Dear editor,
Now here's a nice scenario..." awakening to the chirping of birds, then morning coffee on the sundeck while the breeze wafts gently through the trees, then afternoon on the beach watching the shore birds."
A fantasy maybe, but the Saratoga and Miracle Beach areas can actually be like that. Then, suddenly, the rumbling roar of Saratoga Speedway begins the usual summertime weekend madness ... completely obliterating an otherwise beautiful day.
Yes. It's that time of year again.
Clearly I am missing something. For years I have been unable to understand why the residents of Miracle and Saratoga Beaches have put up with such an intrusion.
Oh, I know there are claims that the enterprise generates income and jobs for the local area (but I'd like to see the numbers) and I also know that some actually find loud, exhaust-producing motor vehicles racing round and round an entertaining activity.
But I fail to understand why any serious opposition to these events, especially in our more enlightened environmentally conscious age, has been unable to find substantial support. We even have a noise bylaw. And don't get me wrong. The mini golf, a pizza place, a video store and the resorts are all minimally intrusive. Even the marina serves a purpose and doesn't regularly negatively impact thousands of residents. But the speedway....
Could someone enlighten me? What am I missing?
And I'm not one who pretends this is a serene, rural area. It is a form of suburbia and noise (lawnmowers, power tools, etc.) is to be expected.
But the speedway 'assault' can blanket an area of thousands of residents for hours at a time. And ... all after normal working hours. Maybe the fact that it is supposed to be entertainment is what I'm missing. If it was a log-peeling plant would we do something? Neil H. Ross, Black Creek