Most of the people in the Radium neighborhood have been respectful of the drawn-out process that (we can only hope) ended with Wednesday’s vote, but there are others who have condemned any who supported the track with a surprising venom.
Therein lies the essence of the one question we’ve not been able to muster an answer for during this ordeal: If the people in Radium Springs cared only about the noise at the speedway, how can they not be just as concerned about the noise at the adjacent U.S. 19 Dragway? We’ve heard the argument about when the two tracks were built, but that was not an issue in the association’s complaint as far as we’ve been able to tell.
Throughout this process, the Radium group has complained about noise at the round track; noise at the dragstrip has been mentioned only in passing. But if noise is the driving “quality-of-life” issue in this matter, how does one distinguish between the noise generated at the two facilities?
Former speedway owner Tim Pafford, who says he plans to move forward with lawsuits against the county and the Radium neighborhood group although he is no longer involved in plans to re-open the track, was a lightning rod in this matter. All along he said much of the opposition to the track was because of his involvement, and while there is, no doubt, truth in what he says, off-the-record comments offered by many involved in the situation do not support his claim that there was some kind of vendetta against him.
The bottom-line truth is, people in the Radium neighborhood and officials with the county did not appear to put a lot of faith in what Pafford said. They pointed to the fact that Pafford had not followed through with requirements imposed by the county 10 years ago when he and partners Woody and Lance Kearce opened the track, and they pointed to his track record as further evidence that he might not be the best man to run the business.
Even some of the local racers whose lone concern is that they have a place to take part in and enjoy their favorite sport were wary of Pafford’s involvement. One said, “We wanted a place to race so bad that we put up with Tim to try and keep the track open.”
The long battle frayed nerves on all sides, and it became one of those issues that initially everyone wanted to just go away. But as it played out, it became somewhat akin to a car wreck: It became impossible to look away.
We believe — and we sincerely hope — the county commission has reached a middle ground whereby race enthusiasts can enjoy good family fun, track owners can make some money on their investment, and the noise is at such a level that it does not keep homeowners in Radium Springs trapped inside their homes during weekends.
Time will reveal those answers soon enough; until then we feel it appropriate to applaud everyone involved in this issue for their hard work and for finally reaching a decision that just might work for everyone.