Great Lakes Dragway in WI CLOSING?!

I don't know if you guys are aware of this but most states now have laws where there can never be another Drag Strip under Construction.
In Arkansas there is a Drag Strip that was built and ran into this law,, but won after a lengthy procedure when they allowed only regular street cars to run with no modifications.
Let me know back if you know more about this in your State. This is another angle or part of the destruction of the American Lifestyle. No more head in the sand stuff saying it isn't real. It won't go away. You can delete my posts but America is still being destroyed and soon.
http://www.two-laneblacktopdragstrip.com/index.htm There was a long description of the battle somewhere on this site.

 

do we gotta be residents of the city or state to go to this?

 

I would say out of staters making the drive would be a definite help. It brings tax dollars to their county.

 

AND the Hunnert Car Heads UP!

 

You don't have to be a resident of Wisconsin to attend. If you are a fan of drag racing, or motor sports in general, you can attend. To answer an earlier query, Capt. Bob and Arlo know of this and I think they will attend to see what's up. This issue comes up every year for the past couple of years. In my opnion (not real sure on this), but since it is out in the boonies in the middle of corn fields, I think maybe some developer is looking to buy nearby land and is pushing the town board into making it difficult for GLD to comply with any regulations they might put forth.

 

...hope all goes well for the track; GLD is as traditional as it gets!

 

I received an email from the Chitown Racing forum about this same thing today.

If someone goes, it would be interesting to hear a report regarding the proceedings. I love town meetings (not.)

 

Having lights on when the sun is not out disturbs the widdle aminals.

 

The Grove is in the middle of no where ! with everything else going on in the world can't these people leave us alone !! Hotrods and drag racing are as American as it gets ... are these people against Americans? Who are these people? are they Americans? maybe thier is something they love we can all vote on to take away from them ... but you know what ? Hot Rodders would not do that because we are cool and respect others interest and individualism.

 

I don’t want to sound cynical however if we are trying to preserve Hot Rod culture
Can someone in the area bring back Skips Fiesta & Oswego Dragway
My track of choice

 

It's sort of like wind generator pollution, except instead of some spinning blades annoying the $#!* out of you, bright lights annoy the $#!* out of you.
Worse yet is politician pollution, where some dumb fuck talks out of his ass about something he knows absolutely nothing about.

 

ok just got back from the meeting. what a bunch of BS!! they fuckin hired these asshats to do sound tests in various places. they used a decibel meter and to give people an idea of decibals they did a base room reading WHEN WE WERE ALL SILENT! and it was about 65. they put the graph up on the wall and the reading at the nearest point after the tracks reading was LESS THAT OUR SILENT ROOM! about 50 decibals. they also said 4 people complained about the noise, and didnt even answer the question as to where the hell these people lived. a lawn mower makes more noise than anything outside of the track, and if they put sound ordinance in the town it could effect farmers too with there combines and such. they were BSing more then we actually discussed the issue, and they cut us off early. all we can do is hope.

 

I just got back from the meeting and that was exactly what happened. I don't get it?

 

...Reminds me of a Bumper sticker I once seen..."Politicians and Diapers have to be changed for the same reason"

 

Did they mention if another meeting was going to take place and when?
I know a lot of folks from that area who would go with some notice given.
I'll have to make sure my friend (whose dad is one of the larger farmers with combines) gets the info. Bet they would be interested too.
I started going to that track in 1968 and still know people who race there.
Too bad I'm in Florida, I'm getting on the phone tomorrow. I may have a good source in Florida too....GRRRRRR

 

"no more meetings" they said that we could check there progress and happenings on there website because "they aren't trying to be secretive"(when they tried to keep this meeting hush hush.. yeah right!)

i also think one of the asshats dropped the ball at the meeting when he mentioned a "super walmart" the mayor or whoever it was running the thing just about turned bright red.

also, they kept saying "no one complained about the upcoming landfill" yeah most likely because they didnt mention it. the landfill here in northern IL smells like HELL when you drive by, i cant imagine living near one.

