STATE LEGISLATURE House expected to vote on motorsports measure

The cost for developing the proposed racetrack would be $300 million.
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- A bill that would change Ohio's definition of sports to include motorsports, which in turn could help lure state assistance to a proposed indoor motor racetrack near the Youngstown-Warren Regional airport, could be set next week for a full vote of the Ohio House.
On Wednesday, the House Finance and Appropriations Committee unanimously approved the bill, sponsored by state Rep. Sandra Stabile Harwood of Niles, D-65th. The full Ohio House could vote as early as Tuesday.
Stabile Harwood's bill would change the definition of sports under Ohio law, which would allow the proposed motor speedway to receive funding through the Ohio Arts and Sports Facilities Commission.
Stabile Harwood said the proposed speedway would be an economic boon to Northeast Ohio. The commission awards state money for sports stadiums and cultural arts projects across the state.
"We have to stay focused on job creation and what pours money into the economy," Stabile Harwood said after the committee vote.
If her bill is enacted, developers of the proposed motor speedway near the airport would still have to apply for state funding.
About the project
Brant Motorsports of Morgantown, W.Va., is exploring the development of a 40-acre, indoor raceway on a 600-acre site adjacent to the Vienna Township airport in Trumbull County. Current plans call for a three-quarter-mile oval with initial seating for 60,000 people and expandable to 120,000, developers say.
There would be 42 acres under a 400-foot high fabric dome roof, developers say.
Bob Brant, president of Brant Motorsports, appeared before the finance committee Tuesday and said that facility could be used for racing, concerts, trade and consumer shows.
Brant estimated the total development cost at $300 million. He said funding would come from a mix of private and public sources.
"We have been working on this project for over five years, working with nationally recognized architectural and engineering firms," Brant told lawmakers.
With Richard Childress Racing, Brant Motorsports sponsors the No. 21 Rockwell Automation Chevy in the Bush Grand National series.
News reports say the project also had considered a site near the Pittsburgh International Airport. But the cost was estimated at $400 million at that site, news reports say.
That site was scuttled after Allegheny County officials balked when their portion of the costs escalated to $100 million, news reports say.
The only location now being considered is the Youngstown area, which benefits from its location between Pittsburgh and Cleveland, developers have said.
If the bill passes the House, it still must be considered by the Ohio Senate.