Supporters of Proposed Drag Strip in Hudson Valley Speak Out
A proposed drag strip in Ulster County is causing the spread of some misinformation.
I told you earlier in the week about a proposed drag strip that if approved, will be located in Plattekill, New York. There are residents that are strongly opposing the drag strip citing many reasons that were provided to us.
After publishing our article about the drag strip, we were contacted by one of the people that are looking to get the strip approved by the town board to ask if we could possibly clear up a few misconceptions about the drag strip.
Neil Zimbaldi emailed me to answer some of the concerns that residents have about the drag strip. He told us that the drag strip will be a fairground style venue that will be available to the public to use for more than just drag racing. The site will feature an 1/8th of a mile drag strip that will be used for registered and inspected vehicles, dedicated racing cars with muffled exhausts, go-karts and r/c cars.
The venue will also be used to host other events including, car shows, swap meets, community events, charity fundraisers, specialized training for police, fire, EMT and much more.
Opponents of the drag strip have stated publicly that the track is an "Outlaw" track, but Zimbaldi told us that, "right now, people are racing on public streets. This facility will operate well within the law and all safety and insurance protocols will be implemented BEFORE any racing occurs.
People fighting the drag strip have also said that the track will have hours of operation from 8 a.m. through 10 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, Zimbaldi told us, "Yes that's when we'll be open, BUT these are the hours of operation NOT when racing will occur." He also said, "nobody will be woken up, sleep deprived or prevented from enjoying the area."
Zimbaldi ended his email with a note from the owners,
"Our proposed drag strip is much more than a place to safely and legally enjoy our passion for racing. It is a place to bring the entire community together no matter what interests, or lack thereof they may have. We feel extremely disheartened to have our own neighbors spread such falsehoods about plans and intentions. We chose this town to build because we live here too. Our businesses are here, our children go to school here and we pay taxes here. Lets work together to make this town prosper. Get these children off the streets, off drugs, TIKTOK, and video games. Let them and the grown ups enjoy their hobbies. We NEED this for our community as proven by the outpouring of support, lets make this happen!"