Dunn County Board enters 10-year contract with Red Cedar Racing Association
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — Instead of the previous three-year contracts, the Dunn County Board has approved a 10-year contract with the Red Cedar Racing Association for the Red Cedar Speedway at the Dunn County Recreation Park.
The longer-term lease from three years to 10 years will provide more stability for the Red Cedar Racing Association, and the stability is expected to help the racing association to invest in improvements for the race track, such as managing noise in nearby neighborhoods, said Ann Vogl, county board supervisor from Menomonie and chair of the Dunn County Facilities Committee, at the Dunn County Board’s October 16 meeting.
The rent increases by $500 every three years, Vogl noted.
According to the agreement with the Red Cedar Racing Association, the lease for the Red Cedar Speedway will cost $7,500 for the 2025, 2026 and 2027 racing seasons.
For the 2028, 2029, 2030 and 2031 racing seasons, the lease will be $8,000.
For 2032, 2033 and 2034, the lease will be $8,500.
Public comments
During the public comments portion of the Dunn County Board meeting, nine people all together spoke in favor of the 10-year contract and urged county board members to approve it.
John Johnson of Menomonie, a lifelong Dunn County resident and president of the Red Cedar Racing Association’s Board of Directors for the past three years, noted that he has been involved with the board for eight years.
Johnson said he has been a racing fan all his life and advocated for approval of the 10-year contract.
Lacey O’Connell, owner of Lakeview Floral in Menomonie, said her backyard borders the race track.
The Red Cedar Racing Association checks in with her regularly to make sure there are no problems with the races, such as trash on her property, she said.
O’Connell said she knew the racetrack was in her backyard when she bought the property, and as a lifelong resident of Menomonie, the smells and sounds of the racetrack “mean summer.”
O’Connell encouraged the county board to approve the 10-year contract and said she would like the racing association to be neighbors for years to come.
Brent Creaser of Menomonie told the county board he has been attending races at the Red Cedar Speedway since he was four years old and that he could probably count the number of times on one hand that he has missed a race on a Friday night.
The Red Cedar Speedway has been providing “family fun” for 52 years, he said.
People who race at the Red Cedar Speedway come from quite a distance at times, including one person who drove from Thunder Bay, Ontario, twice this past summer to race, Creaser said.
The Red Cedar Speedway has 421 children that are members, and the racing association has 121 marketing partners, he said.
Jimmy Mars of Menomonie pointed out that the Red Cedar Speedway results in a high economic benefit for the county in terms of hotels, restaurants, gas stations and grocery stores.
The Red Cedar Speedway is a safe place “for kids to spend a Friday night with friends,” he said.
“It’s one big family where children are welcome … it’s a real community get-together,” Mars said.
Tammy Simon, the director of tourism at the Menomonie Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center, told the county board that visitors to the Red Cedar Speedway boost local tourism by $100 million annually.
Since 2018, there have been 175,000 fans who have attended races, and 30,000 of those fans traveled 60 miles or more. Red Cedar Speedway fans have accounted for 800 hotel stays and have spent their money at restaurants, convenience stores and gas stations, she said.
In favor
Gary Stene, county board supervisor from Colfax, vice-chair of the Dunn County Board and chair of the Dunn County Economic Development Board of Directors, said he was in favor of the 10-year contract.
The facilities committee and the Red Cedar Racing Association have had a good working relationship, he said.
Mark Thomas, county board supervisor from Menomonie, commended the facilities committee and the racing association for their working relationship and urged the county board to support the 10-year contract.
The Dunn County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the 10-year contract between the Red Cedar Racing Association and Dunn County.
