A warranty on runway surfacing has put an end to the hope of drag racing events at the Sechelt airport this year as uncertainty for the future of the motorsport at the site continues, while drag racers say a lack of in-person meetings with council during COVID-19 has hobbled them.
District of Sechelt council voted to deny the Sunshine Coast Drag Racing Association’s request to host events at the airport in 2021 and until a warranty has expired for the freshly-resurfaced airport.
Council deferred a decision on the matter in February, opting to wait until the airport expansion was complete.
With operations now resumed as of June 22, staff said the earliest the one-year warranty period would expire would be June 22, 2022 and recommended denying the request by the association to use the runway this year as a result.
Issues related to a construction warranty were not included in the February staff report.
The association has held events at the airport for more than two decades.
At the July 7 regular council meeting, Mayor Darnelda Siegers read an email from the association’s vice president, Colin Stracker, at his request, that outlined his concern with council’s approach to the issue.
“It seems easy for the district and council to make decisions during these COVID times when, other than observing on YouTube, no citizen can offer any in-person input during council meetings,” said the letter.
Stracker referenced an email sent by Siegers earlier that day inviting them to the meeting, which he said gave them “no time to prepare a statement or proposal for our future as a drag race association after 21 years at the airport.”
Members of the public can provide input at council meetings using Zoom, but question period is not recorded for viewing later on YouTube.
Further, Stracker said Coun. Eric Scott told them at a meeting prior to the pandemic start that the district “had no intention of stopping the drag races at the Sechelt airport but were working on ways to continue with races at the same time looking for alternatives.”
After reading the email, Siegers said council would have to decide whether to allow drag racing to occur on the runway moving forward, and if not, whether to find an alternative.
“I’m going to tell you up front, I like the activities … great community participation,” she said. “And, we’re looking at spending – by the time we get the lights in – $4 million on this facility, and I’m not willing, personally, to allow the drag racers to continue on the current runway. I’d love to see another way to work with them.”
To provide clarity for the association, Coun. Alton Toth made a motion that drag racing not be permitted on the airport runway until the warranty has expired, taking the cancellation period into early summer 2022, which all councillors but Scott approved.
Scott said he was hesitant because it would imply drag racing would be “a go” at the airport afterwards, “and that’s not necessarily the case.”
He said the airport advisory committee “has not been supportive of having the drag racers [at the airport].”
Instead, an area is available to create a parallel track at the airport, he said, which could be a “viable option,” though it may cause issues if the district developed the north side of the airport.
Councillors said they supported drag racing but agreed more information was needed before moving forward with a conversation with the association and before making decisions about the motorsport’s future on the runway.
Councillors voted on a motion, made by Coun. Matt McLean, for staff to prepare a report that looks at remediation options for drag racing at the airport should they continue to use the runway, which was supported unanimously.
A list of topics to discuss with the association after the remediation options are presented was also prepared, such as how much money the association could contribute, including a contingency fund, other location options, and how other airports host drag racing.
“All of us are open to chatting,” said McLean at the end of the discussion, inviting the association to reach out. “I think we need to get more dialogue going.”
