Monday, February 2, 2009
By the Way From the Dept. of Whoop-Dee-Shit: Racetrack Still Going at Fairgrounds
Posted by Tracy Moore on Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 11:37 AM
Comments (10)
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Real classy, Ms. Moore.
From your missive, I take it you're one of the "neighbors" of the speedway.
You also state that you've only been in Nashville about 10 years. So motor racing at the Fairgrounds only predates you by a mere 90 years.
Your lack of tenure in Nashville and ignorance of its history give you no standing to complain about that history, or the people and structures where that history occurred.
I also have to wonder about your intellect: who in their right mind would move next to a speedway, and then have the gall to complain about the noise? ...and expect to be taken seriously? It's sad that the Fair Board has taken those noise complaints seriously and hamstrung anyone who wants to make the speedway a financial success.
So, Ms. Moore, you've only got one more year to put up with hillbillies making noise in your neighborhood. The Fair Board has already thrown up their hands and decided to relocate the 2010 State Fair.
Say, maybe you and those "community organizers" who are behind the noise complaints can make the airport move. And there's a big train yard off Sidco. I live about 4 miles away from that and I can still hear those trains every now and then.
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" I live right by the racetrack, and I'll tell you what it means to this community member: noise. Open the windows, and hear the roar. Close the windows, and hear the slightly dulled roar. "
You're like those people who move next to an airport and then start complaining about jet noise.
You knew the track was there when you decided to move in so I don't see where you've got any standing to complain about it.
Thanks to you both for presenting the stupidest arguments in favor of the status quo.
If people who moved to the fairgrounds area after motor racing started there, what about people whose families have owned their houses in the area for generations? Do their opinions trump the people who are involved in the speedway? By your logic, they get to have the ultimate say. I had a coworker who lived in the house his grandfather built in 1910, when nothing louder than quarterhorses ran around that track, and he hated the fact that he couldn't have his windows open on race nights, pointing out that CARS HAVE GOTTEN LOUDER since he was growing up, and the constand noise makes houses in that central neighborhood worth less. This was a few years ago, but he wished the racetrack were gone.
So even conceding your point, you lose.
While we're at it, let's come up with lots of examples of pre-existing uses for land that trump your rights. Cow pastures? Open air drug markets? Toxic waste dumps?
Good points, DG.
Moving by the racetrack isn't quite the same as knowingly moving next to the airport, which is known for its constant, pervasive noise-generating.
Airport=jet engines, for cryin' out loud. Racetrack? Sure, you have some idea there'll be noise, sometimes, but it's hard to get a good sense of just how often and just how loud and just how annoying it will sound in your house with your stuff in it while you're trying to watch TV. It's not like checking the water pressure in the shower before you sign a lease.
And, at least the airport spent some $90 million in federal grants to, among other things, help insulate the houses in the area by providing them with double-paned windows. (Not that this has completely solved the problem for plenty of residents.)
It would supposedly only take a million to soundproof the racetrack.
Also, no one pointed out what the racetrack still does for the community yet.
"We'll see what a local boy can do with this track," said Buck Dozier, the fair's executive director.
Good grief.
Yeah, the problem with the fairgrounds has been all of those New Yorker and San Francisco people who have been running things.
{eyeroll}
"Airport=jet engines, for cryin' out loud. Racetrack? Sure, you have some idea there'll be noise, sometimes, but it's hard to get a good sense of just how often and just how loud and just how annoying it will sound in your house with your stuff in it while you're trying to watch TV. It's not like checking the water pressure in the shower before you sign a lease."
Yeah because it's physically impossible to ask some people who already lives there about it before you decide to move in.
As for you DG, I don't know what you imagine that your "rights" are but they don't include a "right" not to hear any racecars when you move in next to a racetrack.
Help Save the Tennessee State Fairgrounds/Race Track
If you do not keep up with the news, you may not be aware that the State Fair Board has been accepting proposals to move the State Fairgrounds here in Nashville and sell the property to developers. However, the Tennessee Legislature, back in 1909 when the Fairgrounds were first established, passed legislation to make any sale of the Fairgrounds illegal. The Legislature specified that if Davidson County wished to divest itself of the Fairgrounds, it could only be under certain conditions, and then the property could only revert to the original owners. The obvious intent was to bar Davidson County from making a “windfall” profit from the sale of property that belongs to the people of Tennessee.
However the current Fair Board, apparently in an effort to increase the Davidson County tax base, feels that it’s OK to attempt to side-step the Legislation and sell the Fairgrounds.
