BY DAN TACKETT
THE COURIER
BY DAN TACKETT
THE COURIER
Weekly auto racing is coming this spring to the Logan County Fairgrounds.
But the first race could be the fair board's sprint to resolve safety issues with grandstand seating before the racing season begins.
The Lincoln City Council Tuesday granted B&H Racing Enterprises a special use permit, clearing the way for its two owners to construct a quarter-mile auto-racing track inside the half-mile horse track at the fairgrounds.
Still pending is a 10-year contract between the racetrack developer and the Logan County Fair Association's directors. But both Mason City resident Gary Baugh, a partner in B&H Racing, and Mike Maske of Mount Pulaski, secretary of the fair board, say only a few minor details remain unresolved before their agreement is finalized.
In preparing for a new weekly draw, the fair board is also looking at the safety of the grandstand, which is expected to see heavy use during racing season, Maske said. Armed with a structural engineer's assessment that the grandstand fails to comply with safety standards, the fair board is considering options to address the issue.
One item on the table is to demolish and replace the structure, which has dominated the fairgrounds landscape for decades.
"Half of it was built in 1937," Maske said this morning. "I hate to see that go. It's an icon, a big part of our past."
With or without weekly auto racing, the fair board was faced with addressing grandstand safety, he said.
"It's an issue that stands on its own. It's totally separate from the races," Maske said. "It's something we were going to have to do."
But with B&H Racing wanting to begin weekly Sunday evening races the first week of May, fair officials are giving the matter high priority.
Maske said the structural engineer hired by the fair board determined that the wooden grandstand confirmed what fair officials had suspected.
"It's probably OK, if you have 300 or 400 people in there, but if we fill that to capacity, like we do for the Demolition Derby (during fair week), we're just inviting trouble," he said. "The last thing we want to see is someone getting hurt."
Baugh and his partner, Norm Horn of Greenview, believe their racing programs will draw average weekly crowds of 1,500 people. They also anticipate promoting special racing programs that will pack the 2,800-seat grandstand.
Maske said the fair board basically has two options to ensure safe grandstand seating for race fans and fair-goers. "We're either going to put a Band-Aid on it or replace it."
With architectural fees estimated to range from $10,000 to $15,000, Maske believes temporary repairs could run as high as $70,000. That price tag has pushed the fair board into looking at replacement costs.
"But nothing's been decided," he said, adding that the fair board would meet next month to discuss both the racing contract and grandstand safety.
While a decision on the grandstand is pending, the fair board has decided to demolish the concrete grandstand stage to make way for the racetrack. The fair will utilize a portable facility that can be pulled directly in front of the grandstand, Maske said. The horse race track currently separates the existing stage from grandstand seating.
And, Maske said the fair board intends to have B&H Racing put together a racing program that will be featured one night during fair week in August.
Baugh and Horn, meanwhile, said they are already deeply involved in putting together a racing program for this year's season. They've lined up a liability insurance carrier and are contacting several Midwestern racing associations, hoping to attract drivers to the new Lincoln track.
"Building the actual race track shouldn't take more that two, two and a half weeks," Baugh said. "It's all these details that have to be worked out, things to get the track up and running, that are just overwhelming."
THE COURIER
BY DAN TACKETT
THE COURIER
Weekly auto racing is coming this spring to the Logan County Fairgrounds.
But the first race could be the fair board's sprint to resolve safety issues with grandstand seating before the racing season begins.
The Lincoln City Council Tuesday granted B&H Racing Enterprises a special use permit, clearing the way for its two owners to construct a quarter-mile auto-racing track inside the half-mile horse track at the fairgrounds.
Still pending is a 10-year contract between the racetrack developer and the Logan County Fair Association's directors. But both Mason City resident Gary Baugh, a partner in B&H Racing, and Mike Maske of Mount Pulaski, secretary of the fair board, say only a few minor details remain unresolved before their agreement is finalized.
In preparing for a new weekly draw, the fair board is also looking at the safety of the grandstand, which is expected to see heavy use during racing season, Maske said. Armed with a structural engineer's assessment that the grandstand fails to comply with safety standards, the fair board is considering options to address the issue.
One item on the table is to demolish and replace the structure, which has dominated the fairgrounds landscape for decades.
"Half of it was built in 1937," Maske said this morning. "I hate to see that go. It's an icon, a big part of our past."
With or without weekly auto racing, the fair board was faced with addressing grandstand safety, he said.
"It's an issue that stands on its own. It's totally separate from the races," Maske said. "It's something we were going to have to do."
But with B&H Racing wanting to begin weekly Sunday evening races the first week of May, fair officials are giving the matter high priority.
Maske said the structural engineer hired by the fair board determined that the wooden grandstand confirmed what fair officials had suspected.
"It's probably OK, if you have 300 or 400 people in there, but if we fill that to capacity, like we do for the Demolition Derby (during fair week), we're just inviting trouble," he said. "The last thing we want to see is someone getting hurt."
Baugh and his partner, Norm Horn of Greenview, believe their racing programs will draw average weekly crowds of 1,500 people. They also anticipate promoting special racing programs that will pack the 2,800-seat grandstand.
Maske said the fair board basically has two options to ensure safe grandstand seating for race fans and fair-goers. "We're either going to put a Band-Aid on it or replace it."
With architectural fees estimated to range from $10,000 to $15,000, Maske believes temporary repairs could run as high as $70,000. That price tag has pushed the fair board into looking at replacement costs.
"But nothing's been decided," he said, adding that the fair board would meet next month to discuss both the racing contract and grandstand safety.
While a decision on the grandstand is pending, the fair board has decided to demolish the concrete grandstand stage to make way for the racetrack. The fair will utilize a portable facility that can be pulled directly in front of the grandstand, Maske said. The horse race track currently separates the existing stage from grandstand seating.
And, Maske said the fair board intends to have B&H Racing put together a racing program that will be featured one night during fair week in August.
Baugh and Horn, meanwhile, said they are already deeply involved in putting together a racing program for this year's season. They've lined up a liability insurance carrier and are contacting several Midwestern racing associations, hoping to attract drivers to the new Lincoln track.
"Building the actual race track shouldn't take more that two, two and a half weeks," Baugh said. "It's all these details that have to be worked out, things to get the track up and running, that are just overwhelming."
