Lime Rock Park is seeking landmark status

SALISBURY — The Board of Selectmen accepted a bid for additional sidewalk work and heard from Skip Barber on his efforts to get  National Historic Landmark status for Lime Rock Park during the regular monthly board meeting Monday, Dec. 6.

First Selectman Curtis Rand said the sidewalk work is done for the winter, and will resume in April. There are additional areas on town property that require work; Rand said the town had received a bid from the same company — Mather Construction — that performed the completed work.

The selectmen voted 2-0 to accept the Mather bid of $46,500. Selectman Jim Dresser abstained, as his property is adjacent to the work site.

Landmark status for track

Skip Barber, who asked the selectmen last month for a letter of support for Lime Rock Park’s bid to receive National Historic Landmark status from the National Park Service,  made his pitch, calling Lime Rock Park “the Fenway Park of racingâ€� and describing the pride that racers and fans worldwide take in the track.

 â€œFor them and for us it would be a great honor,â€� he said.

In response to questions from the selectmen, Barber said there is nothing in it for the track except the honor. “It has nothing to do with business or town and state control� of land.

Receiving the designation means the track’s configuration could not be changed, he added. “It’s the first track that was engineered, rather than bulldozed.�

Selectman Bob Riva said “So in a sense you’re asking for more restrictions.�

Barber said, “We can change the buildings but not the track layout.�

Dresser asked if the designation applied only to the Lime Rock Park property. Barber said yes, as far as he knows.

“It has nothing to do with zoning or local rules,� Barber said.

“So why do you want it?� asked Dresser.

“We want the honor,� replied Barber. “It’s as simple as that.�

The selectmen then voted unanimously to write a letter to lend their support.

Use of town funds

The selectmen voted to donate $2,500 from the community development budget line to a fundraising effort to provide logistical support to the upcoming Junior Olympics. It is a one-time allocation.

During citizen comments, Wendy Hamilton reiterated a question from the Nov. 9 town meeting that established the Affordable Housing Commission and an Affordable Housing Fund.

The latter was provided with a budget of $50,000 from the town’s land capital fund. Hamilton wanted to know the history of that fund and if there are any restrictions on that money that would prevent it being used for the Affordable Housing Fund.

Rand said, “It’s a line item, so once the budget’s approved it’s there. The last big thing was the earmark for the Salisbury Winter Sports Association (SWSA).� (At a March town meeting, voters approved an agreement for the town to provide $140,000 as security for SWSA’s ongoing rebuilding project of the ski jump at Satre Hill.)

Hamilton persisted, saying that the definition of “land capital fund� seemed to be somewhat elastic.

“Maybe we should rename it,� said Rand. “We assume any expenditure, if not for land, then is for things related to land. Frankly, we haven’t used it much.�

Hamilton also objected to the Northwestern Connecticut Planning Collaborative’s plans for improving signs and way-finding. “I think that’s silly in a town with one street.�

She added that, in her opinion, to apply for and use a state grant for such improvements in a time of serious fiscal difficulties would be a bad idea.

“If we needed it, we’d have done it.