 

I just joined HAMB today. The reason this is a bummer is that I just spoke with my buddy who happens to live 2 miles from GLD and since he didn't mention anything to me, I have to assume he didn't know anything about this BS. You guys are right on - some small town councilperson has a God complex and quite simply does not like the possible presence of people in their town. Hence the Light Pollution bullshit. Of course the track has been there much longer than anyone on this pathetic board, but since they are adult children incapable of rational or critical thought, they see GLD as a detriment to their idea of a quaint town on the outskirts of Milwaukee. These are the same types of folks who get a great buy on a home in S. Minneapolis (toward my neck of the woods) only to discover that SHIZAMMMM!! They can hear airplanes and shouldn't the airport - or really, the taxpayers - soundproof their homes that they got a deal on because they have to be inconvenienced with jet noise, even though they knew full well that the home was priced accordingly because of airport noise? WTF!!! Good luck to GLD and Union Grove.

 

Thanks for the reply. I'm going to ask my friends up there to keep their eyes on the web-site and I'm betting they know the folks from Kenosha on the board.
Wal-Mart, oh yeah everyone needs more of those, one on every corner...yes!!!
(sorry for the rant)

 

i was just thinking to myself too that the silence that could be heard in the yard of there homes.... how the hell would anyone be able to hear that inside the house?!?!??!??! ridicules crock of $hit.

 

The comedian Gallager tells a funny story about solving the noise problem around airports. Similar deal, the airports were built out in the sticks and then overcome by folks who want to live or work near them. Solution: let only the deaf folks and those hard of hearing live around those locations! Gary

 

Thanks for posting the results of last nights meeting. If in fact someone has plans for a more lucrative (read tax money) use for the land, you folks up there will have a hard time keeping it from happening.
We had the owner of a piece of property in the next town over want to sell it for a Wally World. The community fought it for several years, spent quite a bit of money, and the boys from Arkansas finally moved on to another location. My point is that it took several lawyers from the community, working for free, to fight it in the town council and in the county court.

 

Here's a report from a friend of a friend who attended. I copied this from another site.

_____________________________

Went to the Paris Town Hall Meeting last night and there was a fantastic show of support. I saw alot of IMSM racers there. People were packed in the hallways. It was great to see how many people care about what happens at great lakes.

The town board hired a lighting and noise consulting firm to map sounds eminating from different sources, however their focus was on the noise coming from the track. It was a real scattered presentation by this consulting group. They mapped out and identified different noises levels and pressures from crickets (yeah crickets) to race cars.

They presented the village board with two drafts of noise ordinances for their consideration.

There were 5-7 families interviewed and some of them complained about the noise coming from the track. They did this study on labor day weekend, like one person said, thats our 4th of July.

There were several racers that spoke very well to the support of the track. The q and a period was cut short by the village even though racers had more questions. It was a very controlled and limited to feedback.

Great Lakes ownership was there represented by council. I'm not sure of how they did at the meeting at 7pm?? I assume they presented their arguments at that time.

From what I gather the Village is considering adopting some ordianance covering noise and light polution in the area. They have not made a decision yet. I don't think they are considering of NOT having an ordinance--

How about a discussion regarding ideas to show further support....petitions, emails to the village board members, other posting sites, speed channel (Dave Despain), NHRA support, email lists of racers, whoever we can reach out to lets do it
Just want to make sure that everyone does it in a positive,supportive way that will hopefully help the track Just think of the major expense us racers would have to deal with to get mufflers and exhaust systems on our cars.........or how about just giving the complaining neigbors ear plugs for christmas if it bothers them so much.


ps the mere numbers of racers that showed up last nite had to help a little...but you know how our government is they do what they dam well please at times. Keep up the support!!!

