It’s time to face the facts about Baltimore’s Grand Prix. No matter how you cut it, the three day racing weekend falls short of what the public was told to expect.
An independent study out Friday (weeks late) puts its economic impact, at best, at $47 million — far short of the $70 million promised by race promoters and City Hall. The study was done at the request of the city. A few weeks ago, a different study, done by professors at the University of Maryland and UMBC, put the economic benefit even lower and concluded the race really didn’t give Baltimore much more of an economic boost than it would get on a typical Labor Day holiday.
Add to that the news, courtesy of reports in The Baltimore Sun, that the race organizers are having trouble paying their bills. That means taxpayers could get left holding the bag as well if organizers can’t pay back publicly funded support.
The City spent at least $7 million to pave downtown streets and provide police security on overtime.
What if that money had been, instead, devoted to:
- Cleaning up the blight along the Amtrak line. A friendlier view from the train might actually encourage people to get off in Baltimore and spend time and money year round. As it is now, it looks like you’re entering a third world country.
- Tax incentives to encourage private business to bring jobs to the city. I mean permanent jobs, not temporary jobs associated with a once per year event.
- Recreation programs that actually interest kids. Everyone agrees the City can’t afford to operate more than 50 aging rec centers. But how about some contemporary programming that truly gives kids alternatives to the street.
I could go on. The point is the Grand Prix might have been fun for Indy racing fans. But budgets are tight. The City needs smart investment that will pay dividends for the long term. That would be the real “game-changer.”
