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Residents at Richmond meeting defend motocross track and press council for civility
Summary
Multiple residents used public comment Nov. 19 to urge civility after an emotional Planning Board hearing and to defend a proposed motocross track; one business owner alleged permitting and property disputes with the town while other speakers urged cooperation and respect.
At the Nov. 19 Richmond Town Council meeting, public comment was dominated by fallout from a planning board hearing and debate over a proposed motocross track.
Several residents urged the council and planning board to act respectfully. Kenneth Ward, who identified himself in public comment, said he was "appalled" by division he saw at past meetings and urged the council to reconsider its tone. Christine Austin, a 20-year Richmond business owner and former educator, told the council: "You are the professionals. You are the officials. You are the ones that are held accountable to have the decency and respect for the residents." (Speaker's words on the record.)
Jordan Carlson, who identified himself as a Richmond resident and business owner involved with a motocross track, defended his project and criticized conduct at a recent planning board meeting. Carlson told the council, "Integrity is what binds us to the values of honesty, fairness, and transparency," and later accused a town official of publicly calling him "a worthless piece of crap" in front of his children; Carlson said he had been pursuing approvals and alleged a multi-year dispute over wetlands, permits and property impacts. The transcript records those allegations; the council did not make findings at the meeting to confirm or refute them.
Several others spoke in support of local business and the track as a community amenity. Samuel Hudson, who spoke from an online connection, said of the track operator, "He gave me a place to ride." Planning board members and several council members said the planning board had unanimously approved a conditional zone change in support of the track and that the council likewise had previously voted in favor of it.
The chair urged speakers and audience members to keep comments civil and warned that repeated insults erode goodwill needed to advance local projects. After public comment the council closed the forum and proceeded to the next agenda items.
What happens next: the project remains a planning and zoning matter. Residents raised procedural and factual disputes during public comment; the council did not take a formal enforcement or investigatory vote on those claims at the Nov. 19 meeting.
