At the City Council meeting on May 17, Mayor Bob Lingl stunned the city by moving to stop any further work on the Motorsports Park planned by ex-mayor John Linn since 2012 for a site between the airport and the river east of V Street.
The motion was supported by Councilmembers DeWayne Holmdahl and Victor Vega. It has become clear that the Motorsports Park Committee, headed up by ex-mayor John Linn and chaired by appointed Councilmember Mosby, would not have funds to proceed with their portion of the development costs leaving the city to carry the load and liability. Then at the next council meeting, councilmember Starbuck asked that another vote be placed on the agenda for the June 7 meeting.
There are many state and federal agencies that must weigh in on this Motorsports Park in the proposed location with their restrictions that can impact the outcome of the environmental impact report (EIR) that was underway. The result is not assured. Funds spent on the EIRs will mean less for the park itself. In addition, a federal EIR is required with new costs. There are several organizations that will have a say in the project, especially the FAA.
The project is very nebulous financially and no business plan has been developed or submitted by the Motorsports Park Committee to show that it will be viable in the future.
Most city residents are not aware of this giant liability on them for the benefit of a small self-serving group supported by a majority of the present councilmembers. To date, there are no written agreements between the city and the state over the funding they are to provide.
The Motorsports Park serves only a small group of people from out of town, racing at the expense of the many. Lompoc does not need a racetrack. City police have had no reported problems with local street racing. For just a few, the majority must pay for their fun. No way!
Any funds spent on this project come from the city’s general funds, which could otherwise be used to plan for a new fire station or police station, which are both sorely needed and will benefit all.
Rumors have it that Councilman Jim Mosby and ex-mayor John Linn are both planning to run for the City Council this November so they can use the city government to vote through the Motorsports Park—you betcha. Mr. Mosby is having “transparency meetings” to get public attention for his election. In the meantime Mr. Mosby is opposing any efforts for a new fire station. He has a poor sense of city priorities. He seems to think he knows more about fire station design than the fire chief does or his professional architect does.
Ex-mayor Linn has a terrible reputation with the city employees as well as city voters. Neither the one-term mayor nor the appointed Mr. Mosby should be considered for the City Council in the future. A vote for them is a vote for more costs for the Motorsports Park and city liability.
This article appears in Jun 9-16, 2016.