The Warren County Commissioners voted 2-1 against a conditional use permit for the proposed Goon Speedway race track to be located at the property located at 22245 Lix Road.

The vote came after nearly an hour and a half of discussion where the commissioners agreed on proposed conditions for the CUP during a meeting held Thursday, May 14.

The conditions as set by the commissioners included: A traffic impact study to be performed to ascertain the effect on Lix Road; limit of 12 races per year from April to September with no races on holiday weekends; races to run only from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; spectators limited to 500 people, no micro cars allowed; ambulance required on-site for race days; port-a-potties must meet county standards; berms will be required around the track to mitigate noise; the CUP will stay with the business not the property; clearly marked property lines; and the CUP will only remain in effect for two full seasons, ending Dec. 31, 2028, after which the applicants will be required to reapply; cars limited to 600cc engines; no parking on county roads; no alcohol and only one sign, which can be no larger than 4 feet by 8 feet.

The majority of the hour and a half discussion between the commissioners related to debating what proposed conditions would apply to the property. While there had been significant previous discussion regarding decibel levels, there were no specific decibel restrictions proposed by the commissioners as part of the CUP.

Following the discussion on setting the conditions Commissioner Dave Mikus made a motion to approve the CUP. Mikus was the only commissioner who voted in favor of the CUP, with commissioners Joe Gildehaus and Matt Flake voting against the measure.

While the commissioners voted down the proposed CUP, they did leave open the possibility that a track could still be built on the property. Towards the end of the meeting it was discussed between the commissioners and the county’s attorney, Drew Weber, that the applicants could have races every day on their property if they limited those races to family and friends and didn’t charge for the races.

The applicants for the proposed racetrack, Robert and Alexis Alberternst, were present during the meeting as were around 50 county residents. As the meeting was the final decision on the track, no public comment was allowed during the meeting.

The couple had proposed a track that would be 320-feet long by 180-feet wide and measure 1/6 of a mile on their 27.38-acre property located off of Lix Road.

The proposal called for 754 parking spots, primarily on grass, but Alexis Alberternst said there would generally be less than 300 vehicles at any one time. The plan also called for a 1,050-foot long entrance road, which would be a two-lane gravel road that would lead from Lix Road to the track. This proposed roadway caused the commissioners some consternation due to its location, with Flake suggesting the road be further up the hill on Lix Road.

Lighting for the track would be directional lighting pointing directly at the track, although Robert Alberternst said the goal would be to race during the day so that lights would not be necessary.

Dust from the dirt track would be controlled by the use of water on the track. The track would also have restrooms that meet county requirements.

The couple said their goal was to have no more than 25 race dates per year from April to November for approximately six hours per race day, with proposed days being either Wednesday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday during a window from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The proposed race days were not even discussed by the commissioners as they settled early on in the meeting on their preferred limit of 12 race dates.

After the meeting the Alberternsts were disappointed with the decision and were unsure how they would proceed following the commissioners decision.