Ragnar Relay chief makes pitch
at final 2015 Marathon City Council meeting
BY TERRY SCHMIDA
The final Marathon City Council meeting of 2015 was mostly a housecleaning session, though members did discuss billing for legal services, and the ongoing saga of the Ragnar Relay.
That annual race down the Keys has for years has been a bone of contention among county residents, for its disruptions to traffic during the peak of tourist season, and has twice been denied a permit by the Board of County Commissioners. The issue was to be discussed yet again at the County Commission meeting on Dec. 9 and 10.
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Ragnar CEO Chris Infurchia took one last kick at the can to convince Marathon’s government to support his plans to proceed with a truncated event, at a slower time of the year, and with fewer runners. An item to approve the new race was pulled off the agenda, but Infurchia stood as the sole speaker during public comment to make his case, anyway.
Race organizers have “completely revamped the approach” to the relay, the Ragnar CEO said, with half the teams finishing up at Coral Shores, and the other half ending their run in Marathon.
Infurchia promised a reduction in team members “in the neighborhood of 10 to 20 percent,” and indicated that his staff would be promoting Marathon hotels and eateries to participants, via emails and social media.
There would be “no running in the Lower Keys whatsoever,” and organizers “would look for a time that is completely quiet” to hold the event.
Infurchia reminded the council members that the race generally raises some $70,000 annually for the local Special Olympics, as well as smaller amounts for other non-profits.
The pitch won no sympathy from Councilman Dan Zieg, however, who credited the race with “disrupting all of our lives at the height of [the] tourist season.”
Zieg added that he hoped the BOCC would respect the will of the citizens of the county, and deny Ragnar a permit “for the third time.”
During his own report, Zieg announced that the U.S. Customs facility at Marathon Airport had now been turned over to federal authorities, for final adjustments, and should be in operation by the first or second week of January – though he indicated that he wouldn’t be surprised to see further delays in the project.
The meeting was the final one for Interim City Manager Mike Puto, who announced his intention back in April to serve until a replacement could be hired.
Former Coast Guard Station Marathon’s former Operations Manager Charles Lindsey received the nod for the job at the Aug. 25 meeting.
Puto, called “Mr. Marathon” for his years of service to the city, has been appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to sit on the Board of Trustees of Florida Keys Community College.
Council member John Bartus led the tributes on Tuesday, calling Puto “a very humble servant to the community of Marathon.
“It’s been a pleasure working with you,” he added. “Thank you very much for your service.”
During his end-of-year address, Bartus also made an impassioned plea for religious and social harmony, stating “Whatever faith we are . . . we’re all human beings on this planet.”
He added that certain politicians had been “saying very scary things” lately.

 

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