys a wide popularity, it suffers from some misconceptions that perhaps are unfair. A drag racing event was held at the airport in 1994 and there were no reported incidents or complaints of noise, it should be noted.
Even so, we have to agree with the views of some opponents who question whether drag racing is an appropriate use of property in the middle of an industrial park that has had its share of growing pains.
Only in recent years has the park started to approach its long-envisioned potential as an economic engine. We would hate to see any developments (including a big port operation) there that could be detrimental to the success that is just emerging.
It is unknown what the state officials will do when the drag racing issue is put before them but we would hope that they weigh very carefully the consequences such activities might have on the industrial park.






©The Standard Times 2002
 
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