Destination: Kimball, objective: family fun!

Simply put, and in their own words, the High Point Motor Speedway board is a group of people interested in making the city and county of Kimball a destination center.

Their interest is to grow Kimball, making it a place where people would gather for entertainment purposes, specifically the growing interest in motor sports.

A complex such as the one planned has the ability to create jobs for residents and bring new people to the area, according to project manager Dick Cutshaw.

Emphasizing the economic impact this project could have on Kimball, Cutshaw is excited to present the information to the public and believes that others will be excited too.

He goes on to speak of the positive indirect taxes the county would receive from sales and spectator fees at the track. He adds that an additional $235,000 in indirect taxes each year is not unheard of.

The HPMS board will be presenting an updated proposal to the city council and county commissioners in a joint meeting on February 23 at the Kimball Event Center.

To prepare for the meeting, several economic impact studies have been completed. One such study from the University of Colorado and another in Lancaster county, which includes Lincoln, Neb.

The plans have been seen and approved by managers from other tracks in the tri-state region, Cutshaw said. The numbers that show positive growth are even suggested to be very conservative by those leaders in the industry.

This meeting is open to the public, and all citizens of the city and county are asked to attend. At the meeting Cutshaw will present the information he has gathered for the last few years and answer questions from the public.

Striving to answer questions, address concerns, and present the opportunity to all Kimball citizens, Cutshaw is asking everyone to attend.

“We want our local officials to know we have the support of the community to make this a reality and show they have taxpayers support for this project,” Cutshaw explained.

Dreaming of a place where family fun can be found, right here in our own town, is not just for the HPMS board. Cutshaw describes walking into a downtown business and speaking with the public about the speedway, hearing no negative opinions and answering questions.

Adding to the existing plans, Cutshaw said that he has even been approached about a go-kart track for youngsters on the site.

While speaking of a Kimball that is slowly dying, Cutshaw recognizes the opportunity to turn the downhill trend around, and make Kimball a great place to come for fun.

“The snowball that is crushing us can get smaller and smaller. Then as it continues rolling in the opposite direction it will increase more and more on the opportunity side,” Cutshaw said.