NASCAR Or NWEAA?

Authorities in Snohomish County say they think they have the "inside track" on a new NASCAR speedway that could be built near Marysville (WA). There's just one problem. It would be built right next to Arlington Airport, often cited by ANN as one of the best aviation facilities in the country.

The Snohomish County Business Journal quotes Marysville Mayor Dennis Kendall as saying, "We see this track as a centerpiece for additional economic development in north Snohomish County. How is that area going to be developed? Like a Kent Valley filled with warehouses and light industrial businesses, or with this track as a master-planned site that will contribute more economically with only a few races a year than all of the other types of piecemeal development that could go there."

But what about the airport, home to the world's third-biggest EAA fly-in? Kendall tells the Business Journal he doesn't think it would be affected at all by the proposed NASCAR track. In fact, he suggested the airport might benefit from the construction of a multimillion dollar race track nearby "if the track spurs additional air traffic that leads to establishing a permanent control tower and an instrument landing system." What the Mayor conveniently forgot to mention, though, were the restrictions to flight that often come when large numbers of persons gather together at public events... i.e., excessive flight restrictions.

Now, wait a minute. Do airport tenants and fly-in attendees really want this thing?

Dan Tarasievich says no. In a letter written to Arlington Mayor Margaret Larson, the owner of Para-Phernalia, a highly respected maker of emergency parachute systems, said, "In my opinion the addition of a NASCAR track with its noise, pollution, and over 70,000 spectators will destroy our quality of life here (even if it is for just 3 times a year)!"

Then there's the issue of TFRs in place over major sporting events -- like NASCAR races. Marysville Chief Administrative Officer Mary Swenson told the Snohomish Business Journal, "Experimental planes will still be a huge part of that airport. ... The ISC said it will not operate the same weekend as the Arlington Fly-In (which draws 50,000 visitors each year)... also, even under FAA rules for restricting airspace during a NASCAR event, planes can still take off and land, they just can’t fly over the stadium." [or within several miles of it, if a TFR is in effect...--E-I-C]

The Arlington Airport Commission sides with Tarasievich in opposing the construction of a NASCAR track near the airport. Mayor Larson and the Arlington City Council are leery, but have reportedly taken a wait-and-see attitude -- contrary to the position held in Marysville. But pilots and business operators at Arlington seem uniformly against the development, one local flyer noting, "with all the problems we have staying in business and/or using our airplanes, the last thing we need is another way for the powers-that-be to restrict our freedoms. This is a disaster in the making."

Stay tuned...

FMI: www.ci.arlington.wa.us/airport