1st Annual Legends of McCarty Speedway, May 24 & 25

Put it on your calender now -- 1st Annual Legends of McCarty Speedway, Dodge City Raceway Park, May 24 & 25

Both nights will feature a program of weekly racers highlighted by the "Boot Hill 1000." Details to follow.



1956 Trophy Dash Champion Race Team, No. 98 Jalopy, McCarty Speedway, Wright Park, Dodge City, KS.

Junior (Cecil) Maupin, Jr. driver, with (from l.) Hank
(Henry) Palmer, car builder; Bud Stanley, chief mechanic; Burney Faulkner and unknown -- the 1933 Ford coupe jalopy racer's first-class crew, rare in 1956. Note matching overalls and bill-less caps, and also infamous McCarty Speedway's tin fence in background.

No deaths were recorded at races on McCarty Speedway, which featured two dirt tracks -- a 1/2-mile track for motorcycles and horses, and a 1/4-mile track for cars. (Photograph courtesy: Roger and Troy Burnett, Dodge City, KS.)

Dodge City Commission Candidates & Casino $34 million infrastructure

Dodge City Commission Candidate Forum, High Plain Journal conference room, Sat., March 15, 10 a.m.

Suggested by many that this public candidate forum on Saturday will be a great opportunity to ask serious questions about the possible tax payer costs and underwriting of the casino infrastructure through the Special Events Center forced location next to the for-profit privately managed state-owned casino.

It has been noted often that the major forces for this Events Center location were people directly involved (ie., CFAB Chair Greg Starks, although at the time not to the public) with the private casino related Boot Hill Gaming Inc. and thus would gain financially by the tax payers' money. It is illegal under Kansas State laws to have ANY tax money used for the casinos.

Time for potential and current city commissioners to be asked how they plan on paying for the huge increased infrastructure costs for the Events Center by the far out-of-town locations. And how that cost will be passed on to the two possible casinos.

Since the Events Center is budgeted at $30 million dollars and the casinos at over $60 million dollars or more each -- looks like at least 2/3s of the cost should be carried by the casinos, or more, since their needs for sewers (hotels, etc.) are massively different than the Events Center's.

Be sure to go to this forum and be sure to ask very pointed questions. It may be the only time that these candidates have to publicly answer.

Signed: Uncle George

Special Dodge City Commission meeting -- Monday, March 3, 5:30 p.m. -- Casinos, event center

Looks like anybody wanting to hold on to their tax money better be at this one. Wonder how the casinos will pay for their infrastructure? Wonder where the water will come from? But, hey, with that $34 million infrastructure, we'll have the most expensive $30 million dollar events center in the country. Bonus?


CITY COMMISSION AGENDA
SPECIAL MEETING
City Commission Chambers
Monday, March 3, 2008 5:30 p.m.
MEETING #4701

CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
BUSINESS


1. Review and Action on Butler National Memorandum of Understanding
Re: Butler National Casino/Event Center Proposal

2. Review and Action on Global Entertainment Consulting Agreement
Re: Special Event Center

3. Review and Action on Joint Communication Board Agreement Amendments

4. Review and Action on Dodge City Resort & Gaming Casino Endorsement Resolution





ADJOURNMENT

$34 million for casino/event center infrastructure -- a record ? -- money certainly not a problem for an actual county museum

FORD COUNTY CASINO: Dodge City Could Pay an Estimated $33,340,000, Dodge City Daily Globe, Feb. 19, 2008

First, glad that money is just not an issue for CFAB/Dodge City Commission/Ford County Commission. That is obvious, since it is a fact that they didn't like this number being added up and put in a headline.

This may be a record, right up there with the "Big Dig" -- of potentially $34 million city tax dollars spending on infrastructure for a $30 million events center. How will they divide up the cost so that no tax money goes illegally to the casino? How does that work? Or is it not of interest to CFAB to stay within that law? How does a city file for bankrupt status? Should look that up.


Of interest is the failure by CFAB or the Dodge City Commission to plan ahead on the massive cost of putting the public event center by the casino -- in either location. Somehow, this planning was avoided until this week -- and the figures, as would be expected due to locations, are very, very high. $34 million dollars is the current estimate of the cost for water, sewer, roads for the far west location. And this figure doesn't seem to include a no-doubt necessary EMT/fire station for the west location. Costs would be similar for the east location, it was said.

