In the best news we have heard in some time, Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park has announced an agreement to enter into a study with the Ohio Dept of Transportation regarding the lighting system. The track abuts a small airport and recently the SMP lighting system and specially some of the poles in the shut down area of the track were challenged as being illegal. The track was actively defending itself and the fact that making major alterations to said system like moving the poles was not feasible nor financially possible. It seemed like a very ugly impasse had been reached.
Yesterday news broke that the impasse was broken and the ODOT would be working with SMP to execute a study on the lights and what their impact is to air traffic, if any. The poles will be outfitted with flashing red lights and reflective tape as an initial step and the study will go from there.
It should be noted that at least one of these suddenly problematic poles had been in place for 20 years! The story below tells the tale and delivers the happy news.
Here’s the full story right from Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park –
As an immediate step, both parties have agreed that the poles will be marked with red beacons and striped with reflective tape to ensure visibility for pilots approaching the Huron County airport. One of the poles has been in place for nearly 20 years, while the other two poles were part of a $400,000 lighting upgrade at the park last year.
Good news. Norwalk is by far the nicest track I have ever been to.
Sad to say: this is business as usual in Ohio. When I got my shop we checked the Zoning Regs. We planned to repair vehicles, run a towing & storage service as well as part cars out. We were with in the State regs & laws, the local Zoning Laws, Fire Regulations. The only sticky point came a few years later then the Brush was removed from a neighboring field. I then had to put privacy weave in the chain-link fence.
With out Warning the Fire Department suddenly wanted to be able to drive around the building in a fire truck. Local Zoning gave us issues. That was after the land lord split the title so he could put half of the in-used land of the ‘business park’ for sale. That second parcel, not the one I was on, was with in 600 foot from the corner to an abandoned house. I had to get the property map/drawings proving the division of lands and show that I was more then 1/4 mile away from said house.
I had the shop for 11 years. In that time the state changed the process for titles on vehicles for mechanics liens and towing services about 15 times. Leaving us with vehicles stuck in a legal lurch. Then the constantly changing rules, not laws, the state imposes on the scrap metal yards. The requirements to scrap something can change with out a law being passed. They have to abide by it, and force the people they buy from to deal with it.
Some Police Departments here in Ohio can’t follow threw on paperwork with the state to let one get a title either. A problem another towing service we did work with had a major issue on. Having to store cares 4+ years was part of their down fall (huge overhead).