The Kansas City Star from Kansas City, Missouri • 6

I 1 Tht Kansas City Star Wednesday February 19 1997 JO Gardner has second thoughts drops bid for racetrack! Get more Information about NASCAR and voice your opinion on whether the Kansas City area would support a NASCAR racetrack when you visit The site at httpfwwwkansas cltycom kansascitycom hurt the chances of winning theproject means we will continue to move Marcusse said sure there are other sites that will be of International Speedway has not said what financial incentives it wants from Platte County The county also has not determined how much in infrastructure improvements would be required to accommodate the track Speedway has indicated they would want some sort of a tax Eskridge said a county with a little over a $6 million budget and this is a huge proji would be fairly Kansas City International AiftOfi Clay County also had expressed interest in the racetrack threw support behind Pldtie County after learning that the project would require more than S50 million in new roads and infrastructure improvements Yet seme in Clay County have not loll all of hope of landing the project County should watch taro-fully what happens in Platte Presiding Clay County Commissioner Tom Brandon said Tuesday they are elimihaUd br withdraw we should start negotiations once Jim Thompson executive'dinro-tor of Wyandotte Development i Inc said officials there would study the possibility of makirig a bid for the track in order lo keep Kansas in the running rt Wyandotte County planners looked at the project last fall- and decided it didn't fit their deuslop-menlplans Eskridge said noise from race cars was not as bad as she had expected The Kansas City delegation and International Speedway officialsmet in the company board room a short distance from the track were well into this meeting and I realized that there was background noise from the Eskridge said was not disruptive It wasn't like a continually loud Eskridge said commissioners had not received complaints from residents opposed to a track Home-owners near the proposed Platte County location also should not be a problem Few homes are in the area which already is designated as a noise abatement zone for the airport Eskridge said Bob Marcusse president of Kansas City Area Economic Development Council which has led efforts to woo the track said pullout probably would not If Platte County is successful the track would become the second major deal the county has landed recently Last summer Harley-Davidson Motor Co announced plans to build a 300000-square-foot manufacturing plant near Continued from A-1 too much noise "We realized 'he ((iardner) site was too close to residential development" said Mayor Carol Lehman who said the Daytona Beach trip played a large role in the City unanimous decision In a written statement Tuesday the council said "Alter careful consideration the Gardner City Council has decided that the site is not suitable to support a major speedway due to insufficient infrastructure and the proximity of residential Strong opposition to a track was building amongresidents of Gardner In addition to worries about the impact on the quality of life there were concerns about the tax breaks and other incentives needed to lure the project to a site near Interstate 35 and 175th Street The city was looking at more than $40 million in inducements before ending the effort Ballou a Republican from (iardner said he drove the streets of Daytona Beach for more than three hours Friday and talked with many merchants and citizens there Daytona Beach has 62000 people compared with about 4000 in (iardner Ballou said he could hear the noise from the speedway more than four miles away and traffic was bumper-to-bumper even with streets and highways that were sometimes 10 lanes wide a mile and a half or two miles it (the noise) would be irritating" he said adding that most of Gardner would be within two miles of the proposed track Before leaving for Daytona Ballou said everyone he met in (iardner wanted to talk about the track and 90 percent were opposed He said it was even splitting families a basketball game Friday a New OUthe Park Century AirCenter Hi i WEAAEU) frAi DOWN which is based in Daytona Beach and owns the track there and several others ft sponsors NASCAR races A track in the Kansas City area would provide seating for 75000 people with a later expansion to accommodate another 75000 By comparison the Daytona track is 25 miles long and has stadium seating for 120000 with more room available on the infield International Speedway Corp announced late last year that it was scouting Kansas City Chicago and other cities for a site for a mediumsized professional raceway Officials at the corporation could not be reached Tuesday The Platte County site would be near Kansas City International Airport Local economic development leaders have said the track would be on 1200 to 2000 acres and cost up to $200 million Platte County Commissioner Diza Eskridge who also toured the Daytona Beach track said the trip heightened her interest in the speedway proposal seemed to be a very well-or-anized well-run operation" Es-ridge said definitely interested It appears a race track would have a major economic impact on our IC1 CD KU moff thtn it sf ci'llulir OS "os I ESSES I 175th St Gardner DAVE EAMES The Stir man came up and said put him down in favor of Ballou said "His wife turned around and said cancel his out and put her on the no side" Ballou said Gardner was already one of the fastest-growing cities in Kansas and the metropolitan area have to have a racetrack so people can have jobs eat and pay their he said The 15-mile track under consideration for the Kansas City area would be built and owned by the International Speedway Corp Activation Call About Our As You Plan No Deposits No Credit Checks No Contracts Senator defends diversion of donations aiMtetMM 816-436-1717 Ovartand Park 913-383-6585 lndpndnc 816-478-7800 Th Associated Press Wiikdays to Sat10 00am to 1 Ati ht ton Soujhm uni On i Mooni Systems in 94 95 fun non Knowlwci aiu Saits Staff than $300000 to help finance the election of three Republicans to the New York Supreme Court Otter applies to new S8MS cellular service lor a minimum ol 12 months on selected rale plans Requires activation charge credit check and possible deposit Price ol phone will be higher without service activation Cannot be combined with any other otter Limited lime otter Some conditions mapffjj in it i ill The New York Timex on Tuesday reported that some donations made to the National Republican Senatorial Committee which led ended up in the campaign coffers of Pataki Rather than putting the money into the committee fund to be used in Republican Senate races around the country the checks were deposited into one of two state-level accounts the report said Some were given to a New York State Victory Committee that made a $19 million campaign donation to Pataki and donated more A GREAT TIME EVERY TIME WASHINGTON Sen Al-fonse defended the directing of federal campaign contributions for Republican Senate candidates to New York Gov 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