TRUMBULL COUNTY Legislators seek change in law to fund racetrack

The Trumbull site is the only one being considered for the project.
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- State lawmakers are trying to change Ohio's definition of "sports" to include motor sports, a move which, if successful, could bring state assistance to a proposed indoor motor racetrack near Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.
State Rep. Sandra Stabile Harwood of Niles, D-65th, introduced a bill this week that would allow motor raceways to be defined as a sport to qualify to receive state funding through the Ohio Arts and Sports Facilities Commission.
The commission awards state money for sports stadiums and cultural arts projects across the state.
"This is just kind of getting us ahead of the curve," Stabile Harwood said Thursday.
If her bill is successful, developers of the proposed motor speedway near the airport would still have to apply for state funding.
Brant Motorsports of Morgantown, W.Va., is exploring the development of a 40-acre, indoor raceway at an unspecified site near the airport in Vienna Township.
Developers have said they envision 30 to 40 races a year as well as additional events such as boat, recreational vehicle and heavy equipment shows.
With Richard Childress Racing, Brant Motorsports sponsors the #21 Rockwell Automation Chevy in the Busch Grand National series.
$400 million project
Developers haven't said how much a project like the one proposed for Trumbull County would cost to build, but news reports said the cost was $400 million when the project was planned at a spot near the Pittsburgh International Airport.
That project fell through after Allegheny County officials balked when their portion of the costs escalated to $100 million, news reports said.
The only location now being considered is in Trumbull, which benefits from its location between Pittsburgh and Cleveland, developers have said. Construction costs are expected to be lower here because the ground is flat, developers have said.
Brant Motorsports officials couldn't be reached late Thursday, but Stabile Harwood said she introduced her bill after learning that state law, for the purposes of state funding, doesn't recognize motor sports as a sport.
Boon to the economy
Another state lawmaker said a motor speedway, if developed in northeast Ohio, could be a boon to the local economy in spinoff development such as hotels, restaurants and construction jobs.
"Bringing in a facility like that could literally mean millions and millions of dollars," said state Rep. Tim Grendell, a Chesterland Republican.
Grendell suggested to Stabile Harwood to try to include her bill as an amendment to one pending in the Ohio Senate that would reauthorize already-approved capital appropriations projects.
Stabile Harwood said she has prepared her bill as a potential amendment, but she is optimistic her bill will advance in the Ohio House.
Dwight Crum, a spokesman for House Speaker Larry Householder, a Glenford Republican, said Stabile Harwood's bill will be closely examined. "We haven't made any decisions on it yet," Crum said.