A recession might be the most convenient time to dedicate nearly $10,000 in labor and materials for entertainment — but a group of contractors thinks that now is the best time.

A group of contractors with ties to the Havasu 95 Speedway recently opted to help out the local community in their spare time to beautify the facilities surrounding the track at SARA Park for the upcoming season. The group, consisting of Caley Nursery Owner Jim Caley, Mountain Desert Landscaping Owner Scott Ward, Masonry and More Owner Jeff Gilbert, Arizona Decorative Rock Owner Terri McCue and Havasu 95 Speedway Track Manager Bill Rozhon, teamed up to improve the landscaping around the spectator area of the track. The difference, says Rozhon, is night and day.

“We try to show people every year that we’re improving and this is a big step,” he said. “It’s actually surprising in this day and time that we could do this. Like every other business in town, these guys are struggling. This is just a really good example of how strong the people of Havasu are. These guys are a few of many contractors that are community oriented and this may not look big but it really is a big deal.”

Caley said he never questioned the opportunity to donate his time.

“I know that Bill has been working really hard to try to make this an entertaining and great place for people to visit and enjoy,” Caley said. “He spends a lot of his time looking for nothing more but to provide some entertainment and generate some revenue for Havasu.”

Gilbert agreed.

“Being a resident for 33 years and giving back to our city and making the facility that is nice for people to come out and enjoy was a pleasure to come out and do,” Gilbert said.

Ward, whose company sponsors two cars at the Speedway, said it was a “natural fit” to want to help out the Speedway.

“The community has supported us for 10 years with an abundance of work and they’ve supported us (at the Speedway), so it was an easy decision to want to give something back,” Ward said.

The landscaping and construction could be just the start of bigger changes coming to the Speedway. Caley said the area previously “looked like an eyesore” and the group is considering doing more to improve various sites around the track.

“It was just hard to maintain and it didn’t look pretty so it was an obvious place to start,” Caley said. “We’re definitely looking at doing more in the future if we can.”

The Speedway could also see a major change, depending on a City Council vote and public hearing Sept. 14. City Parks and Recreation Department held a public meeting Aug. 19 on proposed revisions to the SARA Park Master Plan that would include a dirt racetrack and drag strip. Parks and Recreation Director Bart Wagner said the initial SARA Park Master Plan included nine softball and youth baseball fields and six multipurpose fields that would be removed if the revisions to the plan were accepted. The City Council approved the original SARA Park Master Plan in September 2005. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board approved the proposed revisions to the Master Plan May 20.

“I think they looked at the current need in our community and saw that a racetrack and drag strip would be more beneficial,” Wagner said in August, adding that there are currently no such tracks in Lake Havasu City. Wagner also said city staff would have full costs associated with the possible changes at a later date.

You can contact the reporter at nbruttell@havasunews.com