US GP in Austin Discussion and Speculation...

I was one of the 41....said NO WAY based on finishing the track for a summer race schedule. Let's keep it in perspective folks.....things have changed since the poll was taken. And we don't have race clearance yet.....for the November date. But I am sure that should happen.

 

$1500 to use someone's back yard a mile into nothingness !!!! What are they smoking? Food and drinks trailers? I really don't get it. These people's greed has blocked their common sense. So if I pay $2000 for the RV and gas (some people will pay that much just for gas) and then pay another $1500 to be in the middle of a lawn with no hookups and then eat Costco hot dogs for (at least) $5 a pop, washed down with $4 bottle of water....What is the point going with an RV? For $4K for the weekend I'll stay down town and eat fillet mignon even at the crazy prices....Isn't the whole idea of going with an RV exactly NOT to cost you that much and to be able to cook and eat in it?
I was at Woodstock in '99 and witnessed what happened because of greed combined with poor organization. And I am sorry to say it, but they deserved what they got.
They can not rewrite the laws and traffic rules and regulations in the state because one weekend a year and I intend taking full advantage of it.

 

Wonder why they took down the very cool “slow truck lap” that was on post #4523 ? I enjoyed how the truck swerved so slowly around the dump trucks on the main straightaway. Reminded me of watching Massa at the Korean Grand Prix in 2010 (the last podium finish for him).

 

Austin Commercial doesn't mess around....

 

Let's recap Tex, because it seems the BS is flowing wide and deep.

I said the electrical work was going to be significant, and you replied

"Running an overhead 15KV loop and a radial ring of Pad Mounted Tarnsformers would be "no big deal".......to my firm anyway.

I'd recommend Walter A. Tew Electric......Union, but small and family operated....the best of both worlds."

I disagreed that a 10-man family owned electric company and some lines from the existing grid was going to be sufficient.



So, now that the electrical infrastructure is done, what was the end result?


The deal they reached was that COTA donated some land, and Austin Energy build a substation. Then COTA paid for a direct distribution line from the substation to the track, and will use a third of the power the substation generates.

Did they have to build a substation? Yup, they did. End of story. On COTA property? COTA threw their land into the pot, Austin Energy threw in the cost of the substation, and COTA paid for the line to the substation.

 

Did COTA pay for anything? No....
Substation cost part of Track budget?
(That was your pitch at the time, IIRC)

Electrical facilities always grant an easenment.
Everytime..

"Donated land" if you feel that way, but you do it to allow them service access.

You coming to the race?

 

Be interesting to see how many VERY vocal nay sayers here would actually show up, and enjoy the retrun of F1 to America....

Bye!

 

Yes. They paid for the land, and they paid the cost of their connection to the substation.

My "pitch" was that the track was going to require substantial electrical infrastructure. In the end, they required substantial electrical infrastructure.

It is not an easement. It is 2.1 acres that was part of the land COTA bought to build the track.

Not the first year... I have not been in the USA very much this year, and I want to see what the deal is with traffic first.

 

Back on the subject of the track... I read an article just now that the city is trying to annex the track???

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/city-of-austin-again-moving-to-annex-circuit-2439518.html

I haven't heard much about that anywhere else... so it would seem to me to be the result of a negotiation between the original investors (quick exit and maybe some ROI).

 

Not an exit at all. The city wins by increasing their property tax base. The track looses.

 

Who is John Myers? He owns a land parcel along Elroy Rd.? Is he just a holdout or a BIG GUY? What is the advantage for COTA to be in the City limits? Sounds like the taxes will be going up soooooon.
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Annex in this context doesn't mean the city owns the track. It simply means the land is put under their jurisdiction (instead of just unincorporated county land). So they can collect property tax and sales tax, and have to provide services like police and fire.

It's unrelated to ownership of the track.

 

So it will be in Austin's ETJ, or is it already?

 

It's already in the ETJ. Will become part of the city limits when it's annexed.

 

Thanks...that's what I assumed.

 

T3 Grandstands going up:
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Nice.

But show me a picture of the toilets please. Seriously. And please don't tell me those will be portalets.

 

I don't have a pic of the toilets, but I do have a pic of the toilet paper that will be provided.


Mark
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Looks more like Switzerland than Texas to me.

Anyhow, my request was serious. I expect them to have permanently installed rest rooms and not that portalet crap (pun intended).

 

Remembering Indy, the portalets were a salvation. I was at start/final line one year almost on top of the grand stands and after getting 10 people up you got to the steps to go down and then wait on line that was ridiculous. Meanwhile the GA had like 20 portalets in one place that seemed to be brand new, clean and not smelly with no line. I would much rather go in a portalet than crap my pants while missing 8 laps of the race waiting in line to go to a brick and mortar one.

 

Hmm. I think it will probably be unlikely that COTA would provide things such as photos of the toilets. My understanding is that there will be permanent and temporary toilet facilities. Some of the temporary ones will be in temporary porta-cabin style buildings but with real plumbing. Also the regular port-o-lets will be used.

If you have a couple of hours to look, you can likely find exactly what will be available in the drawings attached to this permit: https://www.austintexas.gov/devreview/b_showpublicpermitfolderdetails.jsp?FolderRSN=10677407 .. however, there are hundreds of docs, and most are roads/drainage. But all the buildings are there too.

Another place to look would be the mass gathering permit application, if you can find it.

 

I have no idea what is planned, but there are very nice trailers that have multiple units within them, water and lighting, the whole gig.

Or, they could have 200 "normal ones" in a row, all lined up!!

 

What I have learned over the years, going to all kinds of races, is to wear the crappiest shoes you have (preferably washable). You will find yourself standing in utter filth in the porto-potty. All part of the “going tooo the races” experience.
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over 17,000 on site parking spots...that's interesting...Bernie has THAT many "friends"????

 

I can't wait to drive this track!

http://circuitoftheamericas.com/articles/on-board-lap-around-cota