Laguna Seca volunteer group ends raceway negotiations
SALINAS >> A newew volunteer organization representing hundreds of former Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula volunteers has backed out of contract negotiations with Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca management.
On Thursday, the Laguna Seca Volunteer Association board of directors announced it had voted to end negotiations with raceway management firm A&D Narigi on a contract between the association and Monterey County to provide volunteers for raceway events after four months of talks starting in February.
According to the association’s announcement, a proposed contract had been presented that in
cluded some acceptable terms but others that were not, and attempts to resolve the remaining issues were unsuccessful.
“We have tried to come to a fair compromise but we have reached an impasse,” the statement said. “It is unfortunate that many very experienced volunteers will not be able to continue their valuable support to the race participants and guests at the raceway.”
A “letter of termination” was being sent to Assistant County Administrative Officer Dewayne Woods, County Administrative Officer Charles McKee, Laguna Seca president and general manager John Narigi, and members of the Board of Supervisors.
Formed earlier this year, the volunteer association includes about 220 members who used to volunteer for SCRAMP, the raceway founder and longtime operator that was replaced by the county board with A&D Narigi last year. Supervisors and other county officials stressed the importance of retaining SCRAMP volunteers when the change was made.
Narigi, whose firm issued a joint announcement with the volunteer association in April that an agreement was imminent, said the association’s announcement came as a “total surprise” and that he believed the negotiations had resolved the “most critical” issues, leaving just a “few minor items.” He said the issue of insurance, which he called the “most critical,” had been resolved “per the request” of the association in the past few weeks, and a final proposed contract was completed and set to be sent to the association on Friday.
“Hopefully, we can renew negotiations and finalize the agreement,” Narigi said. “A&D and the County of Monterey continue to appreciate all volunteers and service clubs that have dedicated time and energy to the success of Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca.”
But volunteer association president Dennis Farber said more than a few minor issues remained, including how the association wouldbepaidanda“number of open-ended/vague clauses,” and the insurance issue had not yet been resolved. Farber said the association hadn’t seen a contract proposal in months and expressed frustration that there had been no contact with any county representatives even though the contract would be with the county.
Woods acknowledged the county had not been involved in negotiations with the volunteer association but said he had been kept apprised of developments by the management firm and that he was also surprised by the association’s announcement. He said he tried to contact Farber but had not heard back yet.
According to Woods, the county “values and honors all community involvement and engagement” at Laguna Seca and committed to “build and grow” that involvement. But he also noted that the volunteer association is only one of more than 20 organizations, including police cadets, veterans, and Rotary groups, among others, providing volunteer services at Laguna Seca, and management would be working to secure agreements with all of them.
He said racing organizations including IndyCar and MotoAmerica have also taken a larger role in both on-track and hospitality services, reducing the need for local engagement.
Woods noted that the volunteer association, like SCRAMP, would provide mainly event attendee hospitality services support and not racing support services, which are handled by paid staff. So, he said, Laguna Seca races could be conducted without the volunteer association, but the question would be what the impact would be on hospitality services including oversight, traffic control, admissions, paddock assistance, food and beverage delivery, fuel stops staffing, and hospitality ombudsman services.
He said the county and Laguna Seca management could “look to a variety of resources to fill any gaps” in case the volunteer association backs out for good, including seeking more help from other community organizations, internal volunteers, and temporary paid assistance.
“I, however, want to make clear that past SCRAMP volunteers bring great benefit to our events with their experience in serving the attendees and passion for racing,” Woods said, adding, “this is the core to our desire to keep these folks engaged at Laguna Seca.”
Narigi said the revised Laguna Seca raceway schedule with all events set for August to December this year had just been finalized with all parties last week. The season is now set to begin with the Monterey Pre-Reunion event on Aug. 8-9 and the Monterey Motorsports Reunion event on Aug. 13-16, with events postponed due to the coronavirus and resulting safety measures from June and July until November and December. However, Laguna Seca spokesman Barry Toepke said the August events are “still in flux” as raceway officials assess feedback from participants, county officials and community leaders.