Bad News..LVD was Sold..lease is up
12-16-2004, 11:48 PM
#1
Bad News..LVD was Sold..lease is up From a good friend involved with LVD:
Rather than get on the phone all afternoon I am doing a blast email. I just got off the phone with Tim Rafferty. Kyle Barletta called him this morning to tell him that the lease was sold to Gary Chimeri (the Long Island dragway guy). THIS IS NOT A RUMOR. Kyle and Glenn have been given two weeks to get their stuff out of there; they were informed that their services are no longer required. According to Tim, Chimeri will be calling the rest of the employees over the next few weeks and he has no idea if he still has a job.
Ironically, Kyle had scheduled our banquet for mid February for the hotel in Pittsfield. I wouldn't bet Molski's money on that happening right now.
Let's hope that all the stuff we've heard about Chimeri is not true; if it is I may just be a New England Dragway guy once again.
Rather than get on the phone all afternoon I am doing a blast email. I just got off the phone with Tim Rafferty. Kyle Barletta called him this morning to tell him that the lease was sold to Gary Chimeri (the Long Island dragway guy). THIS IS NOT A RUMOR. Kyle and Glenn have been given two weeks to get their stuff out of there; they were informed that their services are no longer required. According to Tim, Chimeri will be calling the rest of the employees over the next few weeks and he has no idea if he still has a job.
Ironically, Kyle had scheduled our banquet for mid February for the hotel in Pittsfield. I wouldn't bet Molski's money on that happening right now.
Let's hope that all the stuff we've heard about Chimeri is not true; if it is I may just be a New England Dragway guy once again.
12-16-2004, 11:54 PM
#2
Could be related to this older news...
Before a motley mix of critics that included environmentalists, drag racers
and suburban moms, the Southampton Town Board yesterday approved a change
of zone that will allow a 189-unit senior condominium complex to rise atop
the last drag raceway on Long Island.
The town board voted 4-1 for the plan, with Councilwoman Carolyn Zenk the
only opponent.
The vote capped a decade of debate over what should become of the site in
Westhampton, which has been home to a racetrack since the 1950s. In
previous decades, the area surrounding the raceway had been rezoned for
residential use, and many of the new homeowners hate the noise.
Ellen Bernardeau lives just south of the Long Island Dragway and said it's
so loud on weekends she has to blast the music in her daughter's bedroom so
she can sleep. "I think it is a very good solution," she told the board
yesterday.
The town board's original proposal was to build a 230-unit senior housing
complex on the site, a plan that would have increased the number of units
allowed on the property by nearly 20 times. If the 66.6-acre site were
vacant, only 12 homes could be built on the site, because it lies within a
pine barrens groundwater protection area.
After a voluminous public response - including more than 2,000 letters and
six public hearings - the board revised the proposal, decreasing the number
of units to 189 and making other changes. Still, the new plan did little to
mollify critics, including Zenk.
"It's tokenism," she said. "It's very little."
Zenk and environmental groups, such as the Bridgehampton-based Group for
the South Fork, worried that increasing density on pine barrens land would
set a bad precedent.
"Every applicant who is sitting on the sidelines is going to look at this
decision and tell the town how unique their circumstances are," said Bob
DeLuca, president of the group. "This is the rock beginning to roll down
the hill for the suburbanization of Southampton."
Westhampton's ambulance corps chief, Linda O'Connell, joined the list of
detractors, writing in a letter to the town board that with the addition of
such a large senior housing complex, "call volume would increase
dramatically." If approved, she predicted her volunteer corps would need to
switch to full-time, paid staff.
Supporters have said putting 55-and-older housing on the racetrack would
add to the tax base without draining the school system. Children would be
prohibited at the complex.
"There are some important benefits to this project," Councilman Steven
Kenny said yesterday before casting his vote for the project. He said the
plan is a good example of effectively managing growth. "We can't stop
development, but we can shape it."
Kenny said he didn't believe the project would set a negative precedent,
because the racetrack is such a unique case.
Racetrack owner Joanne Chimeri sat quietly in the second row throughout the
five-hour meeting. Since buying the track with her husband in 1991, the
town has issued her more than 50 summons for noise pollution, and a judge
has imposed fines of $30,000.
"The last 11 years of my life have been in turmoil because I purchased a
business the town wants to get rid of," she said. "I'm sick of the
roller-coaster ride."
Before a motley mix of critics that included environmentalists, drag racers
and suburban moms, the Southampton Town Board yesterday approved a change
of zone that will allow a 189-unit senior condominium complex to rise atop
the last drag raceway on Long Island.
The town board voted 4-1 for the plan, with Councilwoman Carolyn Zenk the
only opponent.
The vote capped a decade of debate over what should become of the site in
Westhampton, which has been home to a racetrack since the 1950s. In
previous decades, the area surrounding the raceway had been rezoned for
residential use, and many of the new homeowners hate the noise.
Ellen Bernardeau lives just south of the Long Island Dragway and said it's
so loud on weekends she has to blast the music in her daughter's bedroom so
she can sleep. "I think it is a very good solution," she told the board
yesterday.
