Kona residents object to motorsport park plan

By Christie Wilson
Neighbor Island Editor

Sound test at site of proposed track • The Hawai‘i Racing Association will conduct an informal sound test at around 7 p.m. tomorrow near the proposed location of the Kona Motorsport Park on Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway, north of Kona International Airport. An unmuffled race car with a V-8 engine and a drag motorcycle will be fired up and run at full throttle for several minutes to determine if the sound can be heard at upcountry homes or hotels north of the test site. • Residents of the Kalaoa/Palisades area are being asked to listen for the noise and report the time they heard it to the Mayor’s Office in Kona at 329-5226. Test times will be based on the official time available from the phone company (961-0212), or from the time shown on the program guide channel on Sun Cable television. • More information on the motorsport park is available at the Web site http://www.hawaiiracingassoc.com.

Roy Mushrush of the Greater Kalaoa Advisory Committee, which represents 14 North Kona subdivisions comprising about 6,500 residents, said most members of the community do not oppose the idea of a racetrack in West Hawai'i, as long as it is not located near any residential areas.

"Impact means more than just noise," said Mushrush, who lives in Kona Palisades. He said residents are just as concerned about bright lighting, noise from the public address system and the potential negative effect on property values.

The nonprofit Hawai'i Racing Association, which claims 1,800 members on the Big Island, is proposing a facility directly mauka of Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway that would include a quarter-mile dragstrip, a go-kart track and off-road courses for truck, motorcycle, mini-bike and mountain bike events.

The group has yet to receive permission from the state to use the land, which is in a conservation district and covered with lava.

The site would be ideal for the Kona Motorsport Park, said association President Paul Maddox, because aircraft noise would "far exceed" the sound of weekend dragsters and off-roaders, who would be required to use mufflers.

He said locating the park near the airport also would be a way to reserve a chunk of North Kona for local families and to get street racers off public roads.

"There are tons of young kids racing around on the street in little Hondas. They have darn fast cars and we've got to get a track for these kids to keep them off the streets," said Maddox, a longtime racing enthusiast who was involved in O'ahu Raceway Park in the 1960s and '70s and published Hawai'i Racing News.

Capt. John Dawrs of the Kona Patrol District agreed that street racing is a major public safety concern.

"There is a fairly good-sized group of young people who have put a lot of money into fixing up their cars so they can race, and they have no place to race. They usually end up scheduling something for the weekends or even during the week on public roadways. They move the days around so that it's harder for us to catch them."

A motorsport park would not entirely eliminate street racing, Dawrs said, "but it is going to give them a venue where they can do what they want to do, which is race. "

The police captain said the site near the airport is a good choice, and he is hoping the public won't throw up too many hurdles for the project.

"They shouldn't shut them down before they've had a chance to do it," he said.

The Greater Kalaoa Advisory Committee has suggested three other locations: unused land on airport property, a site farther north and upslope near the county landfill at Pu'uanahulu, and a flat area off Saddle Road, mauka of Mamalahoa Highway.

"They have not made a serious effort to look for an alternative, and we're trying to force them to do that," Mushrush said.

Hawai'i County Councilman Curtis Tyler III, who lives in Kona Palisades and represents North Kona, co-sponsored a resolution passed by the council that supports construction of a racepark in West Hawai'i, as long as it is in an area that would not impact existing or future development.

He agrees that a racing facility in West Hawai'i is "very much needed," but points to a long list of projects planned on land surrounding the proposed site. These include numerous residential projects and 500 acres that is being developed for the University of Hawai'i's West Hawai'i campus.

One project already under way, Makalei Estates, is high enough up the Hualalai slope that residents probably wouldn't be bothered by the racepark, said Ron Aronson, president and principal broker of Kona Coast Realty, which is representing the developer, Hiluhilu Development LLC.

But Hiluhilu also has plans for a residential development on 725 acres below Makalei Estates, he said.

"I see a problem with street racing, and there's obviously a need for some for sort of outlet. But that particular spot is not the right place," Aronson said. "We need to do better planning for the future. It's going to be uncomfortable and difficult for a raceway park to remain in that place if there is going to be housing in the area."

Tyler said he prefers the site near the county landfill, away from any homes. With the planned realignment of Saddle Road, he said the area would be more centrally located for racers from both sides of the island.

The county also has suggested the area near the Pu'uanahulu landfill.

"We support a dragstrip if it is developed by a private group in a place where it is not going to bother people with the noise," said Department of Parks and Recreation Director Pat Engelhard.

Maddox said the Pu'uanahulu site would be a worse choice because of its proximity to the Waikoloa resorts. "We don't want to disturb the golden goose. This is our livelihood," he said.

Rissa Matsumoto, Hawai'i Racing Association secretary, favors a facility close to town that would provide Kona families with more activities. Her 11-year-old son participates in the Junior Dragsters program that races mini-cars powered by lawn-mower engines.

Matsumoto feels a lot of critics have the wrong idea about the racing community and plans for the park.

"It's a motorsport park, not a dragstrip. A lot of misinterpretation comes from labeling it a dragstrip," she said. "It's ATVs, off-road bikes, imports, bicycles — all kinds of racing. It runs the gamut from 8-year-old kids to the elderly."

The Hawai'i Racing Association will have to seek zoning changes in order to use the state land, and the group is collecting donations to pay for environmental studies and other expenses.