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Lucrative contract pushes dragway to close

Wesley LeBlanc
Posted 2/22/17

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A long-running dispute between the Green Cove Dragway and its opponents in town will come to an end next month when the dragway hosts its final event on March 11.

It has …

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Lucrative contract pushes dragway to close


Posted

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A long-running dispute between the Green Cove Dragway and its opponents in town will come to an end next month when the dragway hosts its final event on March 11.

It has been confirmed by the owner and operator of the Green Cove Dragway, Peter Scalzo, that the lease for the dragway was not renewed by Reynolds Industrial Park. This means that when the currently-in-place contract is up, the Green Cove Dragway will be no more.

According to Scalzo, the decision to not renew the lease for the dragway was strictly financial and comes with no hard feelings.

“We’ve always been here on a year to year lease so we knew that something like this could happen,” Scalzo said. “[McGowan] was offered an amount and a deal that they absolutely could not turn down.”

Currently, there is no confirmation on what that deal was or who it was with, but Ted McGowan, president of Reynolds Industrial Park, did mention that there was interest in the land.

“We have another tenant that wants the space,” McGowan said.

McGowan said he could not comment further on the subject as the discussion with the broker working on the deal is still taking place.

Over the past year, the dragway and some residents of Green Cove Springs have been at odds with each other due to the noise the dragway generates.

Peter Swanson, a vocal opponent of the dragway, believed that the dragway should have never been allowed.

“It is a shame that the track has to close, but it’s been obvious for a while that it never should have been allowed to locate in Green Cove Springs to begin with,” Swanson said.

Swanson, on multiple occasions, has called out for the dragway to be closed due to the noise it generates and, according to him, its negative effects on the city.

“Had they been clever and diligent, the track’s owner may well have moved on to another, more suitable location where his business could thrive,” Swanson said.

Scalzo said that the dragway noise issue was solved, per Green Cove Springs regulations in cooperation with the Green Cove Springs Police Department, and that the closing of the Green Cove Dragway has nothing to do with the noise levels the dragway generates.

According to Scalzo, this isn’t necessarily the end of the Green Cove Dragway either.

“When the new lease is done, we are going to be invited to come back again,” Scalzo said. “McGowan has assured me that if its available, I will have first right of refusal.”

Scalzo said much of the dragway will remain intact in the coming two years, including the concrete barriers and the track lighting, in the case the dragway does come back in a few years.

While some might be happy to see the dragway go, others are not.

Doug Freeman, a track photographer is sad to see the dragway end its run.

“I really hate to see it go,” Freeman said. “It was good, friendly, wholesome family fun.”

For Freeman, it was more than just entertainment. It was a way to keep our streets safe too.

“Closing the dragway will hurt the racing scene locally,” Freeman said. “It helped get some of the illegal racers off the street and into a safe venue.”

Scalzo, sad to see the dragway go but understanding of why it must, is thankful for the years of support he’s received from the town and the city council.

“I came in with something totally different and they were smart enough to look at this and say, ‘let’s make this happen,’” Scalzo said. “I just want to thank them for their support since day one and for allowing this to happen.”

He believes in the future of the dragway, even as its current run is coming to an end.

“This city, the council and its residents, have been very supportive and I hope to be back one day.”