This news article will be about an abandoned go-kart track in Galveston, Texas. This abandoned go-kart track was once known as Speedway Go-Kart Track, Speed-A-Way Go-Cart Track, Stewart Beach Go-Cart Track, and Stewart Beach Go-Kart Track. Michael Mixerr will explain and explore the history behind this abandoned go-cart track.
There is an abandoned go-cart track on the east end of Galveston Island facing Ferry Road & Seawall Boulevard that is no longer in use. This go-cart track was known as Speedway Go-Kart Track, and Stewart Beach Go-Kart Track which was owned by the Sandpiper Motel (now Sandpiper RV Resort) and Indy Track Inc. Michael Mixerr rediscovered this abandoned go-kart track while doing urban exploration online of a former Galveston farm late January 2021.
“Finding and researching any information about this specific go-kart track was extremely difficult because there were more than 3 go-kart tracks on Galveston Island at one time. Two of those go-kart tracks still exist, one being Galveston Go Karts And Fun Center and the other one being the former Speedway Go-Kart Track. The one that is extremely difficult to find any information about is the Speedway Go-Kart Track.” says Michael Mixerr.
He realized no historians have explained, explored, or exposed the history behind this go-kart track save for a couple of local newspapers based in Galveston County. Michael Mixerr says, “The only newspapers which I am aware of that covered news about Speedway Go-Kart Track were Galveston Daily News and Galveston Daily News. Residents seem to have forgotten about the Speedway Go-Kart Track and its history. As I said, finding and researching any information about this specific go-kart track was extremely difficult because there were more than 3 go-kart tracks on Galveston Island at one time.”
Stewart Beach featured a go-cart track in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This go-kart track was owned in part by Galveston Park Board trustee Benno Deltz.
The Galveston Daily News first mentioned a go-kart track being built on a 3-acre site at Seawall Boulevard facing Ferry Road on the east end of Galveston Island was on the date of Sunday, February 13, 1977. Galveston Park Board of Trustees owned this 3-acre site which they leased to Sandpiper Motel. This go-kart track would become what was known as Speedway Go-Kart Track. (Ref: Galveston Daily News, Page 2, Sunday, February 13, 1977)
“People are conducting surveys and filling in the area on the beach across from the Sandpiper Motel. What is going to be put there? We are told that this is the site of a "water coaster". The attraction will feature a 400-foot long flat bottomed slide, starting from a height of 40 feet and flooded with recycled water. A go-cart track will be adjacent to the facility. The three-acre site is leased from the Galveston Park Board of Trustees.”
Speedway Go-Kart Track was supposed open in the spring of 1977. Locker facilities and a concession area for this go-kart track were going to be included. The go-kart track was specifically designed for family fun. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/17080678/)
“A go-cart track will be located adjacent to the facility which is expected to be ready for use this spring. Worrell said the entire area will be landscaped for family fun. Locker facilities and a concession area will be included. The three-acre site is leased from the Galveston Park Board of Trustees.”
However this go-kart track would be opened to the public until the summer of 1978 because construction was not completed and the city council had not made a final decision of whether or not to allow a go-kart track to operate near a residential area close to the beach.
The first mention of Speedway Go-Kart Track was listed in the advertisements section of the Galveston Daily News on Thursday, April 20, 1978. Speedway Go-Kart Track was a 750-foot long go-cart racetrack that was owned by Galveston Park Board trustee Benno Deltz which he had set up for family fun and entertainment. (Ref: Galveston Daily News, Page 29, Thursday, April 20, 1978)
[SPEED-A-WAY, a 750-foot long go-cart racetrack, is under construction on Stewart Beach property east of the Water Coaster. Owned by Benno Deltz, the facility will open in mid-May and is described as "family-type entertainment".]