FROM THE KENOSHA NEWS:

Study finds Paris drag strip’s noise level isn’t very loud
BY DENEEN SMITH
dsmith@kenoshanews.com

PARIS — A sound study shows that noise levels near the Great Lakes Dragaway on race days are only slightly louder than the sound of normal conversation.
That’s according to engineering firm Bonestroo, a Mequon company hired to study sound pollution in the town and recommend possible ordinances to address sound and light pollution.
Results of the study were revealed during a special Town Board meeting Tuesday night, attended by about 100 people, most of them drag racing fans.
The Town Board called for the study after a series of contentious meetings involving Great Lakes Dragaway, with some residents near the race track complaining about noise levels on racing days.
Bonestroo set sound monitors in Paris during two weekends in September, measuring sound levels in 15-minute increments over six days. The monitors were placed on properties near Great Lakes, near Pheasant Run landfill, the We Energies power plant and near the Kenosha Beef factory.
Richard Osa of Bonestroo said the sound study, conducted during two weekends when there was racing at Great Lakes, showed sound levels peaked off the drag strip at about 70 decibels A-scale.
As a comparison, he said, the sound level of normal conversation is about 65 decibels, while 140 decibels is a sound loud enough to cause hearing damage.
Osa said municipal ordinances typically limit daytime residential sound levels at about 65 decibels, with nighttime levels at about 50 decibels.
Dan Feldt of Bonestroo said that while the study measured sound, what people consider a nuisance noise is more subjective.
“I know that for a number of the people here the sound at the drag strip is not noise, it’s entertainment,” Feldt said. “What we did here is monitor sound; how it is perceived by people is going to be a matter of perspective.”
People in the audience questioned the study and the town’s intent to create a noise ordinance.
“My concern is, and probably the concern of everyone in this room, is that you are going to draft this ordinance trying to target Great Lakes drag strip,” said a man who described himself as a professional drag racer from Bristol.
He suggested the board instead limit residential building near the race track.
The board voted to have the town’s attorney work with Bonestroo to create draft ordinances to govern sound and light pollution, with the draft ordinance presented at the January meeting.
The board has set a Jan. 15 deadline for written comments at the town hall.

 

Sounds like a political ploy to me. The way I see it is if they close the track, a lot of the racers will go back to street racing which is ironic that a track that was started to control the danger and noise of street racing is too noisy. The track was there before the people. If they don't like noise, why did they move there knowing very well there's a track there???

 

I grew up about 5 miles from GLD. I remember when I was a kid, I could hear the jet cars fire up....That was about it. It would be a shame to see it close - It truly is in the middle of nowhere an probably was there long before the neighbors that are complaining about it.

 

Mike hit the nail on the head. but someone said they try this every year...so i guess for now i don't see any problems or it closing

best thing we can do is visit whether spectator or racer and enjoy the history

 

What about doing a Facebook page...."Save Great Lakes Dragway"???? If someone gets me the information they want displayed, I'd be glad to post it on there. Could put links on several other hot rod/racing pages.

 

Same thing happened to us in Charlotte. A dragstrip built in 1959 at the request of our Sheriff to get street racers off the highway was annexed into the city limits 40 years later and was shut down due to noise ordanance violation. I didn't think it could happen because it was grandfathered. I was WRONG!!

 

Screw it, I'm going to make up a Facebook page based on what I know about the track from here and get it rolling. I'll post a link on here for anyone who is on Facebook and wants to show support.

 

Screw it, I'm going to make up a Facebook page based on what I know about the track from here and get it rolling. I'll post a link on here for anyone who is on Facebook and wants to show support.

 

Unfortunately, if this an every year occurance, at some point, the owners will run out of money or energy to keep fighting the battle. The residents around the track probably start this fight every year, knowing they'll win sooner or later.
It maybe is grandfathered in, but many times those grandfather clauses only extend to the current owner, leaving them unable to sell it to another party interested in keeping it operating as a racetrack. My Father-in-Law has found this out with his Body Shop. It was once out in country on the family farm when his Dad started it back in the 50's. Now 50 years later, it's in the middle of a residential area. He is grandfathered in, but if he tries to sell it, or dies, the property reverts to being zoned residential!