BARTON COUNTY —The Sunflower Rod and Custom Association (SRCA) has operated the dragstrip at the fairgrounds for years. A one-year agreement expires Dec. 31, 2023.
Since the track is not operating, there is no need for an operating agreement, pending the outcome of legal actions and a rebuild of the track. Thus, responsibility for the track will revert to the city at the beginning of the new year.
The Great Bend City Council will be presented the new memorandum of understanding with the SRCA at the Dec. 4 meeting.
The new agreement would take effect Jan. 1, 2024 and continue until terminated by both parties or replacement by a new operating agreement upon resumption of operation of the Motorplex.
After a $1.6 million reconstruction of the dragstrip in May 2021, there have been problems with the surface meeting required standards. The SRCA Board canceled the race season this past spring because they deemed the track unsafe and in need of substantial repairs.
Figuring out who is responsible for the repairs, City of Great Bend officials stated the case is in the middle of a legal arbitration, and did not expect the case to get arbitrated until June 2024.