Local Man Hopes to Help Youth, Boost Tourism Through Go-Kart Racetrack

| July 31, 2018

SENECA, Pa. (EYT) – A local businessman was given the go-ahead for a go-kart racetrack on his “Seneca Ponds” property located at 1507 Horsecreek Road in Cranberry Township, Venango County.

At a public hearing of the Cranberry Township zoning hearing board held on Monday evening, board members Tom Horner, Tom Carothers, and Bill Hill voted unanimously to give Joseph S. Lockhart a special exception for an outdoor commercial amusement business.

exploreVenango.com spoke to Joseph Lockhart about the meeting and his plans for the future.

According to Lockhart, the meeting included many supporters of his proposal, as well as those who opposed the go-kart track due to concerns about possible noise, dust, or other disruptions.

Lockhart said he tried to address those who had concerns about the racetrack and explained that he wants to be a good neighbor while also creating a good opportunity for local youth, as well as an attraction to bring more people to the area.

“I’d like to build a state-of-the-art facility, probably one of the better ones in the state if the support is there,” Lockhart said.

Lockhart says the main plan is to build a racing facility with a 1/8 mile clay oval racetrack on the rear of the 25-acre property.

“A lot of people use old car tires or things like that, but our plan is to use high impact plastic to complement the property. We don’t want this to be a thrown together thing. We want to create a really nice facility. I want to run this the way I would want it run if it were in my backyard,” he said.

Lockhart also said all of the parking for the racetrack would also be contained on the property and lighting would be designed to keep any light intrusion at a minimum.

“I really want to do everything I can to be respectful of the neighbors,” he added.

With an understanding of the concerns regarding noise on the property, Lockhart noted that mufflers would be required for the go-karts, and the sound system would be small and kept at a reasonable level.

“The loudest class of go-karts runs around 100 decibels. Legally, at the property line, we would be allowed 90 decibels. Even if you started a Harley-Davidson that would run over 100 decibels on the track, that would still probably fade away to about 10 at the property line,” Lockhart said.

“The sound system would be used for the national anthem and to call up the classes. We would keep it just loud enough to be heard in the parking area,” he added.

“We would also do whatever we could to keep dust to a minimum. Ideally, I don’t want dust and obnoxious light and noise on my property, either.”

Individuals wishing to race at the track would be required to have their own go-karts. Lockhart does not intend to have go-karts available for rental.

Though the specifics of the races would be determined in the future, Lockhart said the races would be either weekly or biweekly and would be held on either Friday evenings or Saturday afternoons, but definitely not on Sundays.

Lockhart also wanted to make sure people understand that he has no plan to build anything more than the go-kart track on the property.

“I have absolutely no intentions of building a bigger facility or a drag-strip or anything loud and obnoxious like that, just something for the kids in the area,” he said.

“What I proposed to the board…I offered to have them give the permit to me solely, and if the property is ever sold, the racetrack would have to be leveled and cleared out. I asked for that out of respect for the neighbors. I’d like to work with the neighbors and be respectful to them and their wishes.”

Although the board granted the exception for the go-kart track, the battle over the proposed business may not be over yet.

“A couple of neighbors came up afterward and pretty much said they’re willing to pay whatever they have to in attorney fees to challenge it,” Lockhart said.

According to Lockhart, the original plan to begin work on the track in August may be delayed by appeals, but he isn’t letting that get him down.

“I want to build a nice, family-oriented facility, and I don’t see anyone who couldn’t benefit from it.”

“Leaving our property in either direction you run into ice cream places, car washes, food places, gas stations. I really believe that the 100 to 150 families that would come in, they would need gas, food, lodging, supplies, a lot of businesses would benefit.”

Lockhart has a history in racing, beginning with go-kart racing when he was young and moving up through motocross, stock car racing, and sprint car racing later.

“I know what racing did for me, the trouble it kept me out of. I want to give that to kids that could benefit from it,” Lockhart said.

“I’ve taken a step back from that now because my son is racing go-karts. I’ve taken a break from my stuff for his,” Lockhart said.


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