Santa Clarita Mayor Spearheads Speedway Rescue Attempt

After nearly a week of trying to meet with owners of Saugus Speedway, Santa Clarita Mayor Joanne Darcy and city officials met with Ben Bonelli, one of several owners of the racetrack, to discuss the recent abrupt closure and future of the 56-year-old track.

“Right now the Bonelli family doesn’t have plans to sell the land,” Darcy said. “They’re more interested in seeing what is in store for them 20 years down the road.”

The Bonelli family was unavailable for comment.

According to an independent structural report, the speedway’s grandstands were unsafe and below 1994 safety standards. Within hours of receiving this information, the Bonellis canceled the racing season.

“They’d be better off tearing out the wooden stands and putting in aluminum ones,” Darcy said. “The cost would be about $500,000.”

Darcy added that the city is willing to assist the Bonelli family in receiving a low interest loan from the county or the state.

The Bonellis’ decision to shut down the racing facility in mid-season was met with outrage in the Santa Clarita Valley.

“We met with Mr. Bonelli for an hour and a half. He was very cordial and sincere about our concerns,” Darcy said.

Darcy said her office has been flooded with offers from the community to help fix the grandstands.

“We have forwarded these requests to the Bonellis,” Darcy said.

The meeting between Darcy and Bonelli was the first face-to-face meeting city officials have had with the family since the announcement.

The two sides decided to reconvene within 60 days to finalize the future of the track.

“Saugus Speedway’s closure has an economic effect on our city,” Darcy said.

Basketball

Greg Minor, Canyon High’s all-time leading scorer, announced that he will attend South Plains Junior College in Levelland, Tex.

Minor, a 6-foot-2 guard, averaged 28 points for the Cowboys last season but did not receive a passing score on the Scholastic Assessment Test.

“I originally planned on being a Prop. 48 case, but I decided that I would rather play at a junior college than sit out a year,” Minor said.

Loyola Marymount, Texas and UNLV were among the Division I schools interested in Minor.

Noel Bloom, who averaged 18 points for Calabasas High last season as a junior, is transferring to Crossroads High.

His mother said the transfer is for academic reasons. Bloom, a guard who scored a school-record 48 points against Carpinteria last season, is the second player to transfer from Calabasas in as many years.

Vanderbilt guard and former Thousand Oaks High standout Michelle Palmisano has been selected as a student representative for the NCAA Academic Rules Committee.

Palmisano, who transferred from UCLA after her freshman season, averaged 10 points a game last season. She is an engineering major with a 4.0 grade point average.

Football

Alemany High is seeking coaches for its junior varsity team. Information: 818-727-8250, ext. 14.

Golf

Linda Olsen of Granada Hills, shot a 79 at the San Gabriel Country Club and qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship in Brookline, Mass., next month.

Olsen finished in a three-way tie with Sue Ewart and Kathy Choi for eighth place. Leanne Wong of Los Angeles won the event with a 73.

Twelve golfers qualified for the finals. Sherri Zaun and Clarissa Childs, both from Glendale, shot an 81 and 82, respectively, and are alternates.

Tennis

Boris Bosnjakovic of Palos Verdes defeated Bobby Rodriguez of Sherman Oaks Sunday at the Racquet Centre in Studio City to capture the Infiniti Open Wild Card tournament. Bosnjakovic, who won, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, advanced to the Infiniti qualifying tournament.

Lilia Osterloh of Canal Winchester, Ohio defeated Erin Boisclair of Agoura Hills, 6-1, 6-1, for the championship of the United States Tennis Assn. Junior National Clay Court tournament in Memphis, Tenn.

Miscellany

The 7th Annual Bill Vrooman Memorial Regatta will be held on Sunday at the Westlake Lake. Westlake Yacht Club officials are hoping to match last year’s field of 40 entries.

Information: 818-879-0612.

Contributing: Dana Haddad, Bryan Rodgers.