By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The Sunflower Rod and Custom Association (SRCA) released their dragstrip schedule that will get rolling in May, but the long-term future of the dragstrip has a few question marks when it comes to maintenance and operation.
RELATED STORY: Denning stepping down as SRCA Dragstrip president
Owned by the City of Great Bend, the city was able to negotiate a new operating
agreement with the SRCA Board of Directors. The previous agreement expired at
the end of 2022, and the negotiations include a tentative one-year contract. City
Attorney Allen Glendenning said the city will need to investigate the issues
with the track and the required maintenance.
"It's only for one year and that's because in another time we'll be discussing with you the causes of the issues that the SRCA has told us about the dragstrip," said Glendenning. "We'll look at what we can do to try to get those remedied. This will give us a year to look at that. Hopefully, we'll have some answers by the end of that year."
Following an executive session Monday night, the Great Bend City Council
approved the hiring of two attorneys to determine the condition of the
dragstrip.
With the help of a Kansas Department of Transportation Cost Share program, the
city received $1.6 million to reconstruct the dragstrip in 2021. Upon
completion of the project, there were several flaws with high spots and now
holes in the track.
RELATED STORY: Great Bend sorts out responsibility for SRCA's extra expense
The SRCA used to make a $10,000 annual payment to the city for use of the
dragstrip. The new, one-year contract will reduce the payment to $1.
"There has been some issues with the dragstrip since the construction project was completed," said Glendenning. "The SRCA has told us that has increased their maintenance and cost of operating it. We've reduced what they pay the city in order to help defray those costs."
Pinpointing the responsibility of the track surface mishaps is a matter the city,
SRCA and contractors are sorting out.