Plan Includes Many Benefits for Tamworth

TAMWORTH —Club Motorsports has released its operational plan for its Valley Motorsports facility to be built on the side of Mt. Whittier on Route 25 in Tamworth.  Copies of the plan are available for people to review at the town offices and Cook Memorial Library. Copies were also sent to Tamworth selectmen and planning board.

According to a letter the company sent to selectmen along with the plan, "The purpose and spirit of this document is two-fold. First, the operating plan provides specific details on the construction, operation and management of the facility. 

We have taken the extra step and covered additional topics that were not included in the operating plan submitted to the Army Corps. Second we provide greater detail on the economic benefit package and additional programs that Club Motorsports' will provide Tamworth and surrounding communities.

"It is our sincere belief that given the opportunity to build and operate the facility, Valley Motorsports Park will provide a number of benefits and become a great asset for the town."

The operating plan and economic benefit package is also available on the Club Motorsports website at www.clubmotorsports.com. (and is attached to this page as a PDF)

The operating plan includes information on sound levels, days and hours of operation, typical usage and off-season usage, lighting, security, emergency services, and maintenance, among other topics.  A section on economic benefits includes information on anticipated taxes, job creation, effects on local businesses, a safe driving school and the creation of funds for development and education in Tamworth.

In a letter sent out to Tamworth residents announcing the availability of the operating plan, Club Motorsports President Lloyd C. Dahmen highlighted some points from the operating plan, including:

• The course will be open from mid-April to the end of October, during daylight hours.
• Normal hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Sundays the course will not' open until 11 a.m.
• The course will not be plowed in winter months, but will be open to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
• Snowmobiles may cross the property, but will not be allowed on the road course.
• Sound will be limited to a maximum of 99 dBA per vehicle, measured instantaneously at 50 feet from the road course, and an average of 92 dBA at 50 feet from the course.

Dahmen also addressed controversies within the town over noise limits and a pending lawsuit over whether the company will have to apply for a permit from the town.

"The appropriate sound level is perhaps the largest item of controversy surrounding this project because of the complexity of measuring sound and its propagation characteristics as well as many common misconceptions. It's important to stress that the Army Corps has reviewed our hours of operation and sound levels contained in our operating plan and they feel the plan is fair to all parties.

We are fully aware of the sound ordinance passed at town meeting in March 2004 that specified 69 dBA measured instantaneously at the property lot line. We have consistently stated that this extremely low limit is unreasonable and unworkable, as evidence by the fact that this restriction would prevent us from even mowing our lawn at the lot line, or driving a car onto our property.  

At the appropriate time and before we operate, we are going to ask the town to re-examine this issue through and open discussion.

Again, we believe the sound limits reviewed and accepted by the Army Corps of Engineers are workable and reflect considerable study. We ask the residents of Tamworth to consider all the facts with an open mind, and to treat our facility in a fair and equitable manner as it relates to other commercial operations in town," he wrote.

As to the lawsuit, filed by Focus: Tamworth and scheduled to go to trial in December, he wrote, "We recognize that there is a current disagreement regarding certain local permits that may or may not be needed by CMI. We are working to resolve that issue, but we are very encouraged that state and federal regulators have concluded their rigorous reviews by granting our project the major required permits."