MEDIA-Dispatch .5

A group opposed to auto racing in Cooper Stadium has raised about $18,000 for its own noise-impact study for the community around the ballpark.

Members of ROAR (Redevelop Our Area Responsibly) Columbus, say their study is separate from the one planned by developer William J. Schottenstein, who envisions turning the stadium into a motorsports complex.

Carol J. Stewart, a Franklinton resident and a member of ROAR, said auto racing at Cooper Stadium would create too much noise for the surrounding neighborhoods.

"My first husband and I, many, many years ago, sponsored a stock car one year, and there is no way that car racing in a residential area would not affect people," said Stewart, who lives about a mile north of the stadium.

The Columbus Clippers minor-league baseball team is scheduled to move from the stadium next spring to a new, $55 million ballpark in the Arena District.

The county agreed in May to sell the stadium to Schottenstein's Arshot Investment Corp. for $3.3 million. Arshot has 17 months to close the deal.

The complex could potentially house a speedway, drag strip and go-cart track that would attract races, car clubs and rallies.

Proponents said the complex could create jobs and provide an economic boost to the West Side.

Formed in response to Arshot's motorsports complex plan, ROAR consists of Franklinton and Columbus-area residents and businesses. The Franklinton Area Commission, which Stewart chairs, and the German Village Society are among groups that support an independent noise study.

The Southwest Area Commission, Downtown Residents' Association of Columbus, Green Lawn Cemetery and Waterford Tower Condominium Association also share concerns about potential noise and air pollution created by a racetrack.

Real-estate agents and property owners have contributed money toward ROAR's noise study, Stewart said. Some of the funds will go toward legal representation.

The group is in the process of hiring a sound expert to conduct the study, said Mary Rhinehart, a ROAR member. Testing should take only about a week and a report is expected to be issued before the end of the year.

Rhinehart is president and chief executive officer of WeCare Health Facility, a 101-bed nursing home on Canonby Place.

"The drag strip would end about 25 feet from our property," Rhinehart said. "We would not be able to function with that noise."

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