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County prolongs raceway 'agony'

• The Dougherty County Commission plans to take a binding vote on the Albany Motor Speedway issue at a special called meeting.

Carlton Fletcher

ALBANY — Stop me if you’ve heard this one before ...

The Dougherty County Commission decided Monday to hold off on its proposed vote to allow the racing of vehicles other than Legends cars at the Albany Motor Speedway so that commissioners could clear discrepencies in separate letters presented to them by current speedway owner Bill Farnsworth and businessman Bob Brooks, who is working with a group that is attempting to purchase the track.

Commissioner Lamar Hudgins noted the discrepencies and asked that they be settled before a vote is taken.

“I, as one commissioner, want to get this right,” Hudgins said. “I can’t assimilate all this information and make an informed vote until these matters are cleared up.”

Commissioner Jack Stone said putting off the vote amounted to “prolonging the agony.”

“We’ve been playing with this for 2 1/2 months now,” Stone said. “I know how I feel about it, and think we need to move on it. If we turn this thing down, they can just go back to racing anything they want out there, from billy goats to bicycles.

“If y’all want to prolong the agony ...”

Commission Chair Jeff Sinyard said putting off a vote on the matter until discrepenecies were cleared up was not going to cause a hardship for any of the parties involved. He asked Brooks, who was in the audience, as much, and Brooks said it was not a problem for him.

“The most important thing is to get this right,” Sinyard said. “It’s important that we do this so that there’s not a group back here in another eight years trying to clear this up again. If it takes a little while longer, let’s just make sure we get it right.”

“So be it, if that’s the desire of the commission,” Stone said. He later quipped in a comment to Sinyard, “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but you weren’t in charge of the job.”

In other action taken at the business meeting, commissioners approved the purchase of software from AMX International at a cost of $55,200; approved local insurors Doherty, Duggan & Rouse’s low bid of $561,728 for various insurance coverages; OK’d an alcohol license for the County Corner on Leary Road; and approved an Away From Home Recycling grant application prepared by Keep Albany Dougherty Beautiful.

“The only cost we would incur is to put a vehicle tag on a trailer,” KADB Executive Director Judy Bowles said.

Sinyard also presented a proclamation to Darrell Sabbs and Sanford Hillsman of 100 Black Men of Albany recognizing today through next Monday as Men’s Health Week in the county. The organization will sponsor free health screenings in the community this week.

“We are saving lives,” Sabbs said.

Added Hillsman, “More than 3,000 men have taken part in the screenings over the last seven years, so we’re making a difference.”

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