Published: May 01, 2008 01:42 am            

OUR VIEW: Burned out on Cruise Night

So it looks like they’re going to try it again.

There are negotiations underway to bring the controversial Shredd & Ragan Cruise Night event to the parking lot at the former Bell Aerospace plant. You’ll recall that the event had been held at The Summit mall. The controversial part of the show, sponsored by radio station WEDG-FM, involved a burnout pit. That’s where cars get to rev up, spin their tires and create massive amounts of smoke while burning rubber.

Apparently a number of folks find great entertainment in this activity. Those who weren’t so amused were the mall’s neighbors who complained about that smoke and the noise that went along with it. The county Health Department last summer shut down the burn pit but later allowed it to resume at a reduced level.

The head of Wheatfield’s town government says a move to the old Bell property is the answer. “That would solve all of our problems, I think,” said Town Supervisor Tim Demler. He said the parking lot is far enough away from most homeowners so that the smoke would dissipate before it reached them.

But the lot has other, closer neighbors; not as many as the mall, but residents and taxpayers nonetheless. One said, “If the people across from the mall didn’t want it in their backyard, why would I want it in mine?”

Why indeed.

We have a hard time fathoming why the town keeps pushing the Cruise Night. It might be understandable when done in conjunction with the mall. The event does draw a crowd and if the mall, which has struggled for years, can benefit from that, that’s a plus. But taking it away from the mall and putting it in what a now a vacant parking lot takes away its only real benefit for the town. The proposed site is far enough from the mall so that the show’s economic impact would be negligible.

All that’s left is the traffic, the smoke and the noise. And that’s not enough to make Cruise Night worth the trouble.

        

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