WOW.. What a night.

Went to the meeting about the town of Old Bridge N.J. trying to inact a noise ordinance on the track. That would be DEVISTATING to that track and all tracks in New Jersey.

There was about 600 to 700 people there. 90% Race fans.

150 people had signed up to talk. Only had time for about 30 people though.(25 pro raceway and 5 pro noise reductions)

It got a little roudy at times, there was cops there to keep it civil though.

All in all I would say the assemblyman knew we were there.

I would say - Raceway Park 1, town folk 0

I am sure this will NOT be the last meeting and we need to keep supporting the track we use so frequently.

VINNIE

 

well thats good to hear!!!!
hopefully they WON'T do anything since the track was there first!!!

If I lived in that area I would have been there!!!!!


you gonna be at atco next weekend????

 

Vinnie, good looking out for your race bro's & sisters!


Suavy

 

good to hear there may have been some positives out of it.

Never did understand people who knowingly buy a house NEAR a racetrack and then complain about noise.

O_o

 

I really don't have a problem with noise reduction

My track requird mufflers on wednesday and friday when they run in the night time. On Sat and Sunday when the track is open durring the day you can run open exhaust systems.

To me this is a good compromise, that allows us to race, and people who live close by to to enjoy their house.

 

Hey Don, E-town already has some very strict noise level rules in effect for Fridays & Saturdays.

These bastards want mufflers on ALL cars at ALL times and they want the current allowable noise level to be made even quieter.

As far as I'm concerned, we are already compromising trying make them happy, but it's just never enough with these people.

See ya-
Mark.

 

Glad to hear the news. The noise restrictions already in place are just crazy strict, and they wanna go quieter. Something about these kinda people annoy me. When you bought your house you knew the track was there and the cars noise didnt matter to you, but now that you are there it does...reminds me of the people here on LI that bought their house right next to the LIE then complained and moaned about noise to have these huge sound deadening walls put up at the cost of everyone else tax money...



Josh

 

Dont even get me started, no noise equals NO TRACK, it's that simple, and thats exactly what happen here in NY, restriction after restriction forced NHRA/IHRA out and now there will be NO TRACK in NY (after this year)

Restriction close the race tracks, thats why the stuck up bastards fight for them. NHRA and IHRA WILL NOT be interested in a track with those rules, and eventually they pull out and the track loses money, and then before you know it, bye bye track, and hello another rich developer.

Good looking out V , I did my part and e-mailed the proper people last week, (cc to Eng Town) AMOF I was thanked by Eng Town themselves via e-mail. I also signed the petition and will do anything else I can, even it it means paying a personal visit to some of the nice quiet neighbors of these tracks to show them some REAL NOISE : o )

Guess what ???, buy a house build next to, (OR ON TOP OF) an old Dump, and it'll always smell like schitt. Buy one next to a Fire House, and it'll always be noisey, next to a school, and it'll always be vandalized, next to the Bunny Ranch, and your hubby will be ****** Bunny's .

WE WERE HERE FIRST, FRUCK THEM IF THEY DON'T LIKE THE NOISE.................

 

Did you guys all do monster burnouts when you left

--Joe

 

HERE'S THE STORY FROM THE LOCAL PAPER.....

Raceway Park fans shout down noise foes


Published in the Home News Tribune 8/06/04
By JAMES QUIRK
GANNETT NEW JERSEY

MANALAPAN -- In a raucous meeting last night that devolved several times into a shouting match, hundreds of people packed into the Monmouth County Library headquarters to voice their opinions on the issue of noise at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

Supporters of the park were there in force, waving photocopied signs on pastel paper that read, "I (love) to race, and I vote." Critics of the speedway were also among the 150 people who signed up to speak, although some in the audience said many opponents were intimidated by the crowd and chose not to voice their opinions.

The meeting was organized by Assemblymen Michael Panter and Robert Morgan, both D-Monmouth, in response to what they say have been a deluge of complaints from the 25,000 people who live within a three-mile radius of the park.

"I am not here as a supporter of the community or as a supporter of Raceway Park," said Panter, who was loudly booed after he introduced himself. "I am here as a supporter of both, because the two are not mutually exclusive."

Manalapan Mayor Beth Ward -- who sternly managed to quiet the animated crowd early into the meeting -- stressed the goal of the meeting was not to brainstorm ways to shut the speedway down.

"If we shut down Raceway Park, what's going to happen?" she said. "A couple of thousand of homes, which we need like a hole in the head."

Panter and Morgan contend that the New Jersey Noise Control Act of 1971 is aimed at allowing residents to live in an environment free of noise that can degrade their quality of life. The act provides specific noise thresholds that cannot be exceeded but exempts certain entities, such as automobile raceways like the drag strip at Raceway Park.

