Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 2, 1993 TAG: 9311020143
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ADRIENNE PETTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The food service there is finally up to Health Department standards, said Tim Baker of the West Piedmont Health District, which oversees Franklin, Henry and Patrick counties.
Along with measures to curb drinking at the speedway, Taylor was ordered by Franklin County prosecutor Cliff Hapgood to comply with Health Department regulations for food service by Nov. 1 when he appeared a month ago in Franklin County Circuit Court on a civil complaint that he was operating a public nuisance.
Hapgood said he has not inspected the food service at the track but he plans to do so by the end of the week.
Baker said Taylor has completed the repairs that were needed, including repairing a leaky ceiling, exterminating insects, replacing floors, and cleaning grease build-up on floors and behind grills. One of the concession stands that needed more extensive repairs will remain closed until work is complete, he said.
Bringing the violations to the court's attention was a last resort for the Health Department, Baker said. Officials there had tried to work with Taylor by educating him about health risks each time they saw a violation, but the violations continued to pile up.
"It was a cumulative effect," Baker said. "He had a lot of different problems in different places all at the same time."
Health Department violations were perhaps the least of Taylor's concerns. His track was almost shut down after the Franklin County Sheriff's Office arrested about 56 people at the speedway in late July, primarily for drinking in public.
He managed to stay open for the rest of the racing season, which ends this Saturday, after agreeing to comply with the Health Department regulations, hire more security people to aggressively enforce state Alcoholic Beverage Control laws and separate the track's spectator area from the parking lot with a fence to prevent people from bringing alcohol into the stands with them. Taylor said almost half of the fence has been built.
Taylor said that he has actually enjoyed all the publicity over drinking at the speedway. And rest assured, his troubles with county authorities aren't over.
"It's no big deal," he said. "It's just another saga in the 15-year battle since I've been here. They'll be on me for something else next year."
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB