Stateline Speedway has been put up for sale by its owners. The track, located in the town of Busti, opened in 1956 and was last sold in 2015. P-J file photo

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth of five stories highlighting some of the most-read stories in The Post-Journal during the past year. Today’s story focuses on local news stories.

There hasn’t yet been a buyer for Stateline Speedway, the venerable Busti racetrack that has provided racing fans with dirt track action since 1956.

Of the thousands of local news stories published this year, the news that Stateline was back up for sale was among the most-read stories among readers.

The listing for the one-third mile clay oval race track by ERA Team VP was posted in early September. Michael McVinney, a real estate broker based in Jamestown, said discussions to have the 65-year-old track be put on the market began a couple of months ago.

“The biggest thing is that they’re currently not planning on closing at this point,” McVinney told The Post-Journal. “They want people to take it over and continue it on and maybe add onto it for more events. That’s really the biggest thing.”

This photo, which is from the Chautauqua Lake Pops’ Facebook page, shows one of their summer concerts.

The current owners are part of JJB Holdings Inc. They finalized the purchase of the Kortwright Road track in the late summer of 2015 after previously operating the facility under a lease deal with Seamens Speedway Inc.

Upgrades to the track were made following its purchase about six years ago. In addition, McVinney believes a new owner would have the opportunity to expand the events held at the track, including Motocross and BMX races.

Stateline Speedway opened on July 21, 1956, through the efforts of Len Briggs, Lloyd Williams, Marv Thorpe, Don Frank and Jerry Frank. Mother Nature had pushed the opening back two weeks, and even though rain had cast a shadow over that day as well, the sun came out in the end and the race was on. Fritz Seamens bought Stateline Speedway in 1984.

CONCERT SERIES UNCERTAINTY

An ongoing storyline this year is no closer to resolution as 2021 comes to an end.

In June, a group sought an injunction prohibiting the Chautauqua Lake Pops concert season from taking place in Mayville this summer, stating the necessary permit from New York state hasn’t been granted and that its presence on the lake creates a private and public nuisance.

Those issues were eventually sorted out with help from state Assemblyman Andrew Goodell, R-Jamestown, and state Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, while prompting a petition drive that ended up boasting hundreds of names. Concerts eventually took place, but after the season questions arose regarding the Chautauqua Lake Pops lease with the village of Mayville.

During a recent meeting of the Mayville Village Board, Mayor Ken Shearer said he and Trustee Jim Warner talked to Dan Dalpra, founder and CEO of the Pops, and proposed a couple of different options, including delaying paying the $4,000 owed to the village. “They had to get back to their board and then get back to us, which they have not done. I reached out to them this morning just to make sure to see if they had a chance to do that yet but I didn’t hear back,” Shearer said.

On the Chautauqua Lake Pops Facebook page, Dalpra wrote a letter of thanks to sponsors, supporters and volunteers. “At this early date, we are uncertain of our future plans moving forward. However we know we can count on your continued support as we work to keep the Pops program afloat. We will keep you posted as our plans evolve, and are confident new and exciting opportunities will be forthcoming,” he said in the letter.

In November, the Mayville Village Board held a special meeting to discuss the Pops. Dalpra brought the Pops to Mayville in 2019 after spending 18 years in Bemus Point. He had a three-year contract that expires at the end of 2021. In the first and second year of the contract, Dalpra owed the village $1 and the third year he would pay around $4,000 depending on ticket sales. Because there was no Pops season in 2020 due to the pandemic, he requested the 2021 season be considered the second year of the contract. While Shearer and Trustee Ben Webb appeared to be in favor of doing that, the rest of the board did not. Village attorney Joe Calimeri recommended the board form a committee to negotiate a new contract with the Pops.

While the Pops did not have a season in 2020, it was one of several organizations to receive funding from the federal government. According to the Small Business Administration’s website, Bemus Bay Pops Inc. (Chautauqua Lake Pops’ corporate name) received a $42,334 Shuttered Venue Operator Grant

SIGN CAUSES A STIR

A few residents on Liberty Street in Fredonia are feeling about where they live as an individual at 140 Porter Road keeps posting political signs of questionable nature.

“It is offensive and inappropriate for the school buses that drive by as well as a horrible representation of our village,” resident Melissa Leffel wrote to the Village Board and was shared at a March Board of Trustees meeting. “It seems to be over the size limit allowed by village ordinance. Additionally at the barns of 160 Porter Road there are large signs, these are less of a concern as they are further back from the road and inoffensive, but if I’m calling one house out I should be consistent. Coincidentally they are both owned by the same person.”

Chuck LaBarbera, village code enforcement officer, said several violation letters had been sent, but because courts were closed at the time nothing more could be done.

MASCOT STORY CONTINUES

2022 may be the year the Jamestown High School mascot story wraps up.

Earlier this year, thousands of readers clicked on the Jamestown Public Schools Board of Education story where Ben Drake, JHS athletic director, said the district would stop using any Native American imagery as part of district logos — meaning the block “J” with feathers would be retired.

Drake told board members that the “Red Raider” caricature didn’t appear in the district until the 1970s. Its use ended in 2014 when the district began using a block “J” logo with feathers.

“Over the last six years that has died a slow death,” Drake said of the caricature. “You don’t really see it. Most of our current student athletes don’t even really know that we used to be Red Raiders as the Indian, they just know it as the ‘J’ with the feathers. And the committee has at this point recommended that we stop using the ‘J’ with the feathers and we adopt a new logo. And that’s where we’re at with it. We’re continuing to plan on meeting about that during the summer and into the next school year to continue to make further recommendations.”

The issue surrounding the district’s mascot is not a new one: an April 6, 2001 story that ran in The Post-Journal noted that Richard Mills, former state education commissioner, had urged school board presidents and school districts to change their school’s mascot and nickname if it uses Native American symbols. Little came of that effort, but the district began to phase out a Native American character portrayal beginning in 2012. By 2015, all district athletic teams began using the capital “J” with a feather at the direction of former superintendent Tim Mains.

The latest push to change the school’s mascot began in June 2020 with a petition by area residents. District officials created a committee to examine the issue.

In December, the board was presented versions of a “big cat” mascot with historical ties to JHS. A decision on the new mascot is expected early in 2022.

“They did ask graphic artists to come up with some renderings and decided to go with the recommendation around a big cat,” said Superintendent Kevin Whitaker. “The big cat was based on original history. There was a deep dive into the history of Jamestown’s imagery. The committee discovered that originally, over 100 years ago, the imagery was red and green with a panther-type, big cat animal. The thought process that went into that was that a journey back to our roots and moving into the future would be a good connection.”

‘EMBRACING DIVERSITY’

The potential benefits of Jamestown becoming a resettlement location for refugees were discussed in December during a well-attended gathering at St Luke’s Episcopal Church.

The get together included representatives from a host of local and regional nonprofits and organizations and has been several months in the making. The discussion centered on refugees — people who have fled war, violence or conflict and are seeking safety in another country — and whether Jamestown has the resources available to welcome them.

City officials have been in contact with Journey’s End, a refugee resettlement agency in Buffalo. Sundquist said on average, Journey’s End takes in about 500 refugees a year; this year they are also expecting an additional 500 refugees.

“Since they couldn’t even find housing, many of the refugees are actually being put up in hotels in the Buffalo area until they are able to find suitable housing,” Sundquist said.

Another community meeting could be set if area officials decide to move forward.