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PIR Under Attack: City Council Considering Closure/Relocation (VOICE YOUR SUPPORT!)

C

Cbender

Registered Member
Joined
5 March 2004
Messages
46
Hi All,

In case you've not yet heard about this, there was a proposal recently from the Portland City Council to investigate closing and/or moving PIR. I've written the City Council to express my objections. Pls. consider doing the same thing. The email addresses are:

[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

In addition, I have posted my objections on Mayor Tom Potter's blog. You are welcome (and encouraged) to do the same. You can find the mayor's blog here.

Best,
CBender
 
Re: PIR Under Attack: City Council Considering Closure/Relocation (VOICE YOUR SUPPORT!)

Bump, just to keep this on the radar. Pls. consider writing to the Council and posting your thoughts on the Mayor's blog. Thanks.

CB
 
Re: PIR Under Attack: City Council Considering Closure/Relocation (VOICE YOUR SUPPORT!)

Thanks, John, for the post. I'm sure your words say most everything that needs to be said for the rest of us, but political decisions are often made on the basis of the number of voices, not the quality or persuasiveness of their arguments. Thus, I hope others on NSXPrime will consider voicing their support and adding to the numbers of racers and auto enthusiasts -- from NSXPrime, S2Ki.com, Miata.net, EliseTalk.com, and many of the car clubs that use PIR -- who have stood up against this proposal.

While the closure or relocation of PIR is (in my view) unlikely, I very can see local north PDX residents using this to gain traction to impose restrictions on the operations of the track. Those restrictions could result in a drastic reduction in track days for car clubs (that generate less revenue than big ticket events) or a curtailment of hours, such that the track couldn't go hot until mid-morning and would have to close by mid-afternoon. Those outcomes could be worse than relocating the facility, and yet would still appear as a "compromise" solution, politically.

CB
 
Re: PIR Under Attack: City Council Considering Closure/Relocation (VOICE YOUR SUPPORT!)

Thanks CBender and John taking the time to do that, but with my limited time to read the link, isn't the mayor just trying to find a "better place" for a new track?? While I appreciated the fact that PIR is just right over the WA/OR border, but I do think that the gridlock going back to WA around 4-6'ish is annyoying at times...

As long as they keep PIR open till the new track's done... I guessed it won't be a bad news right??
 
Re: PIR Under Attack: City Council Considering Closure/Relocation (VOICE YOUR SUPPORT!)

Look at Pacific Raceways. It is essentially in the middle of absolutely no-where, and still they have to adhere to noise ordinances to keep a few neighbors happy that live right smack next to it.

Even the Pocono raceways which is about as far from anything as I've ever seen has to deal with it.

Frankly, the bottom line is that race tracks generate noise. Just like amusement parks and concerts generate traffic, rush hour congestion, etc..

It is a fact of life, and it is implausible to make everyone happy. Due to the legal climate here in the US, every dissenter gets a loud voice.

The thread rages on about economic benefit and sanctioned bodies and schedules- and all of this crap that isn't even core to the central issue. Imagine that steam if they wanted to run a 24 hour enduro there. Perhaps some of the posters aren't aware of the off-road vehicle problems being waged in CA right now.

This isn't an issue specific to PIR really. Owners right to use their land vs. neighbors rights to intervene and assert limited use is being waged fiercely everywhere right now. The simple fact that PIR is owned by the state only ups the stakes.

Personally, I see no quick remedy over night- but long term I think the solution is that all land titles need have zoning for noise levels in db printed right on them, so that when a property owner makes a purchase they can be assured of their rights of fair use for all time, and other prospective purchasers can be made aware during inspection of adjacent properties.
 
Re: PIR Under Attack: City Council Considering Closure/Relocation (VOICE YOUR SUPPORT!)

NSXDreamer2 said:
Thanks CBender and John taking the time to do that, but with my limited time to read the link, isn't the mayor just trying to find a "better place" for a new track?? As long as they keep PIR open till the new track's done... I guessed it won't be a bad news right??
Click to expand...

