October 29, 2009 in City

Spokane County fires racetrack operator

Jim Camden The Spokesman-Review
 
Background

Read previous coverage of the operating contract with Bucky Austin and Spokane County’s purchase of the racetrack in 2008.

Spokane County commissioners today terminated the contract with the Austin Motor Sports Management, the company they hired less than a year ago to operate the controversial Spokane County Raceway Park in Airway Heights.

The county’s insurance may be needed to pay some $1.2 million in outstanding debt for improvements at the track, they said.

Commissioners voted unanimously during a special afternoon meeting to terminate the contract with the company and its owner Bucky Austin, a racing enthusiast who owns a chain of auto repair shops in the Puget Sound region. Despite promises in August and September that he would make good on all outstanding debts for improvements in the park, Austin still owes contractors, who have filed liens worth about $1.2 million against him and the county.

Austin’s contract was in default and terminated, commissioners said, because he failed to pay the contractors, failed to secure a performance bond before he contracted for the work, and didn’t go through the competitive bidding process required for public projects.

Austin was put on notice in September that he’d lose the contract in 60 days if he didn’t “cure” those problems. He wasn’t able to find financing or partners to make payments, commissioners said.

The notice of default had a 60-day time limit, which would have been up on Sunday. When asked why they were terminating it three days early, they said the weather was turning cold and they wanted to have county staff “winterize” the facility as soon as possible.

Asked if the decision was at all prompted by fears Austin’s Motorsport manaoement company could declare bankruptcy, Board Chairman Todd Mielke would only say: “Rumors abound.”

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16 comments on this story so far. Add yours!

  • two bit on October 29 at 1:31 p.m.

    hmm everyone who has run the track must be crooks. they cant make money at this track and the courts and public say they do?? i wonder who is really telling the truth!! to me it seems like the trust owners are the winner here for selling this track and other property

    so is the county responsible for the construction costs? they seemto be the ones who have gained at this venture so far us the tax payers and law enforcement and safety are the big losers!! but the property be a good place for the fair and jail since we let them go to it it would cut transportation

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  • Rifleman__Dodd on October 29 at 2:31 p.m.

    How about terminating the two commissioners that got us in this mess?

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  • Maynard Ross Jr on October 29 at 2:43 p.m.

    Commissioner Bonnie Mager was right to be the only one of the three to vote 'NO' on acquiring the race track. I think the sensible thing to do is to sell the property to a business developer. Maybe a Las Vegas casino operator would like to buy it and give Northern Quest a little more competition.

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  • westside on October 29 at 2:52 p.m.

    I'm sure all the thousands of dollars Austin owed will be taken care of by the new owners! lol

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  • Ron_the_Cop on October 29 at 3:23 p.m.

    The problem is the site has contamination that would have to be cleaned up first before it could be sold to a private party. The aspect of being used as a raceway is problematic at best. However as a regional police training facility with pursuit driving courses does make some sense.

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  • Coldfusown on October 29 at 3:25 p.m.

    That's cool. Now we can race on residential streets to make up for a lack of track. I only kid, lets hope such occurrences don't happen :-)

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  • PaulDelaney53 on October 29 at 3:52 p.m.

    Hey Ron the Cop…If the site was so contaminated - which it is not in the big scheme of things - why would not adjacent land owners have had problems over the past 35 years.

    Go spend more time on your cause of “outing” the Cowles and their RPS dealings.

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  • PlanB on October 29 at 4:13 p.m.

    Settle down. This hasn't been a drain on the county and they are just fixing something that broke because someone didn't keep up their end of the deal. They should be commended for taking action so quickly.
    And the regional training facility is a great idea. It would bring in a lot of business.

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  • William Mahaney on October 29 at 5:42 p.m.

