Letters to the Editor

Sports park would be boon for children

There have been so many health alerts on obesity in our children. There have been so many warnings about keeping our children off drugs and alcohol and away from the influence of gangs and violence. One of the best ways to do this is for parents to get fully "hands-on" in their children's activities. One exciting and fun way to interact with your children would be at the proposed sports park at Augusta Expoland in Fishersville. Offered to our youth, family and community will be a:

* Motocross track, for the recreational rider as well as for the competitive rider.

* BMX track, which would be the first American Bicycle Association track in Virginia; also, 2008 will be the first time BMX will participate in the Olympics.

* skateboarding with adult supervision for those under 16 years of age.

* soapbox derby track, where racers can practice, test and race their cars.

All of the above-mentioned events would be supervised and monitored. All participants would be required to wear safety gear.

This would be a fun way to exercise your body and mind. This park is intended for families to enjoy together in a safe, drug-and-alcohol-free facility. Studies have shown when parents get involved and show their support, children are less likely to get involved in destructive activities. Please remember, families that play together, stay together.
Please give your support.

Barbara McCray

Staunton

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Backers likely wouldn't live with park's impact

We live behind Expoland off Jericho Road. We have not complained previously regarding the noise at Expo because we can tolerate the noise for short periods of time, as in the past. However, our quality of life would be drastically affected if that level of noise occurred more than 200 days a year.

I noticed the names of the people who have written this week to approve the racetrack. They do not live in Fishersville. One writer was from Harrisonburg, one from Stuarts Draft and one from Waynesboro. None of the three lives close enough for the noise to bother them. We, the neighbors of Expo, are the ones who would be affected, as well as nearby churches, motels, Augusta Medical Center, etc.

Expo would be an ideal location for more family oriented recreation, such as walking trails and separate bike trails. There are no safe places to ride bikes in Fishersville. We could all benefit from that kind of exercise.

Fishersville is a beautiful place and has been peaceful. Let's not destroy its attractiveness with a racetrack.

Lucile I. Campbell

Fishersville

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Claims about park noise sound far from realistic

There is no other continuous activity taking place at Expoland that can be compared with the operation of a year-round extreme sports park. Any comparison is misrepresenting the facts. Expoland has never hosted one event that is operational for the entire year.

It has been stated that the noise from a test involving 27 bikes could not be heard from the parking lot at Expoland. Common sense will tell you that was a controlled test. To imply that the noise from 27 Motocross bikes is so quiet that they can not be heard in an area as close as the Expoland parking lot strikes me as not being realistic.

Paul Harper

Fishersville