It was a good meeting and the folks at AIS appreciate very much everyone who came out. There were some good moments with many drivers saying they would run AIS again and bring some other drivers with them. Especially delightful was Walt Van Tassel from Thunder Alley whose comments were quite focused and very supportive of AIS. His description of the "ridiculous" tax situation* was a colorful highlight to the evening. The presence of another track owner in this setting could not have been more helpful. Support was very visible across the crowd from racers to fans to business owners to fellow announcer John Burr. This was no surprise considering the dedication and loyalty of the racing fraternity.
The AIS staff talked late into the night about our impressions of the meeting. While the response of the crowd was very affirmative and a great encouragement to us, we're still not quite sure what to make of the New Bremen Town Board. While each one individually expressed their support for the track to re-open, they were careful to let us know that when it comes to the tax assessment their hands are tied and there's not much they can do. What does that mean? If they can't do anything, who can? AIS has previously heard the same from this Board (long before there was a lawsuit), which is why we're not flying too high at this point. What is said in public in front of a crowd isn't always what comes out in a private meeting. We also still have to deal with the Lewis County legislators who I'm not convinced know very much about economic development. Nevertheless, without the new supervisor in New Bremen, this meeting would have never happened, so maybe something new is in the wind.
I'll try to keep everyone updated a bit better on the website from now on and thanks for your interest and support.
Keith Zehr
* The tax situation that Walt was referring to was the fact that even though it's closed and presently inoperable, AIS is STILL being assessed more than any other short track within a 3 hour radius, asphalt or dirt.
