Tim Anderton

Bruton Smith prevailed over the troubles he had with the town of Concord and broke ground on his drag strip across from Lowe's Motor Speedway last Tuesday. The $60 million project is due to be open in time for an NHRA event Sept 11th to 14th.

Concord officials say that their initial cautious reluctance stemmed from concern over noise. Smith's design for the drag strip will use special wall materials and a sound-absorbing grandstand to address the issue. After threatening to relocate the entire project, local government promised Smith $80 million in incentives to stay, most of which will be realized as improvements to area roadways around and leading into the speedway complex.

Smith is running a contest to name the drag strip. Currently it's referred to as The Dragway @ Lowe's Motor Speedway and will cover 46.5 acres adjacent to The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway. The September inaugural event at the facility is expected to bring almost $10 million to the area.

While the yearly retreat of the Mooresville commissioners touched on a variety of topics from the waste-water plant project to the purchase of the old Adelphia cable system to the requested resignation of former Town Manager Jamie Justice, the main focus was on transit issues.

The transportation planning department focused their yearly report on the hiring of traffic engineer Tony Tagliaferri, who has been working with officials in Raleigh to address a variety of issues in the area. Several needed projects are being championed to the NCDOT by Tagliaferri. While some are still awaiting funding, others, like a dedicated left-turn signal at US 21 and Williamson/Brawley School Rd, are scheduled to be completed very soon. The board committed to earmarking twice the usual amount of $500,000 for transportation funding in future year budgets

Good news was received about the CATS-backed North Corridor project, which would bring full rail service all the way up to Mt Mourne. The funding commitment needed from Charlotte City Council to begin the initial engineering phase of the of the project was received this past Monday. The cap on this funding is $8.5 million, which is sufficient to keep all aspects of the project in play while awaiting additional funding from state and federal agencies. It was re-iterated at the retreat that the estimated ridership for the project exceeds the capacity of an additional lane on I-77, at a lower overall cost.

After an initial overwhelmingly positive report in the Mooresville Tribune, concerns have arisen over the proposed 6 field soccer complex that the Mooresville Travel and Tourism Authority has proposed for the Brawley Mansion property it recently purchased out of a bank foreclosure.

However, a recent discussions regarding the plan for Cornelius Road park indicate that some Mooresville officials feel the town has enough soccer fields planned for the area. The director of Mooresville's Parks and Recreation Department, Wanda McKenzie, points out “about 10 soccer fields” already planned for various locations around town. She stresses other recreation options for the town's citizens.

However, it is worthy of note that the Brawley Mansion soccer complex is not a Mooresville Parks and Rec project. One would think allowing the Travel and Tourism Authority to go ahead with their project allows Parks and Rec to move forward on the other possibilities which too many soccer fields in Mooresvile parks would impede. And, having 6 high quality fields in one complex seems to offer more potential than a few fields scattered around Mooresville in various parks. A recent editorial in the Mooresville Tribune goes so far as to say that one 6 field complex isn't enough. The author maintains that the 6 field Brawley Mansion complex should be accompanied by an 8 field complex at Cornelius Road park and that this will serve the town's soccer needs.

After 3 years as Site Selection magazine's Top Micropolitan Area, Mooresville-Statesville has dropped to number 2. The new top spot holder, however, is nearby Lexington-Thomasville in Davidson County.

Statesville and Mooresville leaders are quick to point out that this change in ranking should not be seen as a negative for the area. They explain that the change in ranking isn't due to less or lower development in the Mooresville/Statesville region, but even more growth in the surrounding areas. This means a stronger and broader economic basis for the entire region. North Carolina's strong showing in Site Selection's rankings are demonstrative of a shift in the economic basis in the state towards a wide variety of industries. It also shows that the entire region is focused on the balance between strong business growth and maintaining a high quality of life for its citizens.

Mooresville/Statesville recruited 21 new projects this year while Lexington-Thomasville recruited 30. Site Selection defines a 'project' as a venture where capital investment is at least $1 million, 50 or more jobs are created, or new floor space of at least 20,000 sq ft is constructed.

After an unsuccessful auction last month kept Mooresville's Brawley Mansion in the hands of the bank which foreclosed on it, the Mooresville Travel & Tourism Authority has signed a contract to purchase the property and has plans to turn it into a soccer complex.

The Authority's plan will provide six fields on the 23 acre property and preserve the existing Mansion. Mooresville officials have expressed interest in working towards acquiring local landmark status for the Mansion, which is already designated on the National Register of Historic Places. It is hoped that the soccer complex can draw tournaments to the area, bringing additional tourism dollars to local restaurants, hotels, and shops.

If Mooresville Town Commissioners approve the site proposal, the complex could be open as early as late Summer. The Commission may consider the proposal at their April 7th meeting.