June 30, 2010 in City

County greenlights more raceway dollars

Mager says cash better spent on services

John Craig The Spokesman-Review

Tags:Spokane County RacewaySpokane Raceway Park

County commissioners’ tempers flared Tuesday along with public spending on the Spokane County Raceway.

Commissioners Todd Mielke and Mark Richard drove to a $1.1 million finish while Commissioner Bonnie Mager waved a yellow flag.

A 2-1 vote added $588,500 to the taxpayer spending already approved this year for improvements to the raceway, bringing the total to $1.1 million.

“I believe this track is becoming the de facto first priority of this government,” Mager said, contending it is “sucking money” from traditional government services.

Most county departments are still bleeding from a $12 million, 12.5 percent cut in general fund spending this year.

Even before the cuts, the Sheriff’s Office had to curtail a new community corrections program that was helping reduce jail populations. That’s where Mager would have preferred to spend the $588,500 that will be used to realign the three-track raceway’s sports-car road course.

The realignment has several purposes. It would eliminate the need to cross the road course to get to the raceway office, and it would separate the road course from the drag strip.

At present, concrete drag strip walls have to be moved so sports cars can drive around the concrete drag strip to remain on asphalt and avoid traction problems. The time-consuming process precludes back-to-back road-racing and drag-strip events.

Mielke and Richard said the raceway isn’t their top priority, but they made no apologies for “stepping out of the box” for an economic-development and recreational project they hope will pay dividends.

The raceway is part of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Golf, which accounts for only about 1.5 percent of the general fund budget, Mielke said.

Having purchased the 314.7-acre raceway for $4.3 million in April 2008, failing to provide needed improvements would be “calling for our own demise,” Richard said.

Mielke likened raceway improvements to $2.8 million in improvements commissioners approved as part of the Spokane Indians’ current lease of the county’s baseball stadium.

He also noted that commissioners endorsed a plan earlier this month to rebuild a broken-down control booth in the county juvenile detention center at an estimated cost of $200,000.

But that was only part of the problem, Mager said. “They need employees.”

Juvenile Court Services Director Bonnie Bush and Juvenile Court Judge Neal Rielly told commissioners that lack of personnel is causing safety problems.

Bush has asked – so far without success – for commissioners to restore three corrections officers and an electronic-monitoring probation officer at an annual cost of $253,650.

Similarly, the Department of Building and Planning – which has lost half its work force in two years – has called for a rescue that could cost $200,000.

Mager drew a distinction between Tuesday’s action and previous track spending that she supported. She said the earlier spending was for spectator safety while the new work seems aimed at maximizing profit by allowing more events.

Mager voted earlier this year to spend $200,000 to repair crumbling steps, install debris- and crowd-control fences and move a propane tank out of the concession stand. Last week, she voted to spend $245,000 more for spectator-area safety and disability-access work.

“I don’t think the county has any business being in the racetrack business,” Mager said in an interview. “But now that we’ve got this albatross, we’ve got to make sure that the spectators we invite in are safe.”

However, county risk manager Steve Bartel and Parks Director Doug Chase agreed with Mielke and Richard that realigning the road course is an urgent safety and liability issue.

Currently, track operators must rely on radio communications to direct office traffic across the track during events.

“One bit of miscommunication … and we have a very serious accident,” Bartel said.

Since the county has owned the raceway, “we’ve had several close calls,” Chase said. “It’s just scary.”

Mielke jokingly alluded to criticism from Spokesman-Review columnist Doug Clark.

“It would be somebody like Doug Clark who would go out there in his Vista Cruiser and get hit and want to retire on the county,” Mielke said. “But I’m just not willing to do it.”

20 comments on this story so far. Add yours!