But even if it were legal to sell the Fairgrounds, it’s likely to cost more to move it and develop a new location than to leave it where it is and to make improvements on the current property. Further, the Fairground is surrounded by middle-class housing, which would likely suffer an additional tax burden if the proposed extensive new development were to take place. Most of the re-development proposals involve building condominiums and/or strip malls.
Currently the Fairgrounds are very centrally located for all the residents of Davidson County with ideal access both by public transportation and interstate connections. So far, the only proposal for the new location is on property in Bordeaux, near the county landfill. This would be a limiting factor as far as access to the Fairgrounds by the majority of residents. This central location is also a selling point for non-fair events such as the Christmas show, the flea market and other events.
The Fairgrounds also currently contribute to the local businesses such as restaurants, motels, and gas stations surrounding the property.
At this time, the top four money-makers for the Fairgrounds are the flea market, the racetrack, wrestling matches, and the annual State Fair. All of these would be impacted as far as attendance and participation if the Fairgrounds were moved to an outer part of the county. A non-central location would also be a limiting factor to increasing the non-fair usage for other shows and events.
The noise generated by the racetrack has been mentioned as a factor, but the racetrack has been there for over 100 years, with auto racing having over a 50 year history there. The racetrack has been there and in operation before any of the local residents moved into the neighborhood; therefore they were all well aware of any racetrack noise before they moved into the area. And there have been some recent improvements in the sound levels by limiting the practice times of the race cars and requiring mufflers to be installed on them.
The Fairground property itself is also rich in history, other than the history of the State Fair and the racetrack. That property is that last large portion of the original tract of land owned by John Rains, who came to this area along with James Robertson to found the city of Nashville. There was once a blockhouse fort on this property that supported the defense of Fort Nashboro.
Surveys taken of the local residents indicate an overwhelming majority wish the Fairgrounds to remain right where it is, and for improvements to be made to the property.
So why is the Fair Board even considering the illegal sale of the Fairgrounds? The only reason that seems evident, is that it would make a short-term profit for Davidson County.
But this short-term profit would be more than compromised by the additional tax burden on the local residents, the loss of income to local businesses, the loss of revenue due to a non-central location and the cost of establishing a new fairgrounds and all of it’s facilities. Not to mention the historical loss.
But this does not have to be. The Fairgrounds belong to you, the people of Tennessee, and you, the people can insist that the Fair Board and Davidson County follow the existing legislation and leave the Fairgrounds in its present location and make the needed improvements to keep it a viable property for the people.
You can do this by making your wishes known to the “powers that be.” If we the people write the Mayor, the City Council, the Fair Board— even the governor and your state legislators if you wish—then we can insure that the law is followed. Tell them that you want this property that belongs to the people to remain intact. The only changes that need to be made are improvements. Tell them to follow the law as it is written.
If we all stand together, we can be assured that this valuable asset remains forever the property of the people, and will be passed along to our children and our descendants, just as it has been for the past 100 years.
What a tangle web they weave. We are the side that no one talks to because we know the truth and they (the fair board) do not want to hear the truth. They are in big time violation of the city charter. But see no one will report on that. Just about the race track being to loud that is a joke. But any way you will probe read this and delete it like all the news people do because you do not want to hear the truth. But one day the truth will get to be told. Does anyone in this city care about history????
Fairgrounds Heritage Preservation Group
http://fairgroundheritagepreservation.webs.com
http://fairgroundheritagepreservation.blogspot.com
Great article. Is there a petition somewhere against the racetrack??
Lol about Logan's. Tell a lot about Nashtrash right? oops Nashville.
LOL about Logans indeed!! Although, I must say...100 Oaks looks WAY better than it did before!! I live right by the fairgrounds too and it's ANNOYING! The only people I've even known to argue for keeping the fairgrounds and racetrack are the people who race. I mean, have you SEEN the fairgrounds?!?! What an embarressing crap hole!!! It's terrible! I love living in Nashville!! So many parts of it have grown and been redone...beautiful!! But for some reason people keep wanting to hold on to "history" and really a lot of the "history" just ends up looking like a great big run down trailer park! Yuck! I'm all about historical preservation but seriously...the fairgrounds/racetrack don't fall into that catagory! They are a complete redo! Mow 'um down! Either start over with a NICE fairground/racetrack or move them somewhere else and develop the land so it's actually presentable and enjoyable to more than just racers.
