RVRC declares Americus Motorsports Complex as a ‘development of regional impact’

Jackie Bryce of Star Racing spoke to the River Valley Regional Council about the positive impacts of the Americus Motorsports Complex for Sumter and surrounding counties. Shown from left are Terrell Hudson, Chairman of the River Valley Regional Council; Wally Summers, South Georgia Technical College Vice President of Economic Development Services; Bryce, co-owner of Star Racing; Andrea Brooks, Sumter County Board of Commissioners member; Patti Cullen, Executive Director of the River Valley Regional Commission (RVRC); and Sarah Walls, Assistant Executive Director of the RVRC.

BUENA VISTA, Ga. – Jackie Bryce, of Star Racing in Americus, expressed her gratitude to the River Valley Regional Commission (RVRC) Wednesday for their positive review of the new Americus Motorsports Complex (AMC) project. In a letter from Patti Cullen, Executive Director of the RVRC, the commission stated that “the proposed development is in the best interests of the region and therefore of the state.”

The letter of review also presented positive comments from Crisp County, the Americus-Sumter County Payroll Development Authority (PDA) and the City of Americus about the AMC project. “… An attraction of this caliber will … be a boost to the region’s tourism industry and enhance Southwest Georgia as a tourist destination,” Crisp County commented. “This unique opportunity is an economic driver that has the potential to help reshape the Economic and Community Development in the counties of Southwest Georgia.”

The Americus-Sumter County PDA said that “… there are few projects of any type that will have such a regional impact as the Americus Motorsports initiative.

“… The project will bring in millions of dollars through employment, sales, tourism and property tax,” the PDA statement continued. “It will stimulate new industry that supports sport technology and will cause new hotel and retail establishments to be built.”

The City of Americus also agreed that the Americus Motorsports Complex will have positive impacts including an increase in tourism that “will increase economic development and will therefore increase sales tax and hotel motel tax and provide much needed jobs for our citizens.”

Wally Summers, South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) Vice President of Economic Development Services, is shown above introducing Jackie Bryce of Star Racing at the Wednesday meeting of the River Valley Regional Council. Bryce presented the Americus Motorsports Complex plan to the more than 35 representatives from 16 surrounding counties.

Bryce was given the opportunity to expand on these positive impacts of AMC as she presented the project to the more than 35 representatives from the RVRC’s 16-county area as they gathered for the monthly meeting of the River Valley Regional Council Wednesday. She also pointed out that the effects will not only be felt within Sumter County, but will also spread to other surrounding counties as large numbers of people visit or move to the region as a result of this complex.

Jackie Bryce of Star Racing expressed her gratitude to representatives from the River Valley Regional Commission Wednesday for their positive review of the Americus Motorsports Complex. The review stated that ‘the proposed development is in the best interests of the region and therefore of the state.’

She compared racing events to college football game weekends when thousands of people flock to one town for a large event and end up spending hundreds of dollars within that particular community. However, Bryce pointed out that the impact from racing events is much more profound, since the visitors are staying for three entire days of events instead of only a few hours. She also pointed out that the racers themselves, as well as their teams, will also be spending money in the surrounding areas. These facts are especially significant to the 15 other counties besides Sumter that make up the RVRC, since these communities also stand to benefit from the increased tourism.