Raceman
07-11-2008, 10:09 PM
http://www.augustasouthernnationals.org/
River Race Augusta no more after this year?????? Another development tragedy:
Faced with the planned construction of 75 docks along the South Carolina side of the Savannah River, race organizers are scheduled to decide today whether they will cancel the annual powerboat race or move it to a new location.
``It's just too dangerous with those docks. There's not enough room,'' said Jim Leverett Jr., a member of the River Race Augusta board and chairman of the 1996 race.
The race, held every May for the past 12 years, is one of three annual races that could be affected by the 78-foot-long docks planned for the RiverNorth subdivision, just south of the Jefferson Davis Memorial Bridge.
``We're probably going to move it to Lake Olmstead, if we can. It's actually wider than the Savannah River,'' said Mr. Leverett, who said the planned docks would cut into the safety margin built into the circuitous race path for the powerboats, which reach speeds exceeding 130 mph.
The move, if approved by the Augusta Commission, would mean revamping the Lake Olmstead area to ensure spectator safety and crowd control. It would also mean changing the name of the 12-year-old event.
``Lake Race Augusta? I don't know ...'' said Mr. Leverett, who said no one has figured out how much such a move would cost race organizers.
But keeping the race on the river appears to be out of the question. The race cannot be relocated on the river because of sandbars to the south and crowd control problems with Riverwalk Augusta to the north, Mr. Leverett said.
Augusta Mayor Larry Sconyers said he would work with race organizers to relocate the event.
``If they think Lake Olmstead's big enough and safe enough, then I'll do everything I can to help them out there. That's too important of an event to let it disappear,'' Mr. Sconyers said.
So far, only one dock has been built at the fledgling subdivision, being developed by Carl Sanders Jr., son of the former Georgia governor. That should pose no problem for this weekend's Augusta Southern National drag boat races, although the addition of more docks could alter that race as well, organizers say.
``It's going to be difficult, if not impossible, to get liability insurance if we can't control who's on those docks once they go up. Private property owners aren't going to want us to tell them they can't go out on their docks during the races, but we're going to have to have some way to enforce that,'' said Bill Hixon, a member of the Augusta Southern National board.
Officials with the Augusta Rowing Club have said the docks should have a minimal impact on the annual Augusta Invitational Rowing Regatta, except that fewer lanes might be used for the races. The docks will reduce the navigable area in that portion of the river from about 700 feet to 600 feet across, Augusta Port Authority members estimate.
Mr. Sanders did not return two phone calls seeking comment Monday. In a May letter to the Augusta Port Authority, Mr. Sanders wrote: ``The proper and safe implementation of the boat races is the responsibility of the Port Authority, not RiverNorth.'' The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in March reaffirmed a 1995 decision to allow Mr. Sanders to build as many as 75 docks at the subdivision. The decision came after the Augusta Ports Authority asked the corps to reconsider the impact the 78-foot-long docks would have on the three annual boat races, which bring an estimated $6 million to the local economy each year.
River Race Augusta no more after this year?????? Another development tragedy:
Faced with the planned construction of 75 docks along the South Carolina side of the Savannah River, race organizers are scheduled to decide today whether they will cancel the annual powerboat race or move it to a new location.
``It's just too dangerous with those docks. There's not enough room,'' said Jim Leverett Jr., a member of the River Race Augusta board and chairman of the 1996 race.
The race, held every May for the past 12 years, is one of three annual races that could be affected by the 78-foot-long docks planned for the RiverNorth subdivision, just south of the Jefferson Davis Memorial Bridge.
``We're probably going to move it to Lake Olmstead, if we can. It's actually wider than the Savannah River,'' said Mr. Leverett, who said the planned docks would cut into the safety margin built into the circuitous race path for the powerboats, which reach speeds exceeding 130 mph.
The move, if approved by the Augusta Commission, would mean revamping the Lake Olmstead area to ensure spectator safety and crowd control. It would also mean changing the name of the 12-year-old event.
``Lake Race Augusta? I don't know ...'' said Mr. Leverett, who said no one has figured out how much such a move would cost race organizers.
But keeping the race on the river appears to be out of the question. The race cannot be relocated on the river because of sandbars to the south and crowd control problems with Riverwalk Augusta to the north, Mr. Leverett said.
Augusta Mayor Larry Sconyers said he would work with race organizers to relocate the event.
``If they think Lake Olmstead's big enough and safe enough, then I'll do everything I can to help them out there. That's too important of an event to let it disappear,'' Mr. Sconyers said.
So far, only one dock has been built at the fledgling subdivision, being developed by Carl Sanders Jr., son of the former Georgia governor. That should pose no problem for this weekend's Augusta Southern National drag boat races, although the addition of more docks could alter that race as well, organizers say.
``It's going to be difficult, if not impossible, to get liability insurance if we can't control who's on those docks once they go up. Private property owners aren't going to want us to tell them they can't go out on their docks during the races, but we're going to have to have some way to enforce that,'' said Bill Hixon, a member of the Augusta Southern National board.
Officials with the Augusta Rowing Club have said the docks should have a minimal impact on the annual Augusta Invitational Rowing Regatta, except that fewer lanes might be used for the races. The docks will reduce the navigable area in that portion of the river from about 700 feet to 600 feet across, Augusta Port Authority members estimate.
Mr. Sanders did not return two phone calls seeking comment Monday. In a May letter to the Augusta Port Authority, Mr. Sanders wrote: ``The proper and safe implementation of the boat races is the responsibility of the Port Authority, not RiverNorth.'' The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in March reaffirmed a 1995 decision to allow Mr. Sanders to build as many as 75 docks at the subdivision. The decision came after the Augusta Ports Authority asked the corps to reconsider the impact the 78-foot-long docks would have on the three annual boat races, which bring an estimated $6 million to the local economy each year.