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PRESS RELEASE
Focus: Tamworth community action group formed to support enforcement of Race Track Ordinance
Tamworth, March 29 - Now that Tamworth voters have shown that they are strongly behind the town's new Race Track Ordinance, a community group has formed to advocate for the enforcement of all laws related to construction and operation of a racetrack.
The new group is called "Focus: Tamworth." Its mission is to "preserve and enhance the town's quality of life through continued citizen input, supporting careful and fair initiatives and regulations that protect Tamworth's economic and natural resources."
The initial focus will be on the Race Track Ordinance and other permitting requirements. The ordinance was adopted by the selectmen on October 1,
2003 and became permanent by a 223-43 vote at Town Meeting on March 10,
2004. "The Race Track Ordinance is written to be fair to both the town and any race track operator who wants to build a facility here," says Charles Greenhalgh, spokesperson for Focus: Tamworth. Greenhalgh is a Tamworth resident and was a member of the committee that drafted the ordinance. Some other members of the group, in addition to Greenhalgh, are William Farnum, Geoffrey Burke, Jeanne Bergen, Sara Kelley and Kate Vachon.
The group is concerned that Club Motorsports Inc. (CMI), which wants to build a race track on the side of Mt. Whittier in Tamworth, recently updated its website to say that the track is "currently under construction." Focus: Tamworth points out that beginning construction at this time would be a clear violation of the Race Track Ordinance.
"Club Motorsports recently submitted wetlands and site specific permit applications to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. CMI will need to apply for several additional permits from the town before they begin construction. We're concerned about the content of the state filings, and the fact that no town applications have been filed, as clearly specified in the RTO," Greenhalgh says. "We are committed to seeing that laws passed to protect the town are enforced."
The Tamworth Conservation Commission, which is reviewing the permits, has hired a soil scientist to comment on the application. The commission asked for a 40-day extension of its comment deadline, and permission to examine the site after the snow has melted. A two-week extension was granted, a site visit was scheduled, and the Conservation Commission must now submit its final comments on April 26.
There will be two hearings on the applications, both held in Tamworth at the Brett School. The Conservation Commission will hold a hearing on April 12 and the Department of Environmental Services (DES) will hold its hearing April 27.
"This is the largest project ever proposed for Tamworth," Greenhalgh says. "It will alter 130 acres of terrain. It will create 45 acres of impermeable surface, blast 400,000 cubic yards of ledge, and move 1.2 million cubic yards of earth. The results will last for a lifetime, and Tamworth should be sure to examine all the consequences carefully. The DES process should not be rushed, and local ordinances must be observed." |