What is sad is that the $10 million or so needed for an actual Ford County Museum with archive has been ignored as being to expensive by the same CFAB/City/County boards. It is just history -- not the 'fun' of gambling.

That makes it clear where the priorities are -- non-productive gaming wins over protecting history for the future. Perhaps the voters will keep this in mind in questions asked of the candidates for Dodge City Commission this spring.

As one that will not go into the casino (although, due to conventions, I have been in casinos in other states more than a few times -- I don't care if people want to throw their money away -- I just don't like to watch it happening, and don't consider it "entertainment"), the massive cost to Dodge City/Ford County of the casino's need for water, et al, negates the value of having the casino here -- except for those few companies and persons building it, servicing it, et al.

Seems that the cost of the infrastructure needs to carried by the for-profit casinos, not the event center. The location of the event center should be, again, reconsidered. And since the court order makes it necessary to build it before any other use of the Why Not Dodge! money, that location will mean the difference between a few million dollars and $34 million dollars for the tax payers.

Sorry to say, property taxes will be affected no matter what is being said now -- there is not enough sales tax money on-going to cover that huge cost, and build the events center -- and certainly not to get it done for an events center before the agri expo center (when did we vote on that ?) or a water park (again, was that in the vote?), as the judge requires.

Signed: Uncle George

Ford County Casino Proposal from Dodge City Gaming Inc.

Dodge City Gaming Inc. proposal includes free land for county/city, horse barns, rodeo area, and 3 percent for non-profit tourism venues.

Endorsement Postponed: Commissioners to decide on casino endorsement at later joint city, county meeting, Dodge City Daily Globe, Jan. 23, 2008

Proposal from the Wichita-based Dodge City Gaming Inc. includes free land for the city to build our events center, something not in the current Butler Services proposal. Dodge City Gaming Inc. also welcomes horses, rodeo, the Old West. This means that a second expo center currently under discussion by CFAB would not be necessary, saving millions.

The location suggested by Dodge City Gaming Inc. is on the north east side of Dodge City, north of the highway, near Ave. P, a location that will not require a new fire/emergency building, again saving a lot of dollars for the tax payers of Ford County.

The state of Kansas will have two solid proposals for consideration, and both include money for non-profit venues, Boot Hill, et al. Guess it is a good bet, so to speak, that Ford County and Dodge City can save a lot of money by having the free land for the Events Center -- no doubt Butler can match this offer in the future.

Boot Hill Museum struggles with attendance, Museum has received $775,000 in local sales tax money

stuggle
"Over the past four years, the Boot Hill Museum has received $775,000 in local sales tax money to keep it afloat, according to figures from City Hall.

"But some local officials wonder what the museum, founded in 1947 as a tribute to the heritage that has made Dodge City known throughout the world as a symbol of the Old West, has done to improve its financial viability....

"The last Kansas Humanities grant Boot Hill has applied for was a 1991 mini-grant for a one-night speaker, according to a Humanities Council database dating back to 1991...."

Boot Hill Museum struggles with attendance, Dodge City Daily Globe, January 20, 2008

It is good to finally see some public figures on Boot Hill Museum's budget -- first time for most of us, including Dodge City Commission. Thanks to Mark Vierthaler, Daily Globe reporter, for getting those facts somehow.

Time for Boot Hill to actually reach out to the community, become transparent in their operation, and get going on fund raising, grant applications, advice gathering from state and national museum professionals in Dodge City -- all normal for every successful museum.

[Important note: the figures on historical attendance have grown and grown over the years -- no actual solid figures exist. Urban legend would indicate a few hundred thousand per year in the 1960s, but the 300,000 figures for later decades are not to be believed, and are not fair to the current management of Boot Hill Museum Inc.]

Signed: Uncle George

Gambling decisions are ‘not for sale’

Gambling decisions are ‘not for sale,’ leader says, Lawrence Journal-World, Jan. 11, 2008

Stephen Martino, executive director of the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission, also says that nothing would be left to chance in the process for choosing precisely which companies will get the exclusive contracts to build, develop and operate such state-sponsored gambling centers.

“This process is not for sale,” Martino said. “It’s going to be squeaky clean.”

And that should be interesting for us all to learn from in Western Kansas, don't you think....