Tamworth May Become Home for a Racetrack

By Trish Anderton on Tuesday, August 19, 2003.

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A PROPOSAL FOR A 14-MILLION DOLLAR SPEEDWAY IS CREATING CONTROVERSY IN THE SLEEPY NORTHERN TOWN OF TAMWORTH.

BACKERS OF THE PLAN SAY THE SO-CALLED "COUNTRY CLUB FOR CARS" WOULD BRING MONEY TO THE TOWN.

BUT OPPONENTS FEAR THE TRACK WOULD PUT A NOISY END TO TAMWORTH'S RURAL CHARM.

NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC RADIO'S TRISH ANDERTON REPORTS.

AMB

IT'S A PERFECT EVENING FOR A COOKOUT.

WE’RE IN A FIELD NEXT TO TAMWORTH'S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

CATERERS ARE GRILLING BURGERS AND SQUEEZING FRESH LEMONADE AS NEIGHBORS CHAT.

BUT THIS IS NO ORDINARY PICNIC.

IT'S SPONSORED BY CLUB MOTORSPORTS INC., OR CMI.

IT’S PART OF THE CLUB’S PUBLIC RELATIONS EFFORT TO BUILD A PRIVATE AUTO TRACK IN TOWN.

SCOTT TRANCHEMONTAGNE IS CMI'S SPOKESMAN.

HIS TOP PRIORITY TONIGHT IS SIMPLY EXPLAINING WHAT A PRIVATE AUTO TRACK IS.

001 26 the best way to envision this is think of a country club but instead of for golfers, its for motor sports enthusiasts.

TRANCHMONTAGNE EMPHASIZES THAT THE TRACK WILL NOT BE LIKE THE NEW HAMPSHIRE INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY IN LOUDON.

HE ARGUES IT'LL BE A LOW-IMPACT AND RELATIVELY QUIET PLACE ON A 250-ACRE, TREE-COVERED PLOT.

it will not look like oval track, not a spect facility, it won't have stands or seating. it is a euro style road course, a winding ribbon thru woods, 3.3 mi long where enthusiasts can exercise their vehicles, as they say.

THE TRACK WOULD CATER TO RECREATIONAL DRIVERS WITH SPORTS CARS LIKE BMWS AND MAZDA MIATAS.

TRANCHMONTAGNE SAYS THEY WOULD ALL BE ROAD-REGISTERED, WITH MUFFLERS.

HE SAYS THE TRACK WON'T MAKE ANY MORE NOISE THAN THE HIGHWAY NEXT TO IT, ROUTE 25.

THAT MESSAGE WILL BE REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES THROUGHOUT THE EVENING.

21 090 we're just about ready to begin, everyone

AFTER DINNER TRANCHMONTAGNE INTRODUCES STEPHAN CONDODEMETRACKY, CMI'S FOUNDER.

CONDODEMETRACKY PROMISES THE TRACK WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE TOWN'S ECONOMY.

HE SAYS THE CLUB WOULD PROVIDE 40 JOBS AND PAY AS MUCH AS 350-THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR IN PROPERTY TAXES.

26 100 we will put no requirement on town svcs. // 27 00 we will not contribute one child to schools. we will not impact town in any other way than contribute to tax rev. put the noise issue aside,and this is a v signif pos to town.

CONDODEMETRACKY PROMISES THE COMPANY WILL HIRE LOCALLY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

HE SAYS HE'LL MAKE THE TRACK AVAILABLE FOR DRIVER'S ED AND POLICE TRAINING.

AND HE PLEDGES TO CONSULT WITH LOCAL RESIDENTS ON THE CLUB'S APPEARANCE.

at the end of the day, heres what i'm hoping. that we'll be good corporate citizen. that when you drive by, someone will say, wehre's the facility and you'll say over there. you missed it.

BUT SOME TAMWORTH RESIDENTS ARE SKEPTICAL THAT A GOOD RACETRACK CAN REALLY MAKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR.

KLAES THELEMARCK IS A MEMBER OF CITIZENS FOR THE OSSIPPEES, A GROUP THAT'S FORMED TO OPPOSE THE TRACK.

SITTING ON THE BACK DECK OF THE LOCAL COUNTRY STORE, THELEMARCK SAYS NOISE IS A TOP CONCERN.

they say it wont be louder than 25. i can hear 25 at my house. that's traffic i can hear occasionally. if there will be cars racing in 60 minute stints all day, that's signif noise.

