Conway Daily Sun, 2004-08-31

Club Motorsports won't explain decision to withdraw application

Focus: Tamworth requests explanation, company says it will respond to town at appropriate time

Nate Giarnese
TAMWORTH — Club Motorsports Inc. has yet to explain why it withdrew its application for a special-use permit under the town's wetlands ordinance just two days before a much-anticipated August 25 planning board review.
Focus: Tamworth, a citizen's group opposing the proposed racetrack at Mount Whittier, has asked the planning board to request an explanation. A company spokesman says Club Motorsports will respond to the town at an appropriate time.
“We are stunned by this development," said David Little, a member of Focus: Tamworth's steering committee. "If CMI’s developers think they don’t need this permit, let them say so and tell us why they think they’re exempt. If they want to amend the application because it is flawed, they should say that, and tell us what they plan to change."
Club Motorsports spokesman Scott Tranchemontagne, who said he attended the August 25 meeting, declined to respond to Focus: Tamworth. "We are not saying anything one way or the other about our special use permit plans. We will respond to the appropriate town board when necessary and appropriate. We don't owe Focus: Tamworth an explanation. Why would we respond to a group of activists who are trying to kill our project?" he asked. "We are not going to let our opponents set our time table or decide how we should or shouldn't proceed."
The August 25 meeting, billed as an opportunity for surrounding towns to consider what regional impact if any the proposed $14 million motor sports park may have on the wide-reaching Ossipee aquifer, opened and closed with a brief announcement of the permit's withdrawal by planning board chair David Goodson. No public comment was allowed.
Focus: Tamworth, the group aggressively resisting development of 250 acres for the racetrack, expected some clarification, but to date members say they have received none.
"They mention new information in their press release, but don’t say what it is,” Little said. “We’re hoping for some explanation of this turn of events,” he added. “Meanwhile, we will continue work to be sure that this proposed development conforms to all local regulations, including the Tamworth Wetlands Ordinance.”
Tranchemontagne said Club Motorsports will not reveal exactly what new information or discovery caused them to withdraw the permit, and left open a possibility of reapplication. "We looked at the application, and looked at the way it was submitted. We're not saying we're not going to reapply, or that we are.
"When the time comes," he reiterated, "we will deal directly with appropriate regulatory boards."
Club Motorsports President and CEO Stephan Condodemetraky first announced the permit withdrawal last Monday, stating simply that the company decided against seeking planning board approval on this particular permit. “Based on some new information and further research, we believe we have made an application to the planning board that exceeds our permitting needs, and we are withdrawing it at this present time,” he said in a press release. “We are currently reviewing our options and determining if and or when we need to return to the planning board.”
Condodemetraky said Club Motorsports continues to work with N.H. Department of Environmental Services and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on other permits, and the withdrawal before the planning board in no way indicates abandonment of the project.
Department of Environmental Services has already issued Club Motorsports a wetlands dredge and fill permit, stating that the Valley Motorsports Park will impact less than three-quarters of an acre of wetlands and will not significantly impair wetlands, surface waters, and groundwater resources.
Focus: Tamworth filed an appeal on August 18 requesting a reconsideration of the July 29 permit on a number of grounds, according to the group's attorney Sherry Young. The state has 30 days to rule on the request and may opt to hold a public hearing in the interim.
Also pending is a federal Army Corps permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act permit which will consider noise, dust, safety, wildlife and the aquifer. According to the Army Corps, those impacts must be minimal.
"One thing we've tried to impress upon people is all that this deals with is the special use permit," Tranchemontagne reinforced. "We are still working with DES and the Army Corps of Engineers." Club Motorsports hopes to get federal approval within the next few weeks.
A first-of-its-kind concept for New England, the Valley Motorsports Park would be built on wooded land on the north face of Mount Whittier off Route 25 in Tamworth, approximately two miles west of the intersection of Routes 25 and 16. The road course would be available for use by members, much like a country club golf course.