After years of back and forth discussions and disappointments with local governments, the province has dropped the hammer on drag racers hopes of returning to the airport.
ACRD CAO Doug Holmes said the Ministry of Forestry and Lands contacted his office after seeing media reports about the drag races in December, and was adamant that drag racing is not allowed at the airport.
In his report to the Alberni Valley and Bamfield Services Committee yesterday, Holmes said when the province sold the regional district the 277 acres of crown grant lands for a dollar, one of the clauses was the land be used for an airport only.
Drag racers were scheduled to make a presentation to the committee yesterday, but withdrew after the letter from the province came to light.
Dave Beecroft from the Alberni Valley Drag Racing Association says they’re disappointed, but can now focus on other options
“You have no idea how frustrating it is,” he said. “We spend the past two years fighting to get here and now to be told that’s the final ‘No’, we have to stay positive and make this work however we can. We’re going to race next year one way or another, we need to in order to keep our date.”
It’s the same clause that ended plans for a drag strip alongside the Campbell River airport runway, and a industrial area on Qualicum airport lands.
AVDRA Director Norm Poirier says they’re disappointed, but will meet next week to move forward with other plans.
“To be held back and led down the garden path for the past two years is pretty frustrating, but we’re trying to stay positive with this thing,” he said. “One way or another we’re going to race this summer someplace, but we have to have a meeting on Monday to decide what’s going to happen.”
We have reached out to the province but they are not commenting at this point.