District Attorney James Hury and his racing team sizzled after a last-minute victory during a heated yet speedy go-kart race at Speedway Go-Kart Track in 1979. District Attorney James Hury and his racing team beat the City Council team in the race. Galveston Daily News wrote about their victory in a news article titled Hury team sizzles to go-cart victory. (Ref: Galveston Daily News, Hury team sizzles to go-cart victory, Page 2, Sunday, April 1, 1979)
“District Attorney James Hury and his racing team sizzled to a last-minute victory Saturday in a go-cart race as the City Council's team apparently ran out of gas. The race, at Benno Deltz' Speed-A-Way Go-Cart Track east of Stewart Beach and south of the Seawall, was the result of a challenge between Mayor John Unbehagen and Hury at a recent Ducks Unlimited Committee meeting. The 800-foot twisting track was made tougher for the day by additional obstacles being placed in the race course. Hury and Unbehagen led off in the 25-lap relay-type race, pushing their Pacer-type go-carts up to an incredible 15 miles per hour. Hury quickly seized the lead, leadfooting his cart past Unbehagen on the second turn. However, on the pushoff at the driver change, Intrepid Councilman Rudy Teichm'an turned his 4.5-horsepower engined Pacer Into screaming rpm's, aided by a good push, and grabbed the lead. Council members never lost the lead until the final few laps when Councilman Roland Bassett's car developed fuel-feeding problems, and Asst. District Attorney Mike Helskell roared past him for the win. Hury's winning race team included: Jack Brock, Heiskell, David Garner, and, Joel Kirkpatrick, a newsman drafted on the spot. Unbehagen's city challengers included: Telchman, Mel Rourke, Gus Manuel, Bassett, and Bill Fullen.”
Benno Deltz extended the length of Speedway Go-Kart Track to 800 feet in length during the summer of 1979. This extension of Speedway Go-Kart Track resulted into becoming an 800-foot twisting track with numerous winding curves. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/17146454/)
Galveston Park Board trustee Benno Deltz used Speedway Go-Kart Track as a dune buggy race track in 1980. Benno Deltz said the dune buggy racetrack is and was "strictly experimental". (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/12961272/)
“One such lease agreement is with local businessman Benno Deltz, whose dune buggy racetrack is "strictly experimental." "Nobody races dune buggies around here like I'm going to be doing," said Deltz. "I think the demand will be great." Besides the dune buggy rides Deltz plans a mini-motocross raceway, a bumper car track underneath a dome tent and the Wet Indy, a miniture boat racing ride.”
Unfortunately Speedway Go-Kart Track would not say open for very long as the track was buried by a hurricane sometime during the 1980s. This led Benno Deltz to shut down Speedway Go-Kart Track permanently.
Benno Deltz sold go-kart track to Indy Track Inc in 1991. Indy Track Inc would rename the go-kart track to Stewart Beach Go-Cart Track that same year.
The committee recommended Galveston Park Board of Trustees (Park Board) approve of leasing property for a go-cart track called Stewart Beach Go-Cart Track at Stewart Beach in 1991. Stewart Beach Go-Cart Track was reconstructed by Randy Koptin after Galveston Park Board of Trustees approved leasing property on Stewart Beach east of the Sand Piper Motel for the operation of a go-cart track called Speedway Go-Kart Track. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/13713248/)
“The committee will recommend that the Park Board, at its meeting today, approve a proposed lease of an area of Stewart Beach east of the Sand Piper Motel for the operation of a go-cart track. The track is to be constructed by Randy Koptin, who will also construct a roadway in the area. The lease is proposed for five years, with two five-year options, at a charge of $15,000 a year.”
