Back in January we wrote in this space that we questioned the ability of an ad hoc committee to do all that was necessary to determine if a drag strip was feasible in the area.
We based that on the fact that, as of that point, there were nine open positions on the committee and also on the long list of expectations that seemingly would require some professional expertise beyond what one might find on a volunteer committee.
But this week’s meeting showed promise, enough so to say that our earlier prognostications were off target. It happens.
First, there was a pretty good crowd of folks from various parts of the state who live and breathe racing and are more than casually eager for a place to race their cars and watch others race.
One Pine Bluff resident said he had been into racing for about 40 years but has to travel quite a ways away to get his racing fix.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We’ve been asking for this for a long time,” the man said. “I love it, and my family loves it, and I would love to see a track here in Pine Bluff before I die.”
Someone from Stuttgart said there are a lot of people who like to race but nowhere to do it.
Second, there’s almost a full roster of committee members, eight by our count, one appointed by each council member. And the ninth will be appointed by the mayor. That’s a whole lot better than zero members.
Those nine certainly have their jobs cut out for them. They are being asked to figure out if a track is economically feasible, what the benefits would be to the local community and where a track could go. They also have to draw up rules and regulations for the construction and operation of the track, produce a timeline for construction, estimate the operational costs, project the number of jobs that would be created by a track, and identify potential stakeholders and investors.
And the clock is already ticking. The committee members are to be finished by Feb. 22. Those 11 months will go quickly, but if they’re determined, they can do this, especially with Alderman Joni Alexander as team captain.
“Once I get on something, I’m on it,” she told the audience.
Best wishes as they speed along!