Others may have different views on this (and they may be right), but my read of this is that (i) the Mayor is only responding to the loud voices of a relatively well organized group of residents (that's what politicians do when pressured -- set up a committee to study the issue), (ii) moving the track isn't economically viable (way too expensive) or logistically/legally possible (no available tracts of land that won't generate legitimate protests by those already there), but (iii) it's a great strategy for local residents to gain political traction to impose tight restrictions on the operations of the track that could substantially curtail club activities (that don't generate big bucks) and limit operational hours (such that a track "day" could wind up running from 11AM to 3PM). That's my big fear -- as the "optics" are good. It appears to be a compromise solution. Local residents will feel as if they got something for their effort. Users of the track, on the other hand, will have been screwed.

CB
 
Re: PIR Under Attack: City Council Considering Closure/Relocation (VOICE YOUR SUPPORT!)

Will this affect NSXPO 2008???
This might be a good reason to only award 1 NSXPO at a time :cool:
 
Re: PIR Under Attack: City Council Considering Closure/Relocation (VOICE YOUR SUPPORT!)

I think the odds of ANYTHING happening as a result of this are about zero. Truth be told, the racer community, once organized, is likely to throw around a lot more political clout than one (relatively small) neghborhood in north Portland. I wouldn't worry in the least about the impact of this on NSXPO.

CB
 
Re: PIR Under Attack: City Council Considering Closure/Relocation (VOICE YOUR SUPPORT!)

PIR is a major fixture in the PacNW motorsports scene, considering how much history PIR has (especially during the Rose Festivals)... I just can't see Portland getting rid of the track considering it brings in CHAMP and ALMS and the thousands of spectators, besides the numerous track days used by SOVREN, SCCA, and IRDC.

If anything, the good ol' boy club in SOVREN will be enough to fight to keep PIR open.
 
Re: PIR Under Attack: City Council Considering Closure/Relocation (VOICE YOUR SUPPORT!)

Cbender said:
I think the odds of ANYTHING happening as a result of this are about zero. Truth be told, the racer community, once organized, is likely to throw around a lot more political clout than one (relatively small) neghborhood in north Portland. I wouldn't worry in the least about the impact of this on NSXPO.

CB
Click to expand...

If they shut it down, we will just autocross through those neighborhoods for NSXPO!:biggrin:
 
Re: PIR Under Attack: City Council Considering Closure/Relocation (VOICE YOUR SUPPORT!)

Optikal said:
I just can't see Portland getting rid of the track considering it brings in CHAMP and ALMS and the thousands of spectators, besides the numerous track days used by SOVREN, SCCA, and IRDC. If anything, the good ol' boy club in SOVREN will be enough to fight to keep PIR open.
Click to expand...

Optikal, I don't share your confidence. In recent years, PIR has gone from generating big bucks for Portland to breaking even, and big ticket events have NOT generated the sorts of gate revenues they did in the past. Without the economic argument, the City Council will evaluate the issues differently.

So, PLEASE, write to the Council and post your thoughts on the Majoy's blog. It'll take you less time to do that than it will to post to this forum....:redface:

CB
 
Re: PIR Under Attack: City Council Considering Closure/Relocation (VOICE YOUR SUPPORT!)

Here is another opportunity to lend your support to PIR. A local business paper is sponsoring a poll about it. Thanks.

- Nguyen

Please cut and paste (as-is) the below url. Thanks.

tinyurl.com/qden2
 
Last edited:
Re: PIR Under Attack: City Council Considering Closure/Relocation (VOICE YOUR SUPPORT!)

System error

error: Can't use an undefined value as a HASH reference at /usr/local/bizj/htdocs/common/poll/index.html line 94


Nguyen Nguyen said:
Here is another opportunity to lend your support to PIR. A local business paper is sponsoring a poll about it. Thanks.

- Nguyen

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/poll/index.html?poll_id=1188&hbx=e_du
Click to expand...
 
Re: PIR Under Attack: City Council Considering Closure/Relocation (VOICE YOUR SUPPORT!)

Please cut and paste (as-is) the below url. Thanks.

tinyurl.com/qden2

Thanks.

- Nguyen
 
Re: PIR Under Attack: City Council Considering Closure/Relocation (VOICE YOUR SUPPORT!)

Cbender said:
Optikal, I don't share your confidence. In recent years, PIR has gone from generating big bucks for Portland to breaking even, and big ticket events have NOT generated the sorts of gate revenues they did in the past. Without the economic argument, the City Council will evaluate the issues differently.

So, PLEASE, write to the Council and post your thoughts on the Majoy's blog. It'll take you less time to do that than it will to post to this forum....:redface:

CB
Click to expand...

Done!
 
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