Click image for enlargement. Graphic by Mike Johnson.
Race car driver Paul Tracy on Thursday helps christen the new wall section being built for the Vegas Grand Prix, a Champ car race scheduled for April, on Grand Central Parkway near F Street. Photo by Craig L. Moran.
Michelle Dell, owner of Hogs & Heifers Saloon, expects business from some of the 150,000 fans projected for the Vegas Grand Prix. Photo by Jeff Scheid.
Michelle Dell knows the inaugural Vegas Grand Prix will bring business to her Hogs & Heifers Saloon on Third Street.
Just the wind from 750-horsepower Champ race cars roaring down Ogden Avenue on Easter weekend should blow a few people into her bar half a block from the 2.4-mile course.
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She expects the race, scheduled for April 6-8, to be bigger than the National Basketball Association's recent All-Star Weekend, which catered to an out-of-town, corporate and celebrity crowd. Local residents were shut out by exorbitant ticket prices. A customer at Hogs & Heifers said NBA All-Star Weekend was a good reason to stay away from the Strip.
Vegas Grand Prix is expected to attract 150,000 spectators, about one-fourth of them locals, during a three-day festival of speed and entertainment. Ticket prices start at $44 in advance for the race.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has yet to estimate the race's economic impact on the city. The Nextel NASCAR race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway drew 158,000 fans in 2006 for a nongaming economic impact of $129.3 million and the NBA All-Star Game brought 85,000 visitors who spent an estimated $90.6 million.
"I'm here in support of the event," Dell said at a meeting between downtown business owners and residents and organizers of the 2007 season opener for the Champ Car World Series. "It's a fabulous event for downtown Las Vegas. I have one concern as a business owner, which has to do with construction time heading up to the weekend. My only concern is what downtown will look like."
It won't be pretty, Champ circuit manager Chris Kneifel conceded, but he promised to make it as painless as possible.
Placement of concrete barrier walls started Thursday at Grand Central Parkway and F Street. Certain segments of downtown streets will be closed from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., Kneifel said.
About 1,200 linear feet of the perimeter wall will be constructed each night, going from Grand Central to Bonneville Avenue, east to Main Street and into the downtown core.
"The first thing you'll see sneaking into town is the safety installation," Kneifel said. "You won't even see us until April 1, really. That's the intent. We'll be stealthy, in and out overnight. We'll clean up by 6 a.m. and be out of there."
Construction crews will skip over intersections, crosswalks, alleys, driveways, bus stops and loading zones in 12-foot increments, the length of each wall segment. They'll remain open until the week of April 2. By midnight April 4, the full traffic plan will be in effect.
Pawn shop owner David Gollmyer wanted to know how difficult it's going to be for his employees to get inside the road course area once it's completely sealed off by the barriers. They also need access to an alley off Fourth Street to reach their parking spaces.
Kneifel said there will be three pedestrian bridges connecting the perimeter to Fremont Street Experience. Through traffic will be restricted to two entry points into downtown from the north and south until two hours before race time.
"I think regardless of the outcome, it's going to be difficult given the track layout for them to be accommodating to us," Gollmyer said. "What I'd like and what's realistic are two different things."
The roads will be open by Monday morning following the race. All barrier walls, fencing and grandstands will be completely removed by April 23.
"I can tell you Monday morning will have better traffic flow than Tuesday and Wednesday of race week because we can pick up a lot faster than we install," Kneifel said.
Unlike the NBA All-Star Game, a one-time event, Vegas Grand Prix has a five-year contract with the city of Las Vegas.
Dale Jensen, founder of Phoenix-based DDB Ventures and co-owner of the Vegas Grand Prix, said an independent study for his company estimated the race will have an annual economic impact of about $65 million for Las Vegas. He's bringing another inaugural Champ race to Phoenix in November.
He said the "halo effect" of the race will hopefully revitalize the downtown areas of both cities.
"Take a look at what happened in Long Beach, (Calif.), and how it's credited with the revitalization of the area by the wharf," Jensen said of the Long Beach Grand Prix. "They were concerned that some condos they were building inside the circuit would be less desirable, but it turns out the opposite is true -- they're more desirable. I guarantee you in two years you'll have people hanging out of windows and balconies watching this race."
Dell of Hogs & Heifers asked if businesses would be allowed to put up signs on fencing around the track. Kneifel said it wouldn't stay there long, probably ending up on someone's garage wall.
What about using the Vegas Grand Prix logo on T-shirts and other souvenir products? Dell said Bike Fest allowed it for Hogs & Heifers. A race representative said there could be copyright infringements with Champ.
Easter Day services at St. Joan of Arc Church should be exciting. The church is near Turn 7 at Casino Center Drive and Bridger Avenue. Race week events include the Champ Car World Series, Champ Car Atlantic and Historic Grand Prix races along with concerts, an Easter egg hunt and Easter services.
Downtown Coffee Co. owner Jim Barbarite wanted to know about viewing areas. What's to stop people from watching the race from private terraces and rooftops?
Nothing, Kneifel said.
"When we get our aerial photos back from a race, we see parties, tents, chairs. They're not spending a nickel. In San Jose, (Calif.), Adobe has its headquarters along the race course. They just swipe their (security) card and they're in," he said.
