Belle-Clair Speedway - Construction Improvements can start soon with $14mil in funds

[HoosierDirtFan]

Belle-Clair Speedway
Belleville, IL



St. Clair County made sole owner of Belle-Clair Fairgrounds. Now construction can start

From the Belleville News Democrat

Officials from Belleville and St. Clair County voted Monday night to terminate the city’s involvement in their joint ownership of the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds & Expo Center.

It was another step in the legal process of transferring the 22.5-acre property from private to public control. And the move gets the county closer to starting $14 million in planned construction to improve the facilities, including the Belle-Clair Speedway racetrack, according to County Board Chairman Mark Kern.

The city of Belleville had signed a joint purchase agreement with St. Clair County in December.

Under the agreement, the county covered the $2.35 million purchase price with federal COVID-19 relief dollars from the American Rescue Plan. But Belleville owned one of 51 shares of stock in Belle-Clair Fairgrounds Park Inc., the corporation through which the property is operated.

Kern said in an interview Monday that it needed to be a joint endeavor initially to be able to legally take control of a corporation, but their goal was to terminate that corporation eventually.

“A county can’t buy a corporation,” Kern said. “It had to be two government entities, so Belleville joined in with the county. ... In the agreement, it was contemplated that it could be terminated because at some point we knew we wanted to terminate the corporation. Now, we want to start spending money and in order to spend money at a property, the county has to own it.”

The county became the sole owner when officials voted Monday night at separate meetings of the Belleville City Council and St. Clair County Board to end their original agreement.

Officials want the St. Clair County Public Building Commission to manage and operate the fairgrounds along with all of the other county-owned properties. County board members approved a contract with the commission for fairgrounds operation during its meeting Monday night.

The commission is scheduled to meet Friday to sign the contract with the county, plus two contracts for architect and engineering services related to the fairgrounds.

The $14 million in construction planned at the fairgrounds will be covered by COVID-19 relief dollars allocated to the county.

COUNTY’S PLANS FOR BELLE-CLAIR FAIRGROUNDS

Kern has said that the county generally wants to use the property for emergency services, as well as continued hospitality and tourism.

The fairgrounds served as a mass COVID-19 vaccination site during the pandemic. He said the county wants it to remain available for public use in any future disasters.

Community events such as flea markets and craft shows have continued uninterrupted since the change in ownership. And county officials have envisioned additional events, including bringing the annual St. Clair County Fair back to the fairgrounds years after it was canceled due to financial difficulties.

Officials originally hoped the county fair could return in 2023, but Kern said the date has been pushed to 2024.

[ride height]

This is just down the road from us and it has ALOT of potential. The big issue is the track size…it’s 1/5 mile. (If that) Great for midgets…but todays LM and Mods? No way. PLEASE , I beg , if possible, make this at least 1/4 mile. Use the FALS playbook on this. It’s a great venue with a ton of market right in the middle of town…if it’s done right it should be very successful, and I wish them nothing but. I understand and agree with the bullring concept, but the track is actually too small if you’re going to run LM and Mods.

[Highside Hustler25]

Never been there. Being the same dimensions as Macon, does it not race the same? Does the track lack banking?

[ride height]

Never been there. Being the same dimensions as Macon, does it not race the same? Does the track lack banking?

Narrow, not near a Macon on banking , I’m not dogging the place and I wish them all the success but if they don’t enlarge the track at least a tad…they are missing the target big time.. If they made the track a little larger…nothing major…just a full 1/4. That with a total renovation and good promoting it would be a fantastic venue and business. It’s got the old school covered stands, location and in a metro area of 3 million people. Just my 2 cents and I’ve been to so many tracks all over the country that I can’t even count them all. It would be a dandy midget track, and if I remember the history of the place correctly, that’s what it was built for originally WAY back in the mid 20th century.

[muddy mike]

Track will stay the same size as it should.

[Dirt Clod]

I agree, leave it. Don't understand how they let that track and fairgrounds go to ruins. All of a sudden, they find $14 million to remodel and fix it up. Fair board should be ashamed of themselves. IL govt at its finest.

[latemodelman]

Well sounds like what North Carolina did with Rockingham and North Wilkesboro. Also tracks in Ohio and Indiana did the same thing so its not just 1 state. And companies small and big got Millions through the COVID Cash of TRUMP and BIDEN. I know the wife and I saved our money and never spent it. Now if you put $100,000 in a CD at the banks you profit $13,000 a year. Well that's where some of our money went.

[SLlDlNG SIDEWAYS]

Track will stay the same size as it should.

thanks for reporting this. hoped it didnt change.

[crow]

Track/fairgrounds was privately owned until city/county bought it recently. Can't blame the govt for it's demise.

[Highside Hustler25]

Their is a video on DoD of a SN race at Belle Clair. At on point, Weaver, Kloos,and Bobby Pierce are 3 wide.

[ftfiowa]

track is very fun, very narrow and semi banked. if you run the high line you intentionally hit the walls to turn your car and shoot you off the corner in both mods and lm's. its amazing to see them do this. if you run the bottom you hug the inside retaining wall. the Dome track is a copy of belle clair. lap traffic is crazy there and its a 1/5 mile at most.