After five years of legal battles, a Superior Court judge ruled that Moe had failed to pay dividends, and the raceway was auctioned off to pay back investors. In 2003, investors sued raceway owner Orville Moe, who died in 2015, after he failed to pay them. It’s been a tumultuous 18 years for the raceway. “I think it’s fairly obvious that the track could not