The meeting between the Warren County City-County Planning Commission, lawyers for both the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park and Residents Against Motorsports Track Noise (the group representing the Clark Circle neighborhood that has brought up noise complaints) and two rooms filled with people watching with curious intent lasted for nearly four hours as both sides turned what was supposed to be a basic meeting into a courtroom situation, with lawyers arguing for their clients followed by cross-examinations.
The following issues were brought up by the City-County Planning Commission:
1. That NCM Motorsports Park is being operated not only as a recreational and educational track, but as a commercial racetrack (ie. in the same league as Beech Bend or Kentucky Motor Speedway).
2. NCM Motorsports Park does not detail any parking space, including camping and RV parking.
3. NCM Motorsports Park has not submitted a lighting plan.
4. The proposed noise abatement structures do not utilize the standards that reflects staff’s understanding of NCM’s intent, since the structures proposed are based on a noise standard that does not meet the original intent. Additionally, the planning commission wants a noise-monitoring system along the perimeter that is accessible publicly 24/7.
5. Directional signs are not in compliance with standards.
6. As-built landscaping is in question of compliance.
7. Property isn’t completely surrounded by a fence.
What ended up happening was that there was a short discussion of whether or not NCM Motorsports Park is a commercial track, followed by a very lengthy and tedious discussion over whether or not the track’s noise study, compiled by Bowlby and Associates, accurately measured track noise before and after the noise abatement berm, garages and Holley control tower were in place. There were arguments over the 10 decibel “substantial noise increase” level used by Bowlby and Associates and whether or not that was an adequate measurement. There were arguments over whether a one-hour measured noise reading was appropriate or if it was a way to dilute the noise to an acceptable level. The original noise evaluation study used prior to the track’s construction was called into question, with Residents Against Motorsports Track Noise attorney Chris Davenport slamming the report, claiming that the original sound study was flawed enough that it should not have been considered during Bowlby and Associates’ study.
During the public comment session, several individuals came up to speak. Matthew Tabor, a real estate agent in Bowling Green, pointed out that properties within a half-mile of NCM Motorsports Park have experienced a 340% increase in value since the track was put into place. Thomas Miller, a Clark Circle resident, blasted the City-County Planning Commission, accusing them of putting “profit before people”, and called out the majority of the room, saying, “…those who do not live there and are not affected by the noise, sure, I’m sure you are for (the track)…but it affects me. It affects my family. I live there. We aren’t cars. We aren’t Corvettes. We are human beings.”
After hours of discussion, the City-County Planning Commission’s action was to table the motion until a third-party team can assess the issues that the Commission has with NCM Motorsports Park, noise included.
In my home town we had some obnoxious ner do wells complaining about a motorcross track in the county, ‘Its so loud, dusty…’ and in the county, they were in the city limits. It shook out that the city sound limits are 90 decibals at a property line, county has no such limits, actual readings were around 50. Jerks lawyered up, wrote a new law that was in violation of both city and county code and won anyway.