THELEMARCK QUESTIONS THE CLUB'S FINANCIAL CLAIMS.

AFTER ALL, HE POINTS OUT, EVEN IF THE FACILITY COSTS 14-MILLION DOLLARS, IT COULD BE ASSESSED FOR LESS.

HE'S ALSO SKEPTICAL OF THEIR PROMISE TO BE INCONSPICUOUS.

they say they won't be visible but they're selling it as a view of chocorua. if you can see chocorua from there, the bldgs will be
visible. its gotta go both ways. itll be unsightly.

road amb

THE STRETCH OF ROADFRONT CMI HAS IN MIND CERTAINLY ISN'T PRISTINE.

THIS PIECE OF ROUTE 25 NEAR MT. WHITTIER HOSTS LOGYARDS AND THE TOWN TRANSFER STATION.

RICK VAN DE POLL IS A BIOLOGIST AND A MEMBER OF CITIZENS FOR THE OSSIPPEES.

HE HASN'T WALKED THE LAND WHERE CMI HOPES TO BUILD.

IT’S PRIVATE PROPERTY.

BUT HE'S DONE EXTENSIVE STUDIES OF THE OSSIPEE MOUNTAIN RANGE.

HE SAYS IT'S LIKELY THERE'S SOME OLD GROWTH FOREST ON THE CMI LOT.

there are ridges running down from whittier that effectively haven't been cut. the last fire in 1874 took everything out. the forest that grew back hasn't been altered.

VAN DE POLL NOTES THAT THE RACETRACK WOULD SIT ON THE STATE'S LARGEST AQUIFER.

THAT PRESENTS CONCERNS ABOUT THE RUNOFF OF GASOLINE AND OTHER POLLUTANTS.

BUT VAN DE POLL IS DOUBTFUL THERE ARE ANY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES THAT ARE SERIOUS ENOUGH TO STOP THE PROJECT.

HE SAYS HIS OWN BIGGEST WORRY ISN'T ABOUT A SPECIFIC BIOLOGICAL IMPACT.

IT'S ABOUT HOW THE TRACK MIGHT CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE VIEW THE OSSIPPEE MOUNTAINS.

we've got half of ossippees under conservation. this will have most signif impact not just on qual of life but changing use of whole ossippee mtns. making it commerical industrial.

IT'S THAT IMPACT THAT SEEMS TO TROUBLE CMI'S CRITICS THE MOST.

THEY FEAR THE OVERALL EFFECT ON THE AREA'S QUALITY OF LIFE.

IT'S ALSO THE IMPACT THAT'S HARDEST TO PREDICT.

BUT CONCERNS OVER THE TRACK HAVE REVIVED A HOT ISSUE IN TOWN: ZONING.

TAMWORTH DOESN'T HAVE ANY.

TRACK OPPONENT KLAES THELEMARCK SAYS ZONING IS ESSENTIAL TO STOPPING THE TRACK AND CONTROLLING FUTURE DEVELOPMENT.

i've heard from st planning people that this area has a big bullseye on it. its gateway to white mts. if the twon doesn't incorporate tool for planning, when is it going to come in, that all of a sudden people will say hey we're in trouble.

BUT TAMWORTH HAS REPEATEDLY REJECTED ZONING.

LONGTIME RESIDENT PAT DAVIS HOPES VOTERS WILL KEEP REJECTING IT.

because i don't want anyone telling me what todo with my property. and i know with zoining - it costs money. it comes right back down to money.

DAVIS FEELS THE RACETRACK WOULD GIVE TAMWORTH'S ECONOMY A BOOST.

SHE SUSPECTS OPPONENTS ARE USING THE TRACK AS AN EXCUSE TO PUSH FOR ZONING.

THE TOWN IS SCHEDULED TO VOTE ON EMERGENCY TEMPORARY ZONING IN OCTOBER.

CMI SAYS IT'S CONFIDENT IT CAN WIN APPROVAL EVEN IF THE MEASURE PASSES.

MEANWHILE THE AUTO CLUB IS APPLYING FOR PERMITS.

AND IT'S ALREADY BEGUN SIGNING UP MEMBERS.

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP FEES RANGE FROM 5 THOUSAND TO 25 THOUSAND DOLLARS.

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