Mayor Domenic Sarno said the promoters have failed to provide critical information regarding liability and safety issues.
SPRINGFIELD – A group planning a Vintage Grand Prix race in Springfield in July said Friday the event is in jeopardy because of roadblocks by city officials with unrealistic expectations.
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, however, said the promoters failed to provide needed information and to address basic concerns about liability and safety. The organizers have themselves to blame if the event does not take place, he said.
“To throw out that the city administration is trying to kill this thing is ridiculous,” Sarno said. “I would love to have the event, but it needs to be done in the right way.”
Michael A. Hall, of Springfield, founder of the Springfield Vintage Grand Prix, said he and other organizers and promoters have a meeting with Sarno and his advisors on Monday to ask if the city wants the race or not.
“There has been roadblocks, hurdles and really unrealistic expectations,” Hall said. “People have to stop putting their personal agendas in front of the community. Yes, of course it’s politics.”
“That’s outrageous,” Sarno said of the allegation of politics. “That shows me how low they have stooped to.”
The event, featuring pre-1960 race cars, is being presented by the Vintage Sports Car Club of America in collaboration with the city. Hall and City Councilor Melvin A. Edwards are among the key local organizers.
A key stumbling block is that the city wants to organizers to provide a $300,000 performance bond to cover city costs including police details and the Department of Public Works, Hall said.
The organizers are covering costs for the event, and the city’s figure for its own expenses is unrealistic and inflated, Hall said.
The event, which is planned July 22 to 24, is free to the public and a charity for the Springfield schools, Hall said. It will bring in tens of thousands of people, benefiting the local economy and filling area hotels, organizers said. The race route is in the downtown area.
The Law Department, in multiple letters to Hall, said it needs formal guarantees that the city’s liability is fully covered and that public safety is fully addressed.
The race days are Saturday and Sunday, ending by late afternoon each day, Hall said. The route will be protected by Jersey barriers and professionally installed fencing, and the vintage cars will be traveling at reasonable speeds, as the event is more of an exhibition of vintage cars than a race, he said.
Hall said the organizers, working with the New England Farm Workers Council, are planning the event, and have $30 million in liability insurance. Springfield officials should determine what provisions need to be added to that insurance plan to meet the city’s needs, he said.
Sarno and his chief of staff, Denise Jordan, said various city departments and department heads have worked long and hard with the organizers, but have not gotten needed information.
“I cannot put the city, nor its residents, nor its business community in harm's way,” Sarno said.
The City Council approved a home rule bill to allow street racing, but it needs approval from the Legislature and governor. The bill is before the House-Senate Joint Transportation Committee.
Edwards, a first-term councilor, said the mayor was initially “quite welcoming,” with the provision that the event must be safe and privately funded. The organizers agree fully, and have been providing all the information needed for a successful event, he said.
“I’m really disappointed,” Edwards said. “It has been a very arduous journey. Nobody is saying flatly we can’t do this. They have created all these obstacles.”
The city has to follow rules, procedures and laws, Sarno said.
“We are trying to work with the promoters to make this happen,” Sarno said. “We can’t hold their hands. They are trying to turn it, that if it is not done, it’s the city’s fault. That’s not true.”
In a letter May 5, Associate City Solicitor Patricia Bobba Donovan said there has been “oral” information provided, but the city needs a written agreement that “details and assures all aspects of the event, to the satisfaction of the city, especially safety, consideration for business and residents in the area, and full guaranteed financial protection for all of the city expenses.”
She said the city needs an insurance binder that proves the city and the licensee are fully covered by liability insurance.
The organizers and the Sarno administration said there have been many phone calls, emails and meetings to address issues and concerns. Those taking part have included representatives of the mayor’s office, Public Works, Law Department, Police Department, Economic Development and Office of Emergency Preparedness.
Hall said time is too short for any further delay. People are already booking hotels and making freight arrangements for the vintage cars, he and Edwards said.
“I think it’s great but has to be done in the right way,” Sarno said. “I can’t help it if the promoter is dropping the ball in some way.”