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Through our conversations, discussion and dialog with concerned members of the Dawson County community we discovered that there were numerous misconceptions and rumors regarding Atlanta Motorsports Park.
The biggest misconception is the noise and the distance it travels. Please don't compare us to a 140 decibel NASCAR race or racetrack when we will be regulated at 103 decibels.
I encourage everyone to do their research to validate these comments and the comments of others.
AMP is not a race track or spectator track. We have agreed to put a total cap of cars on site (not the track) of 350 cars. On average we will have less traffic than a restaurant on Ga. 53.
AMP will not be operational at night and will only have security lights that will not flood the surrounding area.
AMP will not drain the local utilities or infrastructure by using septic and non-community wells, not using public school system or require large roadways.
AMP will not have a public address system.
AMP is not like New Jersey Motorsports Park or Road Atlanta. Those are huge spectator race tracks with no noise regulations. To put those concerns in perspective: Jet airplanes fly over our heads six miles up at 140 decibels in loudness; we can all agree a jet is much louder than any racecar. How come you can't hear those jets being much louder than a racecar, less than half the distance than 15 miles, and with nothing between the airplane and your ears?
The track location has trees, buildings and topography that further reduces the sound levels. AMP will be at 103 decibels, less than the jet aircraft at 140.
What AMP will do:
Provide many new jobs and increased city and county tax revenue.
Provide a driving school for high school students to reduce the tragic car related deaths and a place for law enforcement to conduct driver training.
Keep motorsports spirit alive in Dawson County and the city and bring new revenue to Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Provide a chance for off-duty police, fire and EMT additional hours to earn more income they otherwise would not have a chance to earn.
It does not drain the local infrastructure, schools, or emergency services.
Provide a safe place for the local community to walk and ride their bicycles during nonoperational hours.
Draw new ancillary businesses that purchase property and build businesses near the driving course.
Provide local businesses additional income from outside of the city and county.
AMP has made offerings to the community, 21 concessions so far. We will not allow unregulated or unrestricted exhausts, unlike a NASCAR event, and 85 percent of our members will be in production vehicles (with Georgia tags) that produce sound levels that you hear on our roads on a daily basis.
Limit our sound level from the cars to 103 decibelsat 50 feet from the outside track edge, not the property line. (What is 103 decibels sound like? A lawn mower at 3-5 feet is 105 decibels, to give perspective.)
We will monitor these levels around the track and drastically penalize, fine or ban offenders from the course.
Sound abatements: We will add dirt "berms" in sensitive locations, topo, buildings as buffers, 4 x 8 hay bales (a proven sound-abatement source, through absorption and refraction of sound), 200 feet of vegetative buffers.
Jeremy Porter
Atlanta Motorsports Park founder
Riverside shows how school diversity thrives
Your Jan. 25 story about the international flair of Riverside Military Academy's basketball team reminds us of the big picture of multicultural education. That big picture of multiculturalism includes all of our international residents and their varying cultures. And by cultures, I include traditions and customs that go beyond our traditional stress on race and gender.
Classrooms are filled with students from diverse cultures, races, religions, socioeconomic groups and families. Independent schools are working to hard to ensure they offer the same mix.
Out of the 42,000 students in Georgia attending private schools, approximately 15 percent were minority students according to the Georgia Independent School Association. Private schools are not limited to students living within particular boundaries; therefore they can draw students from different neighborhoods and cities. This creates an opportunity for a very diverse population of students.
Some independent schools are actually more, not less diverse according to the National Association of Independent Schools. Independent schools are taking advantage of opportunities to expose their students to new cultures in as many ways as they can.
A multicultural curriculum and environment truly enriches a students educational experience. A quote from Soung Woo Han, one of the young men from Riverside, makes clear why all aspects of multicultural education are so important as our youngsters move from kindergarten on through elementary school and high school, then on to higher education:
"I heard a lot about racial conflicts in the U.S.A., but one good thing about Riverside Military Academy is that we're all good friends together," he said. "There's blacks, Hispanics, Asians, whites ... we all stick together."
Holly Ann Pratt
Buford
As taxpayers pay more, others keep earning
All normal citizens are having financial shortfalls, not the senators or Congress or any other politicians, nor the bankers getting the big payoffs nor our secretary of the treasury.
Government thinks we can wave a magic wand and come up with more money, so as to tax us more. I say to government, "Suck in your gut, the way we do!"
There should be no more boat ramps, cars, China trips or high-end commodes. I, for one, will not pay more for pet projects.
One other thing: Our salaries are getting cut or we're losing our jobs altogether; their salaries are not getting cut. Why not?
Joe Chambers
Cleveland
Choose tax assessor on ability not race
Regarding Tuesday's story that a Hall County commissioner wants a minority appointed to the board of tax assessors. I find it somewhat troubling that he is making public statements about disqualifying potential appointees to the current tax board vacancy based on their race, sex, etc.
Isn't that what you are doing when you say you want to appoint a minority? White males need not apply. Hey commish, how about you search for the brightest, most qualified individual for the position? If that turns out to be a minority, then great; if not, then that's OK, too, right?
Maybe I don't understand the position of tax assessor, but how does a minority bring a fresh perspective to tax assessment? This is a government job. The government is supposed to act in the people's best interest, not the commissioners'.
It is in the best interest of the residents of Hall County to have the brightest, most qualified people serving them in their local government.
Duane Ware
Flowery Branch