Galveston Park Board of Trustees (Park Board) approved leasing property for a go-cart track at Stewart Beach in 1991 Stewart Beach Go-Cart Track was located east of the Sandpiper Motel at the time. “Trustees approved leasing property at Stewart Beach, east of the Sandpiper Motel, for a go-cart track, and reducing the liability insurance requirements on The Colonel, a paddlewheel boat, from $100 million to $50 million.” (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/13714619/)
However the City of Galveston shut down Stewart Beach Go-Cart Track after receiving several noise complaints from many residents. This led the City of Galveston and Stewart Beach Go-Cart Track to be tangled in a year long lawsuit which lasted from 1991 to 1992. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/16808119/)
According to the lawsuit, residents alleged that the city zoning laws barred the go-track from operating on Stewart Beach. Appellants argue that a go-cart track is a use that is specifically cited in the Zoning Standards. It is a use which requires a specific use permit under Appendix K, REC-RECREATION. Thus, a go-cart track may be constructed and operated on land zoned REC-RECREATION if, and only if, a specific use permit is obtained. Appellants hypothesize that because a go-cart track is specifically "cited by the Zoning Standards" it is a use that is not within the definition of AMUSEMENT, COMMERCIAL (OUTDOOR) as that term is defined by the ordinance amending the Zoning Standards. As such, appellants contend, it is a use which requires either a specific use permit or a variance. (Ref: https://casetext.com/case/seawall-e-twnhm-v-glveston)
A new proposed go cart track near Stewart Beach had a group of homeowners worried about noise pollution and safety back in April 1992. Developers want to put the track near the end of First Street as part of the attractions on Stewart Beach. The Park Board voted recently to lease the track to developers. They were not opposed to the track itself. Both sides had reached an agreement at one point. However District Court Judge Henry Dalehite lifted the injunction in April 11, 1992 and gave developers the go-ahead to build a go-kart track. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/16593549/)
“A proposed go cart track near Stewart Beach has a group of homeowners in the area worried about noise and safety. Developers want to put the track near the end of First Street as part of the at tractions on Stewart Beach. Members of the University Area Association and homeowners groups on the east end objected, and asked a court to stop the building. A temporary restraining order was granted March 27, but that order was lifted Thursday by 122nd District Court Judge Henry Dalehite. Dan Vaughn, an attorney representing the Galveston Park Board of Trustees, said lifting the injunction gives developers the go-ahead to build.”
Galveston Daily News called the lawsuit between the City of Galveston and Stewart Beach Go-Cart Track “an increasingly acrimonious dispute” in May of 1992. The news of this lawsuit made the front page of Galveston Daily News in May 6, 1992 (Ref: Galveston Daily News, Page 1, May 6, 1992)
“An increasingly acrimonious dispute over a go-cart track at Stewart Beach will roar into the Galveston Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting today. Both sides have filed lawsuits against each other, and representatives of a go-cart track concessionaire and a homeowners association are hoping the zoning board can bolster their cases. The Galveston Park Board of Trustees earlier this year approved the leasing of a defunct go-cart track on Stewart Beach to Indy Track Inc., a new firm created to revive the attraction. After residents near the proposed track caught wind of the idea, representatives appealed to the Park Board and City Council to halt the project.
The residents contend that the track will bring unacceptable levels of noise and traffic into the neighborhood.. They also objected that the Park Board approved the lease with little public notice and that the go-cart track violates a city zoning ordinance. The beach area has had a "resort" zoning designation, which the residents contend does not allow for a go-cart track. The tracks are specifically mentioned under a "recreational" zoning designation that calls for the track operators to get a special permit. But Galveston Planning Director Harold Holmes contends the law indicates that the track is allowed, noting that the track operated there years ago. But lawyers for the residents say the zoning law was amended last year, and the change rules out the track. After an unsuccessful attempt to negotiate the issue with Park Board officials and the track operators, the residents filed a lawsuit seeking to halt construction on the project.
The operators countersued, accusing the residents of fraudulent interference of their contract. But a state district judge last month denied a request by the residents for a temporary injunction. The judge has yet to rule on the residents' suit seeking a declaration that the resort zoning does not allow go-cart tracks. The appeal of Holmes' interpretation of the zoning ordinance to the board of zoning adjustment was necessary to stop construction of the track until the judge rules on the suits.”
