DC Facilities Committee relaxes COVID-19 restrictions on Red Cedar Speedway

By LeAnn R. Ralph

MENOMONIE —  In spite of an outbreak of COVID-19 in Dunn County, the Dunn County Board’s Facilities Committee has relaxed occupancy restrictions on the Red Cedar Speedway at the Dunn County Rec Park.

The facilities committee on June 30 during a special meeting approved changing from the Wednesday before a race to the Monday before a race at the Red Cedar Speedway to determine the occupancy capacity for the next weekend’s automobile races based on COVID-19 cases in the county  — and also doubled the number of cases required to change the capacity at the grandstands.

For example, under the previous formula, if there were 9 cases of COVID-19 in a week in Dunn County, the grandstands could be at 100 percent capacity. With 18 cases of COVID-19 in a week, the grandstand capacity could be at 75 percent capacity and so forth.

The motion by the facilities committee changed the numbers from nine cases in a week to 18 cases in a week to allow 100 percent capacity at the grandstands and from 18 cases to 36 cases of COVID-19 in a week to have 75 percent capacity, and increases the number of cases in a week to 44 to allow 60 percent capacity, 54 cases for 50 percent capacity, 72 cases for 35 percent capacity and 90 cases in a week to allow 25 percent capacity.

The main grandstand at the Red Cedar Speedway in the Dunn County Rec Park has a capacity of 1,134 people and two auxiliary bleachers with a capacity of 165 people each for a total of 1,465.

The Red Cedar Speedway’s racing schedule runs from April 9 through August 27 and September 23 through September 27.

Under the previous agreement with the Red Cedar Racing Association, if there were 22 cases in a week, the capacity could be at 60 percent (879 people). If the cases were 27 for the week, the capacity could be at 50 percent (732 people). If there were 36 cases in the past week, the capacity could be 35 percent (513 people), and if there were 45 cases over the past week, the capacity could be 25 percent (366 people).

Outbreak

Prior to the discussion and decision to relax the restrictions on the Red Cedar Speedway, KT Gallagher, the director of the Dunn County Health Department and the county’s health officer, told the facilities committee that an outbreak of COVID-19 was starting in Dunn County.

On the day of the committee meeting, nine new cases of COVID-19 were documented, just in one day, compared to eight cases for the entire week before, she said.

In the previous few weeks, there were only five new cases per week, Gallagher said.

Nine new cases in one day represents “a steep incline,” and the health department expects more cases, she said.

The new cases originated in an unvaccinated faith community, and three of the nine people have been hospitalized, Gallagher said.

COVID-19 “is not done,” she said.

About 37 percent of the people in Dunn County are fully vaccinated, but the sign-ups for new vaccinations have hit a plateau, Gallagher said.

The health department set up a pop-up clinic at a nutrition site and vaccinated two people, although the health department was prepared to vaccinate 50. At a pop-up clinic at a church, four people were vaccinated, and again, the health department was prepared to vaccinate 50, she said.

There are “significant pockets of unvaccinated people” in Dunn County, and COVID-19 continues to have an impact. The coronavirus “can still hospitalize and kill,” Gallagher said.

With eight new cases over the previous week, as of June 30, the Red Cedar Speedway could be at 100 percent capacity in the grandstands for the next weekend, she said.

With a new outbreak of nine cases in one day, the capacity at the Red Cedar Speedway would have to be re-evaluated for the following week, Gallagher said.

The system in place for grandstand capacity “isn’t broke. We don’t need to fix it,” she said.

100 percent

Mike Rogers, county board supervisor from Menomonie and a member of the facilities committee, said he would like to see the Red Cedar Speedway at 100 percent capacity all of the time.

If an outbreak of COVID-19 becomes a crisis, the Red Cedar Racing Association is responsible enough to be able to choose what they want to do, he said.

Tim Niehoff, county board supervisor from Menomonie and a member of the facilities committee, asked if the new cases were tied to an indoor or an outdoor event.

Gallagher said the health department was still evaluating the outbreak, but the cases originated with an outdoor softball game, fellowship and worship.

Spreading of the virus is limited at outdoor events, Niehoff said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that transmission of COVID-19 is less likely outdoors, he said.

People travel for the races, either to participate or to spectate, and they need time to plan, he said.

Finding out on Wednesday whether races can be held on Friday does not seem like enough lead time, so maybe two weeks of notice would be better, said David Bartlett, chair of the Dunn County Board.

If the determination is made on a Friday or a Saturday, then the racers and the spectators would know they have the next two weekends to race, he said.

Two weeks

Two weeks might be good for racing, but what is Gallagher’s professional viewpoint? asked Charles Maves, county board supervisor from Boyceville and chair of the facilities committee.

Two weeks would be “concerning,” Gallagher said, because two weeks is the full incubation period for COVID-19.

Showing symptoms of COVID-19 can take up to two weeks, but people who are infected can shed the virus and infect other people before they start showing any symptoms.

Two weeks would not provide the “sensitivity needed” to control outbreaks, Gallagher said, adding that she understands the concerns about racing.

Gallagher said she also appreciated the positive working relationship between the Dunn County Health Department and the Red Cedar Racing Association.

The Red Cedar Racing Association has done a good job with shields, hand sanitizer, social distancing and all of the other protocols, Niehoff said, noting that he was not talking about removing the protocols.

The Red Cedar Speedway should have 100 percent capacity in the grandstands for the events in July and August “unless something changes,” he said.

Communication

With modern communication techniques, such as text messages, the Red Cedar Racing Association should be able to easily communicate with the people who will be racing, said Don Kuether, county board supervisor from Menomonie and a member of the facilities committee.

Finding out the capacity of the grandstands on Wednesday “is a little short,” but if the day were moved to Monday for Friday night races, people can react to that timeframe, he said.

