High Rock Raceway - Spencer, NC

[rkiser]

Hey guys, don't know if this has been mentioned but I just wanted to share this with everyone. This would be great especially since I am within 30 minutes of this location.

July 23, 2007

ZBA HEARING SCHEDULED FOR HIGH ROCK RACEWAY!

We need you at the Hearing on August 2nd

We are happy to report that our Town of Spencer, North Carolina, Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) hearing has been scheduled for Thursday evening, August 2nd, at 7:00 p.m. at the Town of Spencer Municipal Building Board Room (see below for address). This hearing is for the ZBA to hear and vote upon High Rock Raceway’s request for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to operate a Country Club Racetrack at its 200 acre property located at 2555 Highway 29 North in the Town of Spencer.

We would like to invite all of our supporters to attend this meeting and demonstrate to the Town of Spencer and the ZBA their overwhelming enthusiasm for High Rock Raceway. Your attendance at this meeting is important because we do anticipate opposition from Ann Brownlee and the Trading Ford Historic District Preservation Association and their lawyer, Darrell Fruth of the Greensboro, North Carolina law firm of Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP.

The Track is not on a Civil War Battlefield

Ms. Brownlee and her lawyer have made objections at prior ZBA hearings pertaining to High Rock regarding the details of our CUP application, such as the proper labeling of buildings on the site plan. They have focused on the details of the application in the hopes of stalling our efforts and deflating our will to move ahead with our project. With the help of our lawyers and site engineers, we have submitted an extremely well-detailed and complete CUP application. Once our application is found to be sufficient, Ms. Brownlee and her lawyer will be left to make their arguments regarding the issues at hand.

Ms. Brownlee claims that the proposed location of our racetrack is the heart of a Civil War battlefield. This is patently false and as Ms. Brownlee knows, and as we have confirmed with well-recognized experts in the field, the Civil War skirmish to which she refers took place on the railroad trestles near (but not on) our property. Ms. Brownlee is infamous for delaying projects in the Trading Ford area, including the planned construction of a new Interstate 85 bridge that was to cross the Yadkin River between Rowan and Davidson Counties and would have replaced the existing bridge – which was built in 1955 and is now considered functionally obsolete. Because the bridge has not been replaced, Interstate 85 now dangerously funnels into two lanes on each side of its Yadkin River crossing, causing numerous traffic accidents. What was initially a $175 million budget to build a new Yadkin River bridge is now estimated at $350 million.

Who is Stephen Horton and why is he helping Ann Brownlee?

Ms. Brownlee does not own land adjacent to High Rock Raceway and she is not a resident of the Town of Spencer. She has however demonstrated that she will go to any extreme to delay or stop projects in or around the Trading Ford area. She has in the past admitted that she receives little in donations to fund her cause, yet somehow she has retained Mr. Fruth, who has stated publicly that he is being paid for his work on this matter. We understand that a Mr. Stephen Horton of the Richmond, Virginia office of McGuire Woods Consulting originally hired Mr. Fruth on behalf of Ms. Brownlee. Mr. Horton is a lobbyist with McGuire Woods and works on behalf of conservative causes in Virginia.

Mr. Horton, who to our knowledge has never demonstrated any interest or concern whatsoever for historical causes in North Carolina, has stated that he is working pro-bono on behalf of Ms. Brownlee. Mr. Horton, who was Chief of Staff for the Virginia Governor, Republican Jim Gilmore (served from 1998 to 2002), worked within the Governor’s administration with Joshua Lief, who served as Secretary of Commerce for Governor Gilmore and is now General Manager of Virginia International Raceway – High Rock’s nearest potential competing venue to the North.

We will continue to move ahead!

Despite any obstacles to our progress that Ms. Brownlee, Mr. Fruth or Mr. Horton may attempt to throw in our way, we will move ahead with determination. We have in the past received the full support of the Aldermen and the ZBA of the Town of Spencer. Over 1,300 individuals have signed the Support the High Rock Raceway petition (see below for site address) and thousands visit our website (www.racehighrock.com) each month. High Rock Raceway represents the redevelopment of an abandoned textile mill and new growth in an area that has been long-neglected and is dire need of economic stimulus. High Rock will help spark growth in the surrounding area, will represent a significant increase in the tax base for the Town of Spencer and will bring racing enthusiasts from throughout the United States and abroad to the Town of Spencer.

WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUING SUPPORT!

PLEASE ATTEND THE ZBA HEARING ON AUGUST 2ND AT 7:00 P.M. AND, IF POSSIBLE, ARRIVE AS EARLY AS 6:30 P.M. TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT AS THE ZBA MEMBERS ARRIVE. FEEL FREE TO BRING PLACARDS DECLARING YOUR SUPPORT FOR HIGH ROCK RACEWAY!