Galveston Zoning Board of Adjustment voted to allow Stewart Beach Go-Cart Track to restart construction and operate on Stewart Beach on May 7, 1992 as stated in a news article from the Galveston Daily News titled Go-cart track revs up legal claims before Zoning Board. (Ref: Galveston Daily News, Go-cart track revs up legal claims before Zoning Board)
“Galveston Zoning Board of Adjustment voted to allow a go-cart track to operate on Stewart Beach. Actually, the vote centered on a narrow technical point. The board denied an appeal by east end residents of a ruling by the city planning department that go-carts fit under the definition of outdoor amusements allowed in resort districts. Ruling that Galveston Planning Director Harold Holmes correctly interpreted the zoning ordinance covering Stewart Beach, the board allowed developers to restart construction of the track.”
It was both the Galveston Zoning Board and state district judge Henry Dalehite who approved of the go-kart track and allowed construction to continue. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/16806738/)
State district judge Henry Dalehite gave the okay for Stewart Beach Go-Cart Track to continue operating on May 11, 1992 despite protests from residents and nearby neighbors. Both sides had reached an agreement. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/16808061/)
Late Friday afternoon, the owners of Indy Track Inc. finally got the green flag from a state district judge to restart their engines and finish their Stewart Beach go-cart track. But the ruling came amid the kind of bickering that has marked the weeks of struggle by east end residents who don't want the sound of miniature race cars to drown out the surge of the surf near their homes. The residents, including about 15 families living in the Seawall East Townhouses, supported by the several hundred members of three area neighborhood associations, thought they had won a small victory Friday.
Their lawyer had convinced State District Judge I. Allen Lemer to grant the group a temporary restraining order blocking the go-cart track developers from proceeding with work on the project. The resident association and the track developers already have sued each other in another judge's court over the matter. Several weeks ago, 122nd District Judge Henry Dalehite had denied the residents a temporary restraining order while he considered their suit to block the track for good.
The residents' suit alleged that the city zoning laws barred the track from Stewart Beach, and that not enough public notice was given when Indy Track's lease for the operation was approved. After Lerner's ruling early Friday, the track developer's lawyer turned to Dalehite, who, as one observer put it, "pitched a fit."Dalehite vowed to rescind Lerner's order. Finally, all the parties huddled with both judges at the courthouse Friday afternoon, with the track developers emerging with a double barreled victory that the temporary restraining order be denied because the proper zoning decision had been made in allowing the track.
Besides allowing the track developers to continue work toward opening the track in time for summer crowds, the ruling also effectively shut down the residents' suit, according to lawyers involved. Lawyers for the residents vowed to take the case to the state court of appeals. "We are not going to give up on this," said Seawall East resident Mike Bishop, whose wife has just finished a term as president of the condominium association. "This is not just a fight over this one track. It's a fight over how this city's beaches are going to be used and how much say the residents of the community will Have in how those decisions are made."
Dalehite's ruling came on the heels of another defeat for the residents. The Galveston Zoning Board of Adjustment ruled after a two-hour hearing in front of a standing room only crowd that the city planning director had correctly interpreted the zoning code allowing the go-cart track. The residents contended that a change in the zoning code for Stewart Beach in 1991 excluded go-cart tracks from use there. They also are alleging that the Galveston Park Board, which governs the beach, did not give sufficient notice of its public meeting to approve the track lease.
Stewart Beach featured a go-cart track in the early 1980s, owned in part by Galveston Park Board trustee Benno Deltz. The track was buried by a hurricane and shut down. The track remained buried until early this "year, when Indy Track Inc. began negotiating with the Galveston Park Board of Trustees to lease the site for a go-cart operation. The Park Board agenda posted at the Moody Civic Center and City Hall several days before the board's Jan. 21 meeting listed the track proposal as "Consider Lease Agreement At Stewart Beach Park (Indy Track, Inc.)".
East end residents contend that notice was insufficient and violated the Texas Open Meetings Act. None of the east end residents were present when the Park Board voted to approve the lease at the meeting. But Don Schattel, executive director to the Park Board, said the board did not deviate from its regular process. "The first time I knew about any track was when I woke up to the sound of bulldozers out my window," resident W.P. Beard testified before the zoning board. Because a go-cart track already had existed at the park, the city did not need to initially rule on the zoning, Holmes said. The new operators are building new structures on the property and needed building permits. When the residents discovered the track was going in, they first appealed to the Park Board and then the city to stop it. At that time, in mid-March, Holmes ruled that the track was allowed under the beach's zoning. The City Council had changed the zoning description of the beach in 1991 because of the new sport of bungee jumping.
The council only changed the ordinance to make sure a bungee jumping operation would need a specific permit to operate," Holmes said to the zoning board oh Wednesday. But the east enders maintain that the change in the language would require the go-cart track to also get a specific use permit, which would require public hearings before the City Council. The east enders filed a lawsuit seeking to halt construction of the track and get a judge to declare that the lease violated the city zoning ordinance. Two weeks ago Dalehite denied the residents' request for a temporary restraining order while he considered the zoning question. But the residents were able to keep the track developers at bay by appealing to the zoning board, which froze the building permits needed to continue work. After Wednesday's vote by the zoning board and Friday's decision by Dalehite, chances are that Mike Bishop and other Seawall East residents will have some of the best views in town of the go-cart races at Stewart Beach's IndyTrack.
This racetrack would be shut down again in 1999 and turned into Stewart Beach Go-Cart Track into a driving range with the approval of Galveston Park Board of Trustees. Concrete was demolished during the reconstruction of this go-kart track. (Ref: Galveston Daily News, Board enters concession agreement for range, Page 6, Wednesday, March 31, 1999)
“The park board of trustees on Tuesday entered into a concession agreement that allows a concessionaire to build a driving range just east of Stewart Beach. The agreement calls for $400,000 worth of improvements to be made to the location of an old go-cart track — including the demolition of concrete there. The park board will get $24,000 during the first 10 years of the deal, then a percentage of gross profits after that.”
This racetrack would be shut yet again in 2010. The opening of the new Galveston Go Karts And Fun Center in 2010 is what killed Stewart Beach Go-Cart Track. The customers who once used this go-kart track for races, amusement, and entertainment were now using the go-cart track at Galveston Go Karts And Fun Center. The opening Galveston Go Karts And Fun Center is what led Stewart Beach Go-Cart Track to become abandoned.
However the go-kart track was used briefly in 2015 for a year long period when Galveston Park Board of Trustees approved a one-year deal with helicopter operator Oasis Beach Services to operate on a commercially zoned site formerly used by a go-cart track. However this go-kart track would be used as a temporary helipad instead of the intended original purpose.
“Trustees approved a one-year deal June 10 with Oasis Beach Services to operate on a commercially zoned site formerly used by a go-cart track. The city owns the land, but the park board is in charge of managing the property.” (Ref: https://www.yourconroenews.com/neighborhood/moco/news/article/State-briefs-Family-of-slain-Texas-biker-sues-9489298.php)
News about the reopening of this go-kart track was printed in the Washington Times on the date of Wednesday, July 8, 2015 from the help of Associated Press. (Ref: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/8/galveston-city-official-wants-oversight-on-helicop/)
The board's trustees approved a one-year lease with helicopter operator Oasis Beach Services just for that year. The contract ended in 2016 and the go-cart track was once again abandoned. “The commercially-zoned land is owned by the city, and had formerly been used as a go-cart track. The Park Board is charged with managing the property. The board's trustees approved a one-year lease with the helicopter operator June 10.” (Ref: http://www.aero-news.net/GetMoreFromANN.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=75edca98-b704-49d0-8523-81707ecd0b6b)
Today the Speedway Go-Kart Track is now abandoned and is no longer in use. Galveston Park Board currently owns the go-kart track property.
Speedway Go-Kart Track was and is located at 101 Seawall Boulevard, Galveston, Texas, US 77550. The phone numbers for Speedway Go-Kart Track were 713-763-1608 and 409-763-1608.
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