The town board's original proposal was to build a 230-unit senior housing
complex on the site, a plan that would have increased the number of units
allowed on the property by nearly 20 times. If the 66.6-acre site were
vacant, only 12 homes could be built on the site, because it lies within a
pine barrens groundwater protection area.
After a voluminous public response - including more than 2,000 letters and
six public hearings - the board revised the proposal, decreasing the number
of units to 189 and making other changes. Still, the new plan did little to
mollify critics, including Zenk.
"It's tokenism," she said. "It's very little."
Zenk and environmental groups, such as the Bridgehampton-based Group for
the South Fork, worried that increasing density on pine barrens land would
set a bad precedent.
"Every applicant who is sitting on the sidelines is going to look at this
decision and tell the town how unique their circumstances are," said Bob
DeLuca, president of the group. "This is the rock beginning to roll down
the hill for the suburbanization of Southampton."
Westhampton's ambulance corps chief, Linda O'Connell, joined the list of
detractors, writing in a letter to the town board that with the addition of
such a large senior housing complex, "call volume would increase
dramatically." If approved, she predicted her volunteer corps would need to
switch to full-time, paid staff.
Supporters have said putting 55-and-older housing on the racetrack would
add to the tax base without draining the school system. Children would be
prohibited at the complex.
"There are some important benefits to this project," Councilman Steven
Kenny said yesterday before casting his vote for the project. He said the
plan is a good example of effectively managing growth. "We can't stop
development, but we can shape it."
Kenny said he didn't believe the project would set a negative precedent,
because the racetrack is such a unique case.
Racetrack owner Joanne Chimeri sat quietly in the second row throughout the
five-hour meeting. Since buying the track with her husband in 1991, the
town has issued her more than 50 summons for noise pollution, and a judge
has imposed fines of $30,000.
"The last 11 years of my life have been in turmoil because I purchased a
business the town wants to get rid of," she said. "I'm sick of the
roller-coaster ride."
12-17-2004, 12:05 AM
#3
However...hmmmm indoor?
THERE IS A POSTING NESCARACING.COM
: THAT A PETER SCALISE OF TOPGUNMOTORSPORTS IS THE
: GUY WHO BUILDING IT WHO KNOWS HE COULD BE THE MAN WHO WILL SAVE DRAG RACING ON L.I. .A FREIND OF MINE SAID HE SAW THE PLANS IT INCLUDES A QUAD AND DIRTBIKE TRACK GO KART AMPITHEATRE FOR CONCERTS AND A 1/4 STRIP SET 6 FEET INTO THE GROUND LETS PRAY IT IS ALL TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!
His phone # is 631-563-1587,I got this from an ebay ad about a track he was looking to buy in newmexico.and the company is topgun sports and entertainment.
THERE IS A POSTING NESCARACING.COM
: THAT A PETER SCALISE OF TOPGUNMOTORSPORTS IS THE
: GUY WHO BUILDING IT WHO KNOWS HE COULD BE THE MAN WHO WILL SAVE DRAG RACING ON L.I. .A FREIND OF MINE SAID HE SAW THE PLANS IT INCLUDES A QUAD AND DIRTBIKE TRACK GO KART AMPITHEATRE FOR CONCERTS AND A 1/4 STRIP SET 6 FEET INTO THE GROUND LETS PRAY IT IS ALL TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!
His phone # is 631-563-1587,I got this from an ebay ad about a track he was looking to buy in newmexico.and the company is topgun sports and entertainment.
12-17-2004, 01:54 AM
#4
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Hopefully, Lebanon Valley Dragway will remain a sanctioned NHRA track. A new influx of money at LVD could produce some much needed improvements, such as the deplorable rest room conditions, just to name one. Or, it may open the door for Joe Lombardo at New England Dragway to make the long anticipated move back to NHRA. Hopefully BOTH LVD and NED will be up and running come spring. Only one track open would spell chaos for New England and New York drag racers.... WJ
12-17-2004, 07:39 AM
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Originally Posted by WJ SOM SS
Hopefully, Lebanon Valley Dragway will remain a sanctioned NHRA track. A new influx of money at LVD could produce some much needed improvements, such as the deplorable rest room conditions, just to name one. Or, it may open the door for Joe Lombardo at New England Dragway to make the long anticipated move back to NHRA. Hopefully BOTH LVD and NED will be up and running come spring. Only one track open would spell chaos for New England and New York drag racers.... WJ
Last edited by NRC-Motorsports; 12-17-2004 at 09:28 AM.
12-17-2004, 09:30 AM
#7
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track well its true 
i just got this email from lvd
"Bob,
I am very sorry to say that it is not a rumor. The purchase has in fact happened and Gary is taking over. We are all packing up our personal belongings as we speak.
Regards,
Kyle"
lets hope for you guy,s up there he dosnt do what he did to us
i just got this email from lvd"Bob,
I am very sorry to say that it is not a rumor. The purchase has in fact happened and Gary is taking over. We are all packing up our personal belongings as we speak.
