Editor:

What do you say? It has been over six weeks since the NASCAR races have run their course at the Fairgrounds in Antioch. The dust has cleared on Saturday evenings. The only thing that’s not clear is when their parking lot will get a fresh – or shall I say its first-ever? – paving job.

Come on; it’s 2009! About 2½ years ago the grounds were paved in an area on the west side of the parking lot for the people and handicapped parking. That is a step in the right direction; yet, what about completing the job?

The lot on Saturday nights now sits quiet; without trash flying toward the neighborhood east of L Street and into the McFarlan tract housing area. Three years ago an updated cyclone fence was erected; yet it was placed about 1½ inches above the ground. Was that so the trash from the Flea Market on Saturdays until 4 p.m. and then trash from the race fans, as well as the bottle tossing onto L Street over the fence can continue?

Why do the Fairgrounds waste their time putting down white stripes for parking? They should first and foremost put a good paving job down and then place the white parking stripes. It is realized that the monies for this project may not be available, yet recycled pavement through other county paving projects could take care of that.

I was born in Antioch and have witnessed this 1950s attitude regarding these changes. It hasn’t been mentioned that a truck-driving school rents or leases part of the east Fairgrounds parking lot. Why not put some of that revenue toward putting down some blacktop? It would greatly alleviate the dust and gravel problem. That gravel can work its way all the way across L Street.

It is also realized that many of the fairground hierarchy do not spend any time (to speak of) in Antioch on the weekends. I have also heard that many do not even live in Antioch, so therefore their weekends are spent away from the fairgrounds’ dust and mess. I failed to mention that the truck-driving school, which has roots in Antioch, runs its driving school using big-rig trucks with trailers and sometimes just the cab. These trucks can really stir up the dust due to the area being oiled just one time a year. That would be just one time a year in late May prior to the CCC Fair getting going.

The truck-driving school takes place six days a week with the only day not used by them is Saturdays, which is the day of the Flea Market. These people must be paying something to use these lots.

We just saw the completion of the Fourth to 10th Street additions of L Street and you better believe down the road, the 10th to 18th Street on L Street will be widened also. Come on, city leaders that make these decisions … let’s get paving!

I must add that this is not about the race car drivers and their sponsors from many locations in California; they seem to be outstanding people that are in this for the sport of driving the oval track.

Some say that if you don’t like the goings on, then move out. Well, what about the next family that moves in to the neighborhood? Progress would be better, don’t you think? Enjoy the evenings of empty fairgrounds in the east parking lot. Maybe one day we will wake up to the pleasant sound of a work crew; maybe even a “stimulus” work crew paving their hearts out. Oh happy days! Pave, pave, pave!

Have a Happy Holiday and New Year, Antioch and all of Contra Costa County!

Richard P. Burke, Antioch