THANK YOU!

Dave Risdon
majority owner and developer
High Rock Raceway

The Town of Spencer Municipal Building (Town Hall) is located at 600 South Salisbury Avenue (Highway 29) at the corner of Sixth Street in the heart of Spencer, North Carolina (phone 704-633-2231).

Go to http://www.petitiononline.com/hrir to view and/or sign the High Rock Raceway petition

http://www.racehighrock.com/

Make sure to sign the petition!

[DonRR]

Hell yeah I'll sign it!! Let the good times roll!!

[Hobert]

Pretty cool. Nice to have another track so close.

[JBeezy]

Looks like a great track. Does anyone know when this track is expected to be finished? It's a little further from me than VIR but I would definitely love to have it here.

[TRaGiK]

Not trying to be a pessimist, but I'll believe it happens when I see it. This "rumor" has been going on for atleast a couple years now...

[JBeezy]

at least we've got VIR

[rkiser]

Originally Posted by TRaGiK

Not trying to be a pessimist, but I'll believe it happens when I see it. This "rumor" has been going on for atleast a couple years now...

Yeah, I've noticed looking back at all the news stories. They are having issues with the historical group causing delays. They seem to be moving forward though with this meeting they are having next month. Lets keep our fingers crossed!

[get-bent]

Maybe we should kidnap the historical society members so they can't attend the conference

[TRaGiK]

Originally Posted by rkiser

Yeah, I've noticed looking back at all the news stories. They are having issues with the historical group causing delays. They seem to be moving forward though with this meeting they are having next month. Lets keep our fingers crossed!

I hope it does happen!

But isn't this also the second or third location someone has tried to put the track? Originally, I think it was scheduled to be built IN Charlotte...

[twofocused]

Me and all my friends signed the petition, who's next?

[rkiser]

The hearing is Thursday of this week! Me and my buddy are going and I urge anyone else that is interested to go! We can meet and ride there if anyone is interested.

[rkiser]

Stayed until 8 last night. It was a packed house so we were left in the parking lot with about 50 other supporters. Here is what the news paper says:

No checkered flag after debate over race track

Spencer zoning board delays decision on High Rock Raceway

By Steve Huffman

Salisbury Post

SPENCER — After listening to more than five hours of debate Thursday night, members of Spencer's Zoning Board of Adjustment decided one thing concerning the proposed High Rock Raceway.

They voted to come back next next week to decide the raceway's fate.

Thursday's mammoth meeting kicked off at 7 p.m. and stretched until the wee hours of this morning. When it was all said and done, no one on the Board of Adjustment argued with Chairman Jeff Morris' suggestion that they come back next Thursday to conclude the matter.

At issue is a request by Dave Risdon, the property's owner, for the town to grant a conditional use permit and agree to a pair of variances that would allow plans for the track to move forward.

A public hearing — coupled with attorneys speaking at length on both sides of the matter — didn't end until 11:58 p.m. Thursday. The majority of those speaking on the matter favored the track.

An overflow crowd spilled out of the meeting room and down the hallways of the Spencer Town Hall. Numerous people in the audience wore T-shirts that read "I support High Rock Speedway."

Parking was at a premium around Town Hall. Checkered flags and pro racing signs dotted the building's lawn.

Darrell Fruth, an attorney representing the Trading Ford Historic District Preservation Association, the group opposed to the track, argued against the conditional use permit and variances.

But more spoke in favor of the track, their words often followed by applause.

Rodney Whedbee, a Salisbury resident and former professional race car driver who owns land at the proposed track site said of Risdon's efforts, "I applaud them because they're going to clean it up and bring jobs to Spencer."

[JBeezy]

Geez. Sounds like there was a lot of support for the track. Hopefully it'll work out.

[rkiser]

WOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!

LETS GO RACING!
Town of Spencer Approves Conditional Use Permit


CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT APPROVED

August 9, 2007 - Spencer, NC - Tonight with a 5 member vote, the Town of Spencer Zoning Board Authority approved the High Rock Raceway conditional use permit. This clears the way for High Rock Raceway to start immediate construction of the race facility and proceed towards the Feb 2008 opening of the first dedicated road course in the State of North Carolina.

A complete press release will be issued by High Rock Raceway, so make sure you check back to read about what is next for High Rock Raceway.

We would also like to express our sincere and deepest appreciation to all of our thousands of supporters and we also like to thank all our corporate partners, for which this would not be all possible.

THANK YOU! ---- Now, let's go racing!

[PGood]

Sweet!!