The Cook County Board of Commissioners voted 3-1 Monday, Aug. 1, to rescind their recent majority decision to allow South Georgia Motorsports Park (SGMP) near Cecil to extend weekend hours.
The Commissioners acted on the zoning amendment to race track hours after a public hearing.
County Commissioner Jeff Lane, who represents the district in which the race track is located, made a motion to rescind the Commissioners’ May 16 decision to extend the latest time that SGMP may conduct races from 11 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The latest time for the races now reverts to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. County Commissioner Debra Robinson seconded the motion.
Commission Chairman Randy Lane then explained that a roll call vote should be conducted on the matter. Voting “yes” were Jeff Lane, Mrs. Robinson, and Commissioner Dwight Purvis. Randy Lane voted “no.” Thus, returning to the old hours passed by a 3-1 vote. (Commissioner Michael Dinnerman was not in attendance at the meeting.)
During the hearing, Zoning Administrator Chris Davis reported that the Greater Cook Planning Advisory Commission had voted 9 to 1 last Thursday to recommend leaving the time limit for races asis for a year, to see if there are any violations. Planning Commission members asked Davis if there had been any violations with the midnight time restriction. He replied no. Some Planning Commission members voiced concern that reverting back to the 11 p.m. restriction could leave the County open to legal action, especially if SGMP had already reached agreements with race promoters based upon the midnight deadline.
Davis said that since returning to the 11 p.m. deadline had been announced, only people associated with the race track had contacted his office; no other citizens in favor of the zoning amendment had contacted him. Several people attended a recent County Commission meeting to speak out against the midnight restriction for racing; due to the noise issue, they wanted the time dropped back to 11 p.m. At the Planning Commission public hearing last Thursday, Will Warren spoke in favor of reverting to the 11 p.m. restriction.
Wade Rich, president of operations at SGMP, was the only person from the audience to speak out during the County Commission’s public hearing, for or against the zoning change.
Rich said SGMP officials haven’t abused the midnight restriction and “don’t plan on abusing it. … Most of the time, we’d like to be out of there by 11 p.m.” The racers have wives and children, too, and they would like to be home at a reasonable hour, Rich said. He added that the midnight restriction gives SGMP time to complete races delayed by weather and crashes. “I run a tight ship,” he said. “Nine times out of 10, the races won’t go over 11 p.m. … We’re fixing to go into a bigger load of racing. I don’t want to constantly look over my shoulder, to know (the 11 p.m. deadline) is an issue.”
He said he has worked on events with the NHRA and other groups based upon the midnight restriction.
The Commissioners also have agreed that the ordinance changes should also include that the race track may have only three late-hour-violations (or “oopses,” as officials informally call them) during the calendar year, Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, with no penalties, (which is how Davis has been enforcing it) rather than three within a year’s time of each other.
Ozzy Moya of Orlando, Fla., owns SGMP, Orlando Speed World Dragway, Lakeland Dragway, and Emerald Coast Dragway
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