New Jersey Motorsports Park

[DaveITB1]

Hey Joe,

Just sent the Senator my letter.

Thanks for the heads up on bringing attention to the bill.

Keep your fingers crossed.




Dave

[PDoane]

Just heard on the radio this morning that the pilots are worried that the grandstand/lights/etc. would be distracting during landings.

The FAA approval was still pending.

Here is what an AC paper printed recently

Panel OKs special funding district for motorsports park
By SABA ALI, Staff Writer,
The Press of Atlantic City

(Published: November 28, 2006)

TRENTON — Plans for the motorsports park in Millville advance as legislation to help finance the project and federal approval to release the land used by the airport moves toward completion, city and state officials said.
Legislation to create a special sports and entertainment district in Millville that will generate revenue for projects such as the New Jersey Motorsports Park was unanimously approved by the Senate Economic Growth Committee on Monday.

Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew, D-Cumberland, Cape May, Atlantic, called the committee approval a tremendous victory for the region and the state. Van Drew, along with Assemblyman Nelson Albano, D-Cumberland, Cape May, Atlantic, were the architects of the legislation.

State Sen. Nicholas Asselta, R-Cumberland, Cape May, Atlantic, is the primary sponsor for the legislation in the state Senate.

The legislation could hit the Senate floor for a final vote as early as next month, Asselta said.

Once this legislation is approved, it will allow Millville to include an additional 2 percent sales tax on purchases made in the district. The revenue will be used toward paying for the project's infrastructure, Van Drew said.

“It is the biggest governmental jump-start for economic growth since what was done for Atlantic City,” he said.

The committee did require a few minor changes to the legislation before passing it through to the Senate.

The changes included wording to ensure there won't be any state guarantee of loans and that the district would not go beyond Millville, said state Sen. Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, chairman of the Economic Growth Committee.

Lesniak said the changes were minor and the specialized district funding for the motorsports project would not impose any burden on the state or on neighboring municipalities.

The district will enhance the economic development by providing a funding mechanism through private capital, he said, confident that it will receive approval from the Senate.

Lesniak said his optimism is driven by having seen the results of similar creative funding used in the case of the Jersey Garden Outlet Mall in Elizabeth.

Van Drew emphasized that revenue created by the district will come into the city when the park is operational and not in advance. The revenue would not be used for bonding purposes and would not affect taxpayers.

Approval for the funding district is needed for developer New Jersey Motorsports Park LLC to acquire a $5 million loan from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and a $2 million loan from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Van Drew said.

A majority of the $100 million needed to complete the park is coming from private investment. The legislation shows a commitment by the state in the future of the project, Van Drew said.

The city is also moving closer to completing both the land release from the Federal Aviation Authority and the munitions sweep, said Donald Ayres, the city's director of economic development.

Ayres said the mayor needs to sign off on the preliminary memorandum of agreement that sets up a protocol for handling any items of archaeological or historical significance found during construction.

The agreement is one of the final steps toward completing the environmental assessment, which will allow the FAA to release the land for the project.

A resolution for the mayor to sign the agreement could be included in next week's commission meeting agenda, Ayers said. Field work for the munitions sweep has also been completed and is waiting on documentation.

Developers and the city are moving closer to setting up a realistic date for construction to begin on the park, he said.

[Greg Amy]

Just heard on the radio this morning that the pilots are worried that the grandstand/lights/etc. would be distracting during landings.[/b]

Anyone that's landed at a major city airport (Nashville, New Orleans, Providence, Logan, etc) at night knows that it's not a unique scenario. Besides, how many night lights are there going to be at a club racing facility?

And, it's a non-issue during daylight hours.

The FAA's (and AOPA's) major issue with it are in regards to encroachment. This country is losing an average of a small airport per week to residential and commercial encroachment. The FAA/AOPA want to make sure this is compatible use, and that it's not "the camel's nose under the tent" of future complaints and closure. the knee-jerk reaction from the pilot community - a reaction learned from years of encroachment - is "NO!" Disagree? Shall I mention Riverside and Ontario Motor Speedway, as two examples?

However, it is also understood that any thing that can created a barrier to incompatible encroachment is a good thing. Pilot's LOVE to have warehouses, commercial, railrods, highways, and factories nearby, as no one wants to build houses there...