Regards,
Kyle"
lets hope for you guy,s up there he dosnt do what he did to us
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12-17-2004, 10:47 AM
#8
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That is a shame. A great bunch of people who ran the show at LVD will be greatly missed. I can speak for many people who will always have great memories of fun times and fair treatment received from the team at LVD. WJ
12-17-2004, 12:37 PM
#9
Originally Posted by Jammer
However...hmmmm indoor?
THERE IS A POSTING NESCARACING.COM
: THAT A PETER SCALISE OF TOPGUNMOTORSPORTS IS THE
: GUY WHO BUILDING IT WHO KNOWS HE COULD BE THE MAN WHO WILL SAVE DRAG RACING ON L.I. .A FREIND OF MINE SAID HE SAW THE PLANS IT INCLUDES A QUAD AND DIRTBIKE TRACK GO KART AMPITHEATRE FOR CONCERTS AND A 1/4 STRIP SET 6 FEET INTO THE GROUND LETS PRAY IT IS ALL TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!
THERE IS A POSTING NESCARACING.COM
: THAT A PETER SCALISE OF TOPGUNMOTORSPORTS IS THE
: GUY WHO BUILDING IT WHO KNOWS HE COULD BE THE MAN WHO WILL SAVE DRAG RACING ON L.I. .A FREIND OF MINE SAID HE SAW THE PLANS IT INCLUDES A QUAD AND DIRTBIKE TRACK GO KART AMPITHEATRE FOR CONCERTS AND A 1/4 STRIP SET 6 FEET INTO THE GROUND LETS PRAY IT IS ALL TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!
That pic of the gate at Westhampton is very sad,
I wasn't crazy about the place but it was still a track, it was the first track I ever raced at and was the only one on Long Island making it convenient for the local guys for so many years.
12-17-2004, 01:01 PM
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Originally Posted by LS1LT1
An indoor track would ROCK!
That pic of the gate at Westhampton is very sad, I wasn't crazy about the place but it was still a track, it was the first track I ever raced at and was the only one on Long Island making it convenient for the local guys for so many years.
That pic of the gate at Westhampton is very sad,
I wasn't crazy about the place but it was still a track, it was the first track I ever raced at and was the only one on Long Island making it convenient for the local guys for so many years.
maybe things have changed,
12-17-2004, 04:43 PM
#11
It would really suck if LVD goes away. Not only being the closest for me, and others between the Hudson Valley and Albany, and western NE guys, but the track has alot of history. I believe Shirley Muldowny got her start at LVD. They do alot of dirt track racing up there too. I dunno, the population density is nowhere near that of LI up in the boonies, so to my knowledge I'm not aware of any big push by the community to close it. We'll see and hope for the best.
12-18-2004, 12:48 AM
#13
The local comminity has been seeing pressure from some of the NYC folks that moved north...been a big influx xince 9/11. One doctor in particular is always on the rant and has caused some rule /time changes recently. My guess is some of the big time racers will no longer make the trip to what was known as a friendly, though "hick" track that has only fair air, fair prep...but also limited Tech at times which some enjoy. We can only hope somehow he wants to make it work and will change some of his previous ways. Im sure it will open...no other reason to buy the lease.
12-18-2004, 02:42 AM
#14
the guy that ran LID was an assclown. It was almost never preped and sometimes he wouldnt open if he didnt feel like getting out of bed. Even worse was the mornings I called there and they answered and said come on down We Are Open. Ofcourse 1 hour later they had changed there minds and sent everyone home. There were times the guys who were working there he had picked up at a local homeless shelter and his idea of track prep is a 80 year old man with a broom to clean up a oil spill. Sure I miss the track becasue it was local...
12-18-2004, 03:44 PM
#16
Originally Posted by offaxis
BTW get ready for a $50 dollar fee to race your car.
But if they price themselves up that high and still leave you with only 2 or 3 runs in 5 hours it could mean the end for organized drag strips.
12-18-2004, 05:20 PM
#18
i think someone needs to buy 20 acres of land somewhere and build a track. theres a few pretty large farms on the mass/ NY border that look pretty abandonded. someone should look into them. Buy it, pave it, race it. All about it! of course this is probably totally illegal.
12-18-2004, 05:37 PM
#19
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Well, there's really no sense for any of us to play "Dr. Doom". We all want to race legally (if we possibly can) on a sanctioned Drag Strip with good track preparation, fair and safe tech, and a knowledgable, friendly staff, for a affordable entry fee. This is becoming more and more difficult to achieve. More and more housing is sprouting up adjacent to racing facilities. NOISE. It's our #1 enemy. Tracks all over the country have been closed for too much noise, and greed for big money to turn racing land into housing land. Housing and Dragstrips don't mix. LVD is kind of out there in the boonies by itself---noise and new housing haven't been much of a factor there yet. Let's hope the new owner runs it as good, or better, than it was before. Knocking this new owner's jock off before he even opens the locks on the gates, surely is not going to help our racing needs. We just have to be supportive and hope for the best..... WJ
12-18-2004, 08:47 PM
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land
Originally Posted by Crovax WS-6
i think someone needs to buy 20 acres of land somewhere and build a track. theres a few pretty large farms on the mass/ NY border that look pretty abandonded. someone should look into them. Buy it, pave it, race it. All about it! of course this is probably totally illegal.