Council cans Oamaru airport drags
The council allows Whitestone Rodders hot rod club to use the airport runway twice a year for the Oamaru Airport Drags where spectators enjoy V8s, imports and motorbikes taking turns speeding down the runway during four rounds of quarter-mile action.
In its 13th year, the event attracted up to 150 competitors and 1500 spectators and also kept "boy racers" off the street, Whitestone Rodders president Geoff Omnett said.
It was "unusual the club had not been given any real justification in the decision to halt the big community event".
"It's odd and Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said he and the councillors weren't aware of any such decision being made."
Club committee member Murray Mackenzie said an email from the council property manager last month asking the club to remove its event signs at the airport and remove all their belongings from a storage shed had been upsetting.
"We are disappointed. We spent $1500 of the club's money to repair all the rotten weatherboards at the council's request, and then six weeks later they tell us we can't race here any more.
"We're like 'what's going on?'," Mr Mackenzie said.
That letter, signed by WDC's property officer, read: "I'm just touching base to tidy up loose ends with regards to WDC not being able to allow drag racing at the Oamaru Airport any longer.
"We are in the process of hiring an airport manager and it would be good to agree a way forward so I can hand over a clear set of close-out tasks to our new recruit.
It asked "Can you please remove the sign promoting the event" and added if the club was still using storage at the airport "it would be good to have this cleared out in the near future as well".
Mr Omnett said the council had previously advised them that tarmac resealing, organised by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), was to be done and for that reason they were not permitted to run the drags this year.
Funds from the event, which is held in March and November, go towards the club, but also help other organisations that assist in running the event, including Air Training Corps and Hato Hone St John, he said.
The club was also told the CAA required the council to carry out an aeronautical study to inform decisions about the future of the airport and the use of the runways.
Club member and race organiser Kevin Boler said last year the previous council property manager Tania Goldingham told him there would be no more racing at the Oamaru Airport for the "foreseeable future", although he believed the "door was still open".
Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said he was unaware of any discussion between the hot rod club and the council regarding the tarmac.
"There was talk around the impact that drag racing has on the runway, but it hasn't been a decision by the governance team to cease that event," Mr Kircher said.
He said the council's plans to reseal the airport tarmac had been "put off" as they consider "cheaper options".
Mr Kircher said if the impact of the drags on the tarmac was an issue they could look to other solutions such as "moving the race start area to a different part of the runway".
Waitaki District Council director of strategy, performance and design Joanne O'Neill said a meeting was scheduled for August 11 with club members, council property managers and the new airport manager Matt Sisson.
"We look forward to having a constructive conversation about the future of drag racing in Waitaki, given the increasing use of the Oamaru Airport," she said.
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