avboden on June 30 at 12:19 a.m.
This is GREAT news! I’m going to put this out there before all the cry babies come in here.
THIS TRACK ROCKS. Go out there some time. This is a one of a kind facility that deserves this renovation. With this re-route this will become Washington’s premiere drag racing and street course facility. It’s already a favorite in the road racing and motorcycle community for the awesome pavement quality and fun fast-paced layout.
This track WILL make money, and yes, it involves using tax payers dollars for now. But soon it will be completely self sustaining and will make money. People need to look at the big picture here.
To me that picture involves sold out NHRA drag events, motorcycle and car racing events every week, and eventually a nationally known facility. This is all a not so far off reality.
The county made the right choice by buying this facility CHEAP, and yes it was dirt cheap. Spending a few million now will be worth it. People need to be patient.
Spokane_Citizen on June 30 at 6:10 a.m.
Spending tax money we don’t have (while laying off prosecutors, jailers, and other essential public safety personnel) to make improvements on the race track is the very definition of insanity. I, and everybody I’ve talked to regarding this budgetary travesty, will not forget Mielke and Richard’s lack of judgment when it comes time to vote.
skierdc1 on June 30 at 6:16 a.m.
Lets send the bill to AVBODEN and racing fans like him. Mielke and Richard are idiots when it comes to running the county and should not be in the private enterprise of running a track. If it is such a good investment some other entrepreneur will step up to make it work. Sell it now before the infection spreads! Then make sure you vote these loonies out of office before they dig another financial hole with a new prison.
Sam_Smith on June 30 at 6:42 a.m.
Maybe someone could explain to the people who no longer have jobs at the County why this is a good idea. Or explain to a builder who needs the money to pay his employees why he has to wait to get inpsections because they closed the doors on Fridays because the County can’t afford to pay people. Or why we need a new jail because they cut the officers to take care fo the prevention program Or why those to bafoons we call Councy Commissioners are still allowed to vote by themselves. The Commission should be 5 or 7 people so they can not rule the world. Why until these two got there hands on it was it not enough of a money maker for someone to begging them to have it so they could make money one it. This is stupid.
DPA on June 30 at 7:02 a.m.
Another $588,500 that the county doesn’t have to spend on a racetrack the county doesn’t need. The reason given is spending the money will make the racetrack safer. Funny that fact doesn’t apply equally when the Prosecutor or Sheriff ask for public safety money to keep all of the citizens in the county and those that visit and spend money here safe.
I work in the prosecutor’s office and have seen firsthand the commissioner’s budget genius at work. Cases in the drug and property units of the office are stacked up and not getting prosecuted as they were last year. The reason? The commissioners forced a huge budget cut on the office (an amount less than has been spent on the racetrack just this year) that resulted in laying off 7 prosecutors and 5 staff persons . Even the commissioner’s Florida based expert who came in to review the office indicated that the office is run efficiently, but lacks the staff to do the job. How does that get ingnored? It gets ignored when the racetrack needs money (or Avista Stadium). The commissioners have put sport before safety.
We will all pay for this in many ways.
Truthbtold on June 30 at 7:10 a.m.
This is absolutely a mockery of our tax dollars. Milke and Richards DO NOT have the county’s money in neither their best interest nor its citizens.
If Mager is voted out, I pray that the county can survive. Any more good ole boys and we are sunk!!!
Please Spokane County; tell your neighbors, family and friends to retain Mager. She is the only hope we have.
Milke and Richards should be kicked to the curb!!!
liarsinnews on June 30 at 7:31 a.m.
The story talks about the track may pay dividends. That`s how the felon inmate Madoff made his money with suckers who believed the liar. I have the same thoughts about Richard and Mielke who for some reason, bought into the purchase of the racetrack in the first place. These guys should be removed from office before they recklessly spend another buck. Its a crime the way these jerks spend the taxpayers money! I wonder what happened in the secret meetings to possess these spend thrifts to buy into the track? Money????
opiemuyo on June 30 at 7:45 a.m.
There will be a price to pay come election time…
lewis8457 on June 30 at 7:53 a.m.
If it is such a moneymaker where is the money? It has been two years and we still are not making any money.
Did the contractors that were owed money from the last track manager ever get paid?
One point avboden forgot was there are a lot of out of work folks out there who is going to buy tickets to make this racetrack a world-renowned track?
Once they get to Spokane and get to run their million dollar tractor-trailers over potholed roads, will they be back?
Even northern quest is cutting out full time hours; if they cant afford it then who can?
If this is such a gold mine how is it people like avboden aren’t trying to buy it?
I couldn’t believe Meilke got re-elected but he did so who is to say it won’t happen again?
I like racing as much as the next gear head but I don’t want my taxes going to something like that while we have to lay off essential service workers.
Scoutster on June 30 at 8:11 a.m.
So, I guess Mager is the fiscal conservative while Milke and Richards are the tax and spend liberals.
Right?
What parties do they represent?
riverlaw on June 30 at 8:20 a.m.
Is anyone asking if they have a permit for the $150 million wastewater plant they had to approve right away? The answer is no and the law is not in favor of them getting one.
effrepublicans on June 30 at 9:33 a.m.
Scoutster,
Here is an answer to your question…
Both Milke and Richards are Republicans (as found on the Spokane Republicans Facebook page) while Mager is a Democrat. Makes you wonder about that whole tax and spend mantra that the Republican party likes to chant about Democrats. Looks like the Republicans have some egg on their face and it sure smells rotten.
tsbryan on June 30 at 9:41 a.m.
I grew up going to this track and watching relatives and others race the track. It definitely could be a money maker, but this is by far the worst way to spend the money we already lack. I can see both sides of the argument, however a realistic stance has to be taken on it. Would you rather watch some cars drive down a track or watch your family members, friends, and possibly yourself continue to have a job?
spokanada on June 30 at 10:07 a.m.
Sadly, a good chunk of voters in Spokane just look at the letter beside someone’s name and vote them in. I can’t think of any other reason to support Mielke or Richards.
MrNatural on June 30 at 10:23 a.m.
What is the status of the soil and groundwater contamination??? There has been no mention of the fact that this race track is on the state ecology hazardous sites list. I would also like to see the balance sheets on this boondoggle annually to see what kind of revenue the county is getting for this investment. I also wonder how many race tracks across this country are owned by county governments.
And once more by popular demand:
The Mielke memorial races,
the dragsters and funny’s were there,
with mopar, and nitro, and faces,
presenting a real class affair.
There’s mullet-head meth-monkey morons
T-shirts, cigs and beer everywhere,
and ladies with tank tops and thongy’s
The smell of burned rubber in air

