The developer of a proposed racetrack quietly presented his preliminary studies of the park at a Havre de Grace City Council meeting last week, during which a mayor-appointed task force officially turned over its track reports to the panel.
D. Richard Rothman, president of the development group, would not disclose the contents of the packet he handed to Havre de Grace Mayor Gunther Hirsch during a council recess Monday night.
"It's confidential," Mr. Rothman said of the document before he left the meeting.
Dr. Hirsch confirmed afterward that the unidentified package was Mr. Rothman's development plan.
Mr. Rothman also took a copy of the 2-inch-thick report to a work session with Harford County officials. That meeting was closed to the media.
Paul Gilbert, director of the county Office of Economic Development, heads the county group that met Tuesday with Mr. Rothman and his development team.
"It was an informational presentation on the racetrack so county representatives could understand the scope of the project," Mr. Gilbert said of the two-hour meeting.
Mr. Rothman's report -- "Executive Summary and Technical Reports," dated February 1995 -- contains the first formal studies commissioned by the developer for the $10 million Maryland Motorsports Park he wants to build on 550 acres off U.S. 40, about 1.5 miles from downtown Havre de Grace.
He has an option to buy the land, called Blenheim Farm.
Environment, traffic
The report includes data on the effects of the track on the environment, traffic, the community, noise and the economy. The economic study, by Legg Mason Realty Group, is not complete, the report said.
"The Legg Mason report will be more definitive in terms of direct local benefits from taxes and employment created by the Race Technology Research Center [a 230,000-square-foot business park] and from events other than racing at the Maryland Motorsports Park," according to the study, a copy of which was made available to The Sun.
"We want to make this thing public as soon as we get the final checks [on the information] and get it printed," said Jim Tevebaugh, the developer's design engineer for the project.
The proposed racetrack complex would include a 2.5-mile road course suited to every kind of racing from vintage cars to Indy, stock and Formula One cars.
It also would include picnic areas and an amphitheater for music festivals.
K? Some events there are expected to draw about 40,000 people.
17 days of racing
The racetrack would be used for racing events about 17 days a year, the report said. The remaining time would be filled with such activities as professional driving schools, antique shows, charity fund-raisers, and Earth Day and bluegrass festivals.
The developer's report draws these conclusions:
* "Maryland Motorsports Park . . . will maintain a 'good neighbor approach' through excellence in design and proper operational controls."
* "Sound mitigation measures and proper contouring of the site will reduce sound emissions emanating from the property."
* Ninety-three percent of open space will be retained.
Some of the suggestions offered for traffic control in that report are:
* Collect tickets on the property, not at the entrance, to prevent backups.
* Use aerial photography to identify traffic flows.
* Provide free bus service from motels and Havre de Grace.
The report also recommends that no unmuffled race car engines should operate before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
The reports compiled by the mayor's task force, presented Monday without discussion, dealt with similar issues.
Copies of the task force report are available at the Havre de Grace City Hall and the local library.
Dr. Hirsch's 14-member task force was appointed last summer to examine the racetrack proposal.
"We didn't ask them to be neutral," the mayor said of the members. "We asked them to be objective."
He said he and the council will review the documents, and "we will have a special meeting in the next few months for the racetrack. We will spend an evening discussing that particular subject."
Some of the task force's findings include:
* "Developing the Blenheim Farm site as a motorsport park will definitely preserve . . . the natural beauty of the property."
* "The proposed racetrack and surrounding area of development would afford the Havre de Grace Recreation Committee the opportunity to offer many new activities and areas dedicated to recreation."
* "If the Blenheim Farm was developed as commercial/racetrack, this again would cause a negative impact on the police agency because of the numerous unknowns that will effect the police agency."
* "One main problem is the CSX [railroad] crossing. Maryland Motorsports needs to do a study on the problem."
* "All roads on this parcel will be private. . . . [I]t will not cost the city anything."
* "The use of the Blenheim farmland as an 'upscale' for-profit retirement community would fill a need for senior housing, especially in Harford County."
Predictions on noise
The task force's noise report was released in December by Georges R. Garinther, an acoustics research engineer. He said that depending on wind conditions, the track could bombard Havre de Grace residents with noise ranging from moderate to severe.
The conclusion contradicted Mr. Rothman's sound report by Wyle Laboratories, which said sound from the racetrack could effectively be reduced.
According to Kenneth J. Plotkin of Wyle, "While the paper [by Mr. Garinther] is well written, it is fundamentally incorrect. The annoyance criteria is not supported by any scientific evidence."
Mr. Garinther is an international expert who volunteered his time, countered task force member Ronald Hendricksen. "What does he have to gain?"
The developer's study also noted the existence of a petition with more than 7,000 signatures in favor of the racetrack.
"Nearly 1,000 of the signatures are from Havre de Grace residents," the report said. "And nearly 100 of those are from residents living on Robin Hood Road, on Chapel Road, in Bayview Estates, in Grace Harbour and in other nearby subdivisions" surrounding the proposed racetrack site.
At the council meeting, a petition against the racetrack was presented to Dr. Hirsch and the City Council by Ruth Hendricksen, co-chairwoman of Citizens Against Racetrack.
"Please note our supporters . . . are local citizens over 18," Mrs. Hendricksen said of the more than 1,200 signatures.
A crowded chamber
A standing-room-only crowd of about 200 residents crammed into the City Council chambers for the meeting.
A show of hands indicated that most audience members opposed the track, although Mr. Rothman, who is president of Suburban Homes in Baltimore, and Mr. Tevebaugh were in the audience.
"I don't want you to be concerned," Dr. Hirsch assured the group. "You are not losing any time. . . . As far as we're concerned, it's months and months and months from resolution."
The city is awaiting completion of a comprehensive plan that will address the use of such properties as Blenheim Farm. A draft is expected in the next four to six weeks, city planner Stan Ruchlewicz said. Public hearings will be held about 60 days after that.
"It is the road map for the next 10 years and beyond," said Dr. Hirsch.
"Land use is an important part of the comprehensive plan. . . . I will make no recommendation [on the racetrack] until the comprehensive plan is approved."
Part of the comprehensive plan will address annexation. The racetrack's developers have said they want Havre de Grace to annex the proposed racetrack property, so the zoning can be amended to accommodate their facility. Currently, the land is zoned industrial-residential and agricultural.
No formal annexation request has been made to the county, Dr. Hirsch said.
If the Havre de Grace City Council decided to annex the land, Harford County Council action on a waiver for a zoning change would be required.
But, even before that, if annexation is approved by the City Council, Havre de Grace citizens could petition the issue to a referendum.
"Nothing rapid is happening," Dr. Hirsch said. "It's a slow process."