We'll see how it goes.

http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/region/2006/061130nj.html

[wdether]

There is good news from the NJ Legislature today. A bill (A3835), a slightly modified version of A1054 and discussed before, was introduced on Monday (12/11). The bill was voted on and passed in both the Assembly and Senate today (12/14). As far as I know, the bill awaits action by the governor. You can go to the website ( http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/ ) and download the bill (i.e. do a search on A3835). From the Legislature's website:

A3835 Authorizes creation of sports and entertainment district and imposition of additional taxes therein to finance development of sports and entertainment facilities.
Passed both Houses


Identical Bill Number: A1054 (2R) S313 (1R)
Last Session Bill Number: A4359 (1R) S2919

Van Drew, Jeff as Primary Sponsor
Albano, Nelson T. as Primary Sponsor
Fisher, Douglas H. as Primary Sponsor
Burzichelli, John J. as Primary Sponsor



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

12/11/2006 Introduced, 1st Reading without Reference, 2nd Reading
12/14/2006 Passed by the Assembly (48-30-0)
12/14/2006 Received in the Senate without Reference, 2nd Reading
12/14/2006 Substituted for S11
12/14/2006 Passed Senate (Passed Both Houses) (32-6)

Introduced - 13 pages PDF Format HTML Format


Bill Etherington
NNJR

[rsx858]

Havent heard a whole lot of buzz about this project on the forums but it certainly looks like a winner. 3.98 mile road circuit with 11 or so configs.

According to the site this thing will be operating by 2008, wonder if scca has an interest in this... especially given the recent $$ issues with limerock.

http://www.njmotorsportspark.com/htm..._circuits.html

[andrew240z]

From what I have heard all or most of the weekends are already booked. South Jersey region SCCA finally has its own track!!!

[lateapex911]

Reading the site, they say they will begain actual construction in spring 2007...well, it's that time...anything happening there?

[dtanthon]

http://www.scca-nnjr.org/NNJR_Race/NJMP_070622.pdf

Here are some newspaper articles on NJMP.

http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.d...D=2007706220307

http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.d...ID=200770621014

http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.d...D=2007706190317

[anthony1k]

Great news! Thank you for sharing.

[Mattberg]

Given they have the funding... That's a project that's got a chance as compared to the Palmer deal which is a total pipe dream concocted by some regional officials with shallow pockets. SCCA and the New England regions should be spending a lot of time with this track's management establishing long term relationship opportunities instead of chasing track ownership windmills at Palmer.

I'm sending in my $100 and application for a garage and contacted the home sales office about the condos. Anyone interested in going in on one of the condos? Love to see this facility happen!

[lateapex911]

As always Matt, you love making a chump of yourself. And as usual you provide the same total lack of facts to support your silly little insult fest. So who in the NE Region has stepped on your little weenie that you are trying to spite?

Really, grow some integrity for once, and make reasonable posts.

[RSTPerformance]

Matt your a real ASS

You might not like what we are doing on the other corner of the country from you, but you don't have to slam someone every friggen time you can... this thread is about NJMP, not Palmer or you.

Raymond

[PDoane]

The website said they broke ground this month.

[andrew240z]

I was on-site on Friday and they are moving lots of dirt and taking down trees. There was 8-10 big Tonka trucks getting after it...

[racerdrew43]

If Harvey Siegel is involved, you can bet the place will be a "class act" - reference VIR

[timelapseracing]

That's good news... :026: I'd like to see it get on the MARRS schedule too - it's only a little farther from me than Summit Point is.

Jason.

[Greg Amy]

Picked up from another race forum:

"Just attended the official ground breaking ceremony. Grand am is in and others, June 2008 projected opening."

[Andy Bettencourt]

Dear Santa:

Let Thunderbolt move forward without any glitches so it can be a NARRC track in 2008 and allow Matt to get that brain he has been wanting for years.

[jay05]

Doesn't the Lightning Course look a little like Nelsons Ledges?
Lightning

Nelsons Ledges

Can't wait to go. My old stomping grounds.

[lateapex911]

I thought I remembered a plan where the two tracks were combined, but this new plan shows them to be completely seperate. What are the different lengths? Also, anyone know the current status of Tamworth? It seems pretty stalled. I wonder what happened to the money some people invested.....