The big boys all drove nitro methane,
there’s numerous door slammer stock,
An Alcohol rail had flipped on its tail,
And the cleanup took nearly a month.
Now you ask what the cost of such folly
And who paid the tab for this show
And what of the past of this greasy old track
And what lies above and below.
Tis a modern political miracle
In the eyes of the entrepreneurs
Or a boondoggle of taxpayer money
and a raid on the public coffers
Oh the Mielke memorial races
A quite popular feast for a few
The waste it embraces the contaminant traces
Is paid for by me and by you
zelda on June 30 at 6:24 p.m.
A neighbor related to me a story told to her by Richard. As a way of attesting to his integrity, he said that many developers have offered to grease his palm if he helped to green-light a project. But, being the stand-up guy that he is, Richard said he has turned them down. He can’t be bought.
When I heard this story, I thought, “Wait a minute. If he is such a righteous guy, shouldn’t he be reporting these developers to law enforcement for attempting to bribe a public official?” That’s a crime.
There’s no way to prove it one way or another, but certainly if he tries to disarm an argument by pulling someone else into his confidence with this tale again, ask him who the developers are because if he doesn’t report it to the law enforcement, you will.
Pat O'Leary on June 30 at 7:14 p.m.
One would wonder how many of these kind of bird-brained decisions are made with just the two of them present. Any time they are together I would assume that creates a de facto quorum of the commission and I wonder just how much goes on in violation of the open public meetings legislation. There seems to be lot of matters decided without the presence of Commissioner Mager and with very little public input on matters that adversly affect the taxpayers.
I think it is time to increase the size of the commission to at least five in order to bring some saner and more diverse voices to the table. What we have now is a dictatorship run by a cabal of two inept, immature, and fiscally irresponsible buffoons.
avboden on June 30 at 7:41 p.m.
What people also fail to realize is that this is one of the last pieces to the puzzle. With this done, the major renovation will be complete and the track good to go without county funds for years to come.
Could the money be better spent else where? Yes, absolutely.
However, this certainly isn’t as bad as people think it is.
jessiepn on June 30 at 7:42 p.m.
To those of you who are opposed to the vote by Mielke and Richard to spend more funds on the raceway park – Bonnie Mager is currently running for reelection and facing some stiff opposition. If you support her wise decisions with our tax dollars, please get moving and start raising funds for her!
Visit Bonnie’s Web site at http://www.votebonniemager.com/ to contribute to her reelection campaign.
Jessie Norris
eagleproducer on July 01 at 10:44 a.m.
Spokane County government is a sham of representative democracy. Having only three elected officials with no executive oversight will almost ensure monied interests have their way while the rest can suck eggs. For Richard (who arrived from the real estate development community) to claim he’s not beholden to developers is ludicrous. A cursory search of campaign finance records will reveal they were the major source of funding for his election and re-election bids. If that’s not having your hand out, what is? Oh yeah, I forgot, the Supreme Court thinks that is “free speech” now and not graft.
I want people who’ve lived here a long time or all their lives to take a good look around. The county and the city are s-holes and getting worse all the time, not better. How has your reliance on the GOP been working out?
Bonnie Mager deserves cudos for correctly demonstrating Mielke and Richard’s lack of connection to reality. Neither of them has run any type of operation, let alone a race track or county government. I’ve spoken one on one with both of them and found canned hams more interesting and intelligent.