A new outbreak of COVID-19 “is serious and could be life and death for a lot of people,” Kuether said.

Maves said he agreed that Monday should give sufficient time to communicate about local races but not for the “big events” scheduled at the Red Cedar Speedway.

Mark Thomas, president of the Red Cedar Racing Association, said one of the upcoming big events is the World of Outlaws race on July 18.

Some people plan out their complete summer around racing. The World of Outlaws travels all over, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota, Iowa, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, he said.

The Red Cedar Racing Association has several other large events planned, too, such as a memorial race on August 13 and the Punky Manor race in September, Thomas said.

The large events are tough to renegotiate and reschedule or to cancel, he said.

Rogers asked if the protocols, such as the Plexiglass shields and supplying hand sanitizer, was a burden for the racing association.

The members of the racing association have never had a conversation about the other parameters, Thomas said, adding that  he assumed the safety precautions would continue until someone declares the pandemic is over.

All of the protocols would be left in place and can be made to work for any of the events, he said.

David Bartlett, county board supervisor from Boyceville and chair of the Dunn County Board, said he’d had cousins who raced and knows that racing takes quite a bit of planning in advance.

If the planning is too difficult, and it is too difficult to hold races at the Red Cedar Speedway, then maybe the racers will not come back to the Red Cedar Speedway, he said.

Comments

Ron Score, county board supervisor from Boyceville and a member of the facilities committee, said 60 percent of Dunn County residents are not willing to be vaccinated but the health department is “trying to push more.”

“No one wants more … is it okay to risk (your) life willingly?” he asked.

Dunn County “wants to move on” and does not want vaccine, Score said.

The unvaccinated “want to do what they want to do,” he said, noting that he does not see anyone wearing masks in public anymore.

“It’s over with and done,” Score said, adding that the 60 percent who are not being vaccinated are “willing to live life.”

It cannot be said that “no one” is wearing a mask because there are still a few people who are wearing masks, Maves said.

“KT is just trying to do her job,” he said, noting that the health officer’s job is to keep the committee educated, informed and aware of the situation.

Dunn County has 60 percent of the residents unvaccinated, and KT is trying to do her job of getting more people vaccinated, he said.

For those who refuse to be vaccinated, if they get sick, then who will take care of them if the hospitals are full? Kuether asked.

People who are overweight are also putting burdens on hospitals, Rogers said.

If someone has a compromised immune system, they should get a vaccine, he said.

Health experts say that someone with a compromised immune system may not develop as robust a response to a vaccine and may not have as much protection from the virus as someone with a fully-functioning immune system.

If people are concerned, they should get the vaccine, but no one can dictate that someone else should get a vaccine, Rogers said.

People must have their freedom, and no one should be legislating to protect people from themselves who do not want to be protected, he said.

Dunn County probably will not end up with more than 50 percent of the people vaccinated, and “we should accept where we are at,” Rogers said.

Health experts agree that a vaccination rate of at least 70 percent would be needed to achieve herd immunity so that the virus stops circulating and stops mutating.

The pandemic cannot be declared “over” until the virus stops circulating and mutating.

Motions

Rogers made a motion, seconded by Score, to allow 100 percent capacity in the grandstands at the Red Cedar Speedway all of the time with the other safety precautions remaining in place.

Kuether said he could not vote in favor of the motion because it was not taking into account the advice from the county’s expert on public health.

The motion failed on a voice vote of three “no” to two “yes.”

Maves then made a motion to continue with the existing system in place, with a decision made on Monday about capacity in the grandstands instead of Wednesday, and that occupancy should be at 100 percent “as long as there is no crisis.”

Maves noted that “crisis” would have to be defined by the facilities committee.

Kuether pointed out that putting “crisis” in the motion was redundant because there is already a system in place to look at the number of COVID-19 cases, which determines the level of capacity for the grandstands.

Gallagher noted that under the current system, when there are 18 cases weekly, the grandstand capacity can be at 75 percent; when there are 22 cases weekly, the capacity can be at 60 percent; when there are 27 cases, the capacity can be at 50 percent; when there are 36 cases, the capacity can be at 35 percent,; and when there are 45 cases, the capacity can be at 25 percent.

Vaccinated people are not included in that number, she said.

Rogers said he would like to increase the numbers of cases for the allowed capacity in the grandstands.

When people are testing positive for COVID-19, the number of infections detected is 10 percent to 50 percent of what is actually going on with infections, Gallagher said.

The CDC says COVID-19 infections are less likely outdoors, and since the Red Cedar Speedway is outdoors, Niehoff said he was comfortable with allowing 100 percent capacity all of the time.

Maves withdrew his motion.

The third motion moved the day from Wednesday to Monday to determine the capacity at the grandstands for the upcoming weekend and doubled the number of cases, so for example, 75 percent capacity would be allowed with 36 cases per week instead of 18 cases per week.

Is the health department uncomfortable with doubling the numbers? Kuether asked.

At double the numbers, the health department would be overwhelmed and would not be able to contact trace and would not be able to stop the spread of the virus, Gallagher said.

The CDC allows outdoor events, Niehoff said once again.

“It’s kind of embarrassing” that Dunn County has any restrictions when all of the other races in other counties are being held, and there are outdoor music events and the baseball stadiums are full, he said.

The conversation should focus on why Dunn County is being so restrictive on racing, Niehoff said.

The motion to change the day to Monday and double the numbers of COVID-19 cases for grandstand capacity was approved by the facilities committee on a voice vote of three “yes” to two “no.”

The Dunn County Board approved a resolution at the May meeting that authorizes the facilities committee to approve any changes or amendments to the standard operating procedure for the 2021 racing season.

The changes in protocol approved by the facilities committee June 30 do not have to come before the Dunn County Board for final approval.