In 1981, an appellate court ruled that racetracks should not be exempt from the 1971 act. The court concluded that Raceway Park should be forbidden to emit noise exceeding 70 decibels during the day and 60 decibels at night. This ruling and a similar one in 2002 have not been enforced, Panter and Morgan say.

Many of the people who spoke last night said those neighbors who complain of the noise at Raceway Park should have known what they were getting into when they bought their homes near the 39-year-old facility.

Neighbor and Raceway supporter Stuart Lerner remarked that, in the words of his 12-year-old son, complaining about the noise "is like going into a swimming pool and saying, 'I knew it was going to be wet, but I didn't know it was going to be this wet!' "

Old Bridge Councilwoman Lucille Panos questioned how much money Manalapan spends in lawsuits fighting Raceway Park, and suggested "you're better off using that money and building a wall around the five people who are complaining."

Yet David Richardson, health officer for Manalapan, said measured noise levels have exceeded state standards over the years at the speedway.

Eric Zwirling, director of the Rutgers University Noise Assistance Center, said his company, Noise Consulting LLC, studied 560 events held at the speedway in 2001.

"Time after time, we found the facilities were not in compliance with those court orders," Zwirling said. As he struggled to be heard over a swelling chorus of derision, Zwirling added that 97 percent of the cars racing on so-called "street legal" days exceeded state noise limits, and many cars raced far after the mandated closing time of 10 p.m.

Limits of 87 decibels were measured, which "is the equivalent to having a picnic table on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike," Zwirling said.

His comments were met with immediate outrage from Mike Leckstein, a Little Silver-based attorney representing the owners of Raceway Park. Leckstein dismissed Zwirling's comments as false and exaggerated.

In a letter sent Tuesday to Panter and Morgan, Leckstein said that a state Supreme Court decision handed down on Christmas Eve 1985 "agreed that it was impossible for Raceway Park to always meet the 70-decibel standard." This was the last time the issue was dealt with in the courts, Leckstein said.

"Accordingly, Raceway Park is and always has been operating legally pursuant to all existing court orders and the laws of the state of New Jersey," he said.

Leckstein contends the 2002 court order made no mention of noise levels.

"If Raceway Park is in violation of a court order, my client would immediately attempt to remedy the situation," he said in his letter. "The history of the racetrack has always been one of compliance with all laws, regulations and court orders that have been imposed upon it."


© 2004 Gannett New Jersey Group

 

I wanted to be there but had a wake to go to last night. I am glad that a bunch of supporters of the track came out. It has been said many times, but if I am buying a home that is over $700,000, you can bet that I am going to drive around the area and notice a friggin racetrack and an airport. Some of the houses are located pretty much at the end of the track!

For those of you who don't realize what kinds of houses we are talking about, this pic is not one of the houses complaining, just one in the area that is for sale for $749,900.

 

Vinnie, thanks for showing your support for all of us!

 

***Accidentally didnt log out of my Dads name, sorry***

This meeting was truely one for the records!

I was there in representation of my Dad with Shaun and John Jr from our shop. I was glad to see such a turn out and would have never imagined that many people would come. Ive been a loyal Raceway Park goer for some 15 odd years before I even had a say in it. Untill I got my first Mustang this past year I held it for granted. Going to tracks all around the country with the FFW events really has shown me what a high quality and organized strip it really is. The Napp family has been friends of my family for years. I remember going to Richard Napps garage with my Dad and watching him work on cars while me and Richard conversated. Had I not been there last night I feel I would have been letting down the track, the Napp Family, and myself, down. I was proud to be there and would go to another one of these meetings any day of the week.

I Love Racing and I Vote!

JimIII@JDM

 

Any of you catch 101.5 this morning? If these people are really paying up 27k a year in taxes they're obviously well enough off to get outta dodge.

Where did they move their from? I don't care if you drive a Volvo, Hyundai S-Coupe, Hybrid, bicycle, rollerskates, walker or take the bus...If you're from the Tri-State area, you've HEARD OF RACEWAY PARK AND YOU KNOW WHAT GOES ON THERE!! You don't have to be a race fan to know that.

These people think because they paid 700 + thousand for a house and umpteen $$ in taxes that they can arbitrarily come into a neighborhood and after a year decide that they don't like the noise and expect to snap their well manicured fingers and 'make it go away'. E-Town's been around as long as it will likely take for these people to pay off their mortgages.

My advice to them: Next time you're house shopping, watch the movie Funny Farm before you jump into 'your dream house' because you might wind up with Claude Mussleman buried in your backyard, and be on the last leg of a mailman's route whose too drunk and pissed off to deliver your mail.

 

Thanks for attending and for the update Vinnie!

I race and I vote. Nice touch.

Bob