3/6/12 SHELTON MEETINGS IN REVIEW

TOM'S TALES OF TUESDAY

March 6, 2012

9:00 AM: Community Meeting with Commissioner Bloomfield

The regularly scheduled BOCC meeting on Tuesday was cancelled due to Commissioner Ring-Erickson being out of town and Senator Sheldon busy taking over the State Legislature. This left Commissioner Bloomfield to wander the halls of the county administration building looking for trouble, which he found.

As arranged, a small group of citizens met with Mr. B. for a gorilla roundup -- which is what I call those issues of concern about the environment, public policy and the economy that every politician is sworn to avoid. It was a good opportunity to bend the ear of a Commissioner, at least until the Sheriff showed up and chewed it completely off.

To his credit, Mr. B. took it all on the chin and was receptive to our concerns. But in the end nothing of significance was resolved, other than his leaving with a clear understanding of the issues and maybe a strong resolve never to do this again.

Outside it was a beautiful day, full of sunshine and hope. A gentle breeze blew out of the south and it felt good to be alive. Then I remembered the Port of Shelton regular scheduled meeting was today.

2:00 PM: Port of Shelton Commission Meeting

It was a sitting room only at the Port. Rod Powell, co-owner of the Ridge Motor Sport Park, gave a presentation on the newly completed racetrack on Eells Hill Road. After taking a few minutes to polish the chrome on Matt Matayoshi, Mr. Powell took us on a photo trip back to yesteryear, when the port was epicenter of the drag-racing world. And now, with the help of the EDC they would be able to introduce a whole new generation of enthusiasts to their wasteful pastime.

Mr. Powell then went on to explain that, while the track was designed to accommodate expensive Ferraris and Lotuses that go from zero to mock 1 in the blink of an eye, it was also open to those less fortunate, whose cars couldn’t get up to sixty MPH by lunch time -- for a fee, of course.

Obviously, I do not share in the unbridled enthusiasm of those who beamed and giggled like June brides through the entire presentation. There is little reason to celebrate a facility that surrenders development potential of adjacent land to provide a Mecca for the mindless. There is, after all, very good reasons why so many communities declined to host a racetrack. And the few that do are smart enough to stick them out in the boonies. So the question begs: Is this to be the foundation of our economic recovery? Jet cars, private planes, skydiving and a racetrack? While "toyz for boyz" is not necessarily a bad thing, I hope it doesn’t turn out to be the only thing.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s little doubt Ridge Sport Motor Park will have a positive economic impact on Mason County; and un-muffled engines, burning tires and conspicuous consumption, certainly meet the Port’s criteria for support. But is pandering to a market of self-indulgence really the key to our success, or is that how we got in this mess?

Okay, I’m finished whining -- here’s the numbers we were given:

The track is built on 176 acres, and includes a 2.5 mile race track and a ¼ mile drag strip (not open till 2013). The facility will be used only by car and motorcycle clubs that pay a fee for usage; it will not be used for professional racers and is not designed to accommodate spectators.

According to the archangel of economic dreams, annual income generation is as follows: 3.5M in hotel bookings; 1.8M in restaurant and entertainment consumption (most of which will be beer) and 2.5M in fuel sales. Total: 8.6M (yes, I know it doesn’t add up, but that’s because EDC forecasts include indirect and induced income to the second power).

When given these numbers Commissioner Tom Wallitner said, “Thank you Ridge Sport Motor Park you really saved our yogurt.” No one knew exactly what he meant, but it’s a little too late in the game to bring up so fine a point.

I asked a couple of sensible questions about noise pollution, and if the race track had some form of treatment for storm-water runoff? It was the only time the toothy smiles disappeared from round the table, and I swear I saw a tiny drop of blood drip from the mouth of Matt Matayoshi.

Never content to leave things alone, Jay went on to say how important it was for the Port to spread the word that it was “business friendly”. In the past, such remarks signalled a need for increased public vigilance, as the phrase “business friendly”, in the contest of the Port usually means “environmentally unfriendly”. Why business and the environment continue to rattle ‘round Jay Hupp’s head in mutually exclusive patterns remains a mystery to me.

Perhaps, someday, our leaders will realize that environmental issues are deserving of attention, if only because all business depends on its condition. But such renaissance will likely require the absence of political ideology in the decision making process, and I don’t see any pigs flying out there, so don’t hold your breath.

That’s all I got...

Graphic: mediabistro.com