    The County Commissioners (well, two of them) purchased this property with taxpayer dollars. The County Commissioners selected the “Manager” of the Raceway, who gobbled up, I would guess, MORE taxpayers' dollars. The County Commissioners now will have to “bail out” the debts the Raceway has incurred…with taxpayer dollars. Those of us who pay taxes to the County have been screwed from the start. Please do not vote for the two County Commissioners who have cost us taxpayers millions!! Tar and feathering is no longer legal (as it should be); but in the ancient days that is what those two Commissioners would have received! Is there a way to RECALL those two dolts? If so, please let me know!! I'll help lead the charge!! In the interim, DO NOT VOTE FOR ANY LEVY/FEE/TAX for which the “wise” County Commissioners ask! Commissioner Bonnie Mager, who opposed the purchase, should be commended!!

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  • Zelda Krup on October 29 at 6:31 p.m.

    Given the potential liability for the county when this contract was awarded, the county should have been watching every step of the way.

    Because Austin “failed to pay the contractors, failed to secure a performance bond before he contracted for the work, and didn’t go through the competitive bidding process required for public projects,” I'd say the county did an unacceptable job of contract management. I have my doubts they're going to get better at it.

    This whole idea was a non-starter from the beginning. It's the asphalt version of Walk in the Wild Zoo.

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  • Lulubelle on October 29 at 6:40 p.m.

    Mielke/Richard BOONDOGGLE! I can still see that grinning little simpleton Richard clapping his hands and practically wetting his pants at the prospect of owning his very own racetrack……with Mielke behind the curtain pulling the strings. I don't know how Commissioner Mager puts up with these two day after day.

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  • jessiepn on October 29 at 8:36 p.m.

    I'm pleased to see so many people posting comments that mention support for Bonnie Mager and her wisdom in opposing this boondoggle. Please don't forget her wisdom, or your support, when she's up for reelection and certain entranched interests in Spokane are trying to defeat her.

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  • PlanB on October 29 at 9:39 p.m.

    Rifleman… funny stuff! But they don't need anymore of that type of training! I was talking about driving training.

    I will remember Mager's wisdom and NOT vote for her. But let's keep up the guessing about what the cost is, because we need more pure speculation to make good decisions.

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  • Shannon Sullivan on October 30 at 5:15 a.m.

    I remember back when Milke/Richards had a “vision” for the raceway; Milke exact words were “I have hopes and dreams for the raceway.”

    Well, my hopes and dreams include no new taxes to pay for his dreams.
    I did everything imaginable; except run against them myself. There two (Milke/Richards) are bought and paid for.

    Please Spokane, DO NOT ELECT FRENCH for county commissioner; there is NO telling what the 3 of them could do.

    Bonnie; thank you, thank you!!! You called BS on this from the beginning.

    I will be pounding the pavement for you!!! VOTE BONNIE

    And yes; I post under my own name; I am not ashamed of the truth.

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  • wurman on October 30 at 10:22 a.m.

    It would perhaps be useful for the Spokesman-Review to assign Bert Caldwell the task(s) of collecting all the various stories about idiotic real estate scams generated by the Spokane County commissioners & the City council members.

    Looks very much as if the taxpayers of the Spokane area are & have been hung out to dry for a lot of cash on gravel pits, race tracks, parks, preserves, reserves, & generally stupid concepts that have ziff, nada, zilch to do with running local government.

    Why would they want to pave streets, repair bridges, & manage a competent police department, etc., when they can play a very expensive form of “monopoly” with somebody else's real money?

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  • ChefGus on November 01 at 6:53 a.m.

    Shannon, thank you for your post. Yeah i agree that those that post with pseudonyms and avatars lose some credibility… I worked hard for Barb chamberrlain and then stood on many corner's waving signs to achieve Commissioner Mager's slim victory. The stories I heard from at the time current county employee's who were literally afraid for their jobs if they contributed or aided Mrs Mager's effort were unsettling to say the least. Bonnie has organized meetings already for planning for re election.. Bless her for not just walking away…. We need balance and some difference of opinion on any governing body… Where was the “county manager” paid exec who is the in the background but charged with steering the ship .. Thank you Commissioner Mager for all you do. Dr John Olsen Spokane aka ChefGus

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