Caution Flags on Road Course - An opinion

June 25, 2019 1:00 a.m.

Nestled in western Massachusetts, the rural small town of Palmer is no stranger to noise. Calling itself the land of seven railroads and near a busy interstate highway exchange, the idea of a private road course club seemed to be a good way to build revenues and stimulate the economy.

After a fitful startup, this flagship $20M, 2.3 mile driving track called The Palmer Motorsport Park, broke ground in 2013 and began operation in 2015. Despite using state of the art sound mitigation devices and muffler baffles, the noise of the track drifted off its site on Whiskey Mountain and raised the ire of the residents of three local towns: Palmer, Ware, and Warren.

Within months the club was embroiled in a lawsuit for breaking numerous environmental laws and ignoring permitting requirements. Ultimately, the track owners had to pay $450K and purchase 200 acres of additional buffering land.

Residents in Ware complained of “intolerable” noise. A Warren resident declared that while on her front porch or working in her garden “there are times that I feel like I’m sitting in the stands of a NASCAR race”.

The Palmer town zoning enforcement officer had to file a lawsuit in 2017 over a disagreement about how noise levels are recorded. A judge stepped in to force track owners into compliance.

Now more noise litigation is pending. Previously residents had warned their local officials of the “racket” cars would produce and their worst fears were realized. One citizen stated to a local paper that he “ran into a neighbor protesting the noise who said practically in tears how their Ronden St neighborhood used to be so much fun with neighbors barbequing and socializing outdoors, and how now they can’t even escape the noise indoors”. Another resident enjoying a walk in the woods on a Sunday reported “the noise sounded like 10 thousand mowers going off at once.”

Palmer is not alone in this unenviable situation. In 2008 in Thompson, New York the ultra-exclusive Monticello Motor Club opened up in the idyllic countryside outside this small town, on an old airport. A dozen years and at least one successful lawsuit later local residents declare the noise is still “unlivable”, and “on a clear day you could hear the buzz 2 miles away and it’s not a good buzz.”

Club Motorsports, another exclusive private road course, was built in 2017 near the rural community of Tamsworth, New Hampshire. Residents 3 miles away cry that the noise is “in your face”. Litigation is threatened. Though the official decibel limit of the course is just 69 dB, one resident laments “this background noise just eats at you.”

Presently, back in Palmer, there is a move to actually close the course down. Will this latest challenge work? My guess is it won’t. Once built, it’s built. I fear that it is too late for the residents of Palmer, Ware, and Warren. But, is it too late for us?

Ask our City Commissioners to keep these towns’ experience in mind. They may want to throw down more than a caution flag on a road course racing to a new lease at the airport. Hopefully our Commissioners will not allow a Palmer, Thompson, or Tamsworth to be the future of our island.

Editor's Note:

Daniel, who retired from the military, moved to Amelia Island with his wife in 2014 after having lived "down island in the Caribbean." After searching both coasts of Florida for a place with tranquility, a laid back style, and a nostalgic small town charm, they found it on Amelia Island. Their home, in the unincorporated area of Amelia Island, abuts the Egans Creek Greenway.