The selection of Marysville by International Speedway Corp. as its preferred site for a Northwest auto-racing track might be seen as a victory for its proponents, and that’s understandable. After all, months of hard work have resulted in Marysville being picked over a number of other NASCAR suitors in Washington and Oregon.
In truth, though, we’re still many laps from the checkered flag. One could even argue that Monday’s announcement of the Marysville choice signaled not the end of the race, but the beginning.
Now is when the really tough questions must be addressed:
* How much will the facility cost and how much public investment will be sought?
* What form will that public investment take, and how will it be repaid?
* How many acres will be devoted to open space that can serve recreational uses – like soccer fields and horse trails – when a major race isn’t taking place? And who will pay to maintain that space?
* What specific environmental enhancements – like restoration of Edgecomb Creek – will be included in the project?
* What local highway and transit investments will the state make to ensure race traffic can be handled adequately?
For months, Snohomish County and Marysville officials have promoted the many benefits an ISC track would bring. Now they must show they’ve been promoting more than just good ideas.
They’ll get their chance in a little more than a week, when they’ll present their proposal to state lawmakers in Olympia. Officials from ISC will also appear at the Oct. 6 hearing, and both sides will be expected to let legislators know what level of state involvement it will take to get the 75,000-seat facility built. Opponents of siting the track in Marysville also will be invited to testify, and you can bet they’ll have their arguments in order.
Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon noted Monday the government leaders and ISC are now taking part in a business transaction, and that it’s up to those leaders to maximize the public’s benefit. They can do so by realizing that they’re in a strong bargaining position – ISC wouldn’t have selected Marysville if it didn’t think it served its interests better than any other Northwest site.
Public investment in such projects can be justified by the economic activity they generate, and this one promises to bring in plenty of new tourism dollars. Sales-tax rebates from the state helped build the Everett Events Center, which has had a successful first year by any measure, and a similar mechanism could help fund infrastructure for a track. But private interests must also be expected to carry their weight – ISC is not a charity, after all.
It’s also important to remember that the case for a race track in Marysville has been based as much on community development as economic development. On Oct. 6, citizens will be looking for guarantees of usable open space and specific, achievable plans for transportation improvements. Assurances of environmental protection and enhancement must also be part of the plan.
In less than a year, county and city leaders have taken a promising project from the drawing board to a strong position at the negotiating table. Now they must use the same energy to ensure that it becomes the high-quality project they’ve described.
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