On January 6th, the East Wenatchee Events Office received a press release from the Wenatchee Valley Visitors Bureau regarding the United States Sprint Boat Association’s (USSBA) interest in the Wenatchee Valley as a potential site for a new race track. After a presentation on the matter at their January 12th Meeting, the East Wenatchee City Council voted to support the submission of a proposal to the USSBA. At the January 26th Council Meeting, the East Wenatchee Events Board (the City’s Tourism Advisory Board) issued a recommendation to the Council to proceed to race in 2010. Authorization for Sprint Boat Racing to be a City sponsored event was given by Council at their February 23rd Meeting. The Council Meetings were covered by The Wenatchee World, the Wenatchee Business Journal, and KPQ Radio.
Sprint Boat races take place in a 15’ wide by 3’ deep track of water (approximately 800,000 gallons) shaped like a maze over a span of 4 acres of flat ground with a 70’ offset, fenced in chain link. A minimum of 20 acres of additional land is needed to accommodate an anticipated attendance of 2,500, as well as 1 – 2 acres for a pit area, and an elevated hillside to enhance spectator viewing and increase separation from the race track, for safety reasons. With engines that range from 500 to over 1,000 horsepower, these boats approach straight-line speeds of up to 80-plus miles per hour, and have incredible turning capabilities in the tightest corners. The boats are propelled by a jet ski type motor that is designed to be self-contained in case of a roll-over, so there is no spillage of fuels or oils. Four boats are in the launch area at a time, and each boat takes a minute or less to complete their run around the track. There is only one boat in the track at a time. An average of 25 teams usually participates in a Saturday race. (www.ussbaracing.com/photos/index will provide the best overview of Sprint Boat Racing. Click on the USSBA Promotional Video, which is in red about halfway down the page.)
Proposed race dates for 2010 are Saturday, July 3rd and Saturday, September 4th. Theses dates were suggested by the Wenatchee Valley Sports Council, due to the fact that a couple of large baseball tournaments, normally held at those times, will not be taking place this year. Races would take place between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. Race teams, vendors, event staff, etc. would arrive between 7:00 – 8:00 am, and the gates would open at 9:00 am.
The City is in negotiations with a willing property owner for a race venue. (See attached map for a representative race track.) Water for the race track would be purchased from the Greater Wenatchee Irrigation District.
The mission of the East Wenatchee Events Board is “to promote and attract awareness, interest and tourism to East Wenatchee, through special events which portray the spirit of community and quality of life East Wenatchee has to offer.” The City has the tools in place to run the event, there is community support for the event, and it is an opportunity to positively impact the local economy, because tourism bolsters local economies and small businesses and contributes tax revenue for state and local governments. Lodging tax may be used for promoting tourism.
The preferred access to the race track would be off of Grant Road via Urban Industrial Way. Use of this access is supported by the businesses in the adjacent industrial park, as well as by the owner, developer and contractor of the detour route related to the construction of the roundabout just north of Grant Road. Use of this access, rather than the 10th Street access, would alleviate neighborhood concerns regarding use of the existing narrow road, as well as any issues relating to cherry and apple harvest.
The Event License Application submitted to the County Commissioners must address such issues as:
excavation, grading, filling, facility installation
sanitary sewage, hand washing facilities, potable water, solid waste collection and disposal, food and beverage service
emergency first aid and response to emergencies
fire protection devices and equipment availability
traffic control plan
environmental impact
and receive approval from such agencies as the Chelan-Douglas Health District, Douglas County Sheriff, Douglas County Fire District/Fire Marshal, and the Douglas County Engineer, in order to be approved. The City is in the process of completing the application and will release it to the public upon filing.
For More Information:
Mayor Steve Lacy
City of East Wenatchee
884-9515
slacy@east-wenatchee.com
Doug Hendrickson, President
USSBA
509-539-9383
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