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Pflugerville Wants To Study Impact Of F1

Updated: Friday, October 12 2012, 01:44 PM CDT

The City of Pflugerville is debating whether to send two city representatives to the upcoming Formula One race in Southeast Travis County at a cost of almost $1,800 to taxpayers.

City Spokesperson Terri Wagoner said, “The city council will decide whether it’s a good use of taxpayer money to send someone to the event, but ultimately with our location being 20 minutes away from this huge event, the largest event in central Texas, we want to see how it would affect Pflugerville.”

The City Council will discuss the issue at tomorrow night’s city council meeting. Pflugerville is about a mile away from the new Austin Executive Airport, which is expected to see a major increase in traffic during the race. SH 130 is also expected to see a major traffic increase and Pflugerville borders the highway. 

“It’s definitely a significant event and Formula One is going to keep coming back, so it’s certainly something that needs to be looked into,” says Pflugerville resident Nathaniel Dickerman.

While some feel it’s a good use of taxpayer money, others think the money can be saved by getting the information from other cities.

The City will use the information gathered to discuss development in the area, for example a hotel along SH 130. Floyd Akers, the Executive Director for the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation says, “We’re probably one of the bigger cities that doesn’t have a hotel within the city limits.”

The Community Development Corporation has already selected four different possible locations and has started negotiations with two hotel operators. Akers says we may see a hotel within Pflugerville City Limits within two years.

By Lydia PantazesPflugerville Wants To Study Impact Of F1