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The Oklahoma City council is set to declare State Fair Speedway obsolete and ask for bids for the facility's demolition.

 

A vacant State Fair Speedway in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, December 16, 2009. Photo by Bryan Terry

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Oklahoma City Council set to declare old speedway obsolete

An item on Tuesday morning's council agenda is a resolution that says the 56-year-old speedway is in "disrepair" and is "a potential hazard to the health and safety" of local citizens.

The resolution would declare "the need to dispose of" the speedway's grandstand. A companion item would start the bidding process for demolition work, which is set to start in August.

Mayor Mick Cornett has said the track would have required about $400,000 in immediate electrical repairs before racing could have been safely conducted this year.

Track promoter Lanny Edwards has said city officials and the State Fair board have been trying to get rid of the track so they can replace it with a more profitable facility.

Read more: http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-council-set-to-declare-old-speedway-obsolete/article/3472171?custom_click=headlines_widget#ixzz0sGXk1Hok

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands 
in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he 
stands at times of challenge and controversy." 
Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Erich Petersen 

Posted By: catpuppy on June 29 2010 at 12:55:36 PM The Oklahoma City council is set to declare State Fair Speedway obsolete and ask for bids for the facility's demolition.   A vacant State Fair Speedway in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, December 16, 2009. Photo by Bryan Terry Multimedia Photoview all photos Oklahoma City Council set to declare old speedway obsolete An item on Tuesday morning's council agenda is a resolution that says the 56-year-old speedway is in "disrepair" and is "a potential hazard to the health and safety" of local citizens. The resolution would declare "the need to dispose of" the speedway's grandstand. A companion item would start the bidding process for demolition work, which is set to start in August. Mayor Mick Cornett has said the track would have required about $400,000 in immediate electrical repairs before racing could have been safely conducted this year. Track promoter Lanny Edwards has said city officials and the State Fair board have been trying to get rid of the track so they can replace it with a more profitable facility. Read more: http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-council-set-to-declare-old-speedway-obsolete/article/3472171?custom_click=headlines_widget#ixzz0sGXk1Hok

"...so they can replace it with a more profitable facility..."

And why is that a bad thing? I hate to see any race track close, but a recent Time magazine article pointed out that most states, cities, and towns are broke due to declining property values and declining revenue. Today's USA Today has a front page article about several towns cancelling 4th of July Fireworks because thay cannot afford to spend the money. Almost everone is affected by cuts in services, be it roads and road repair, libraries closing, or any reduced public service.

Racing in a niche sport that requires a specialized facility; I'll bet if Lanny had to buy a track, and spend some of the millions that he hauls out of Tulsa each year, he'd be singing a different song. It's time that we accept the fact that the municipal governing bodies in this country have to survive... or we'll see anarchy!

Chuck.....

Lots of great and not so great memories at OKC.

- Seeing my first WoO race was there in 1981

- Watching Carson beat USAC was priceless

- Lee Brewer winning his first WoO race

- All those 100-incher NCRA races there on the half mile

Chuck, it is not a bad thing to make money. However, the belief is that the track will be replaced by a convention center that is aimed toward the horse industry. There are beliefs that there are alot of you pat me on the back I will pat you on the back within the city government. People have gone as far as call it a legalized mafia.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands 
in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he 
stands at times of challenge and controversy." 
Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Erich Petersen 

People have gone as far as call it a legalized mafia.

AKA....POLITICS!!!

TSA...It's not a GROPE...it's a Freedom Pat!