Regional District staff continue to rail against the return of drag races to the Alberni Valley Regional Airport.
The issue will be brought to the Alberni Valley and Bamfield Services Committee tomorrow morning, before going before the full Alberni – Clayoquot Regional District Board in the afternoon.
Roger Haggerty from the Alberni Valley Drag Race Association will speak to the committee, ahead of their second review of Airport Superintendent Mark Fortune’s report, recommending against the races.
Long-time racer Dwayne Hearn says he and other participants are becoming increasingly frustrated by the bureaucracy at the ACRD
“The airport is the best place for the drag races,” he said. “There’s no scheduled flights in or out of that airport that is supposed to be owned by the taxpayers. It’s extremely maddening to have the decision brought down like this, and I sure hope they can change their mind on it.”
According to a report by Tetra Tech engineers, the risk of racing to the airport runway and lighting is too great, and will negatively affect future airport operations.
After the issue goes to the full ACRD board, the application to move the annual Thunder in the Valley drag racing event back to the airport could get approved, denied, or sent back down to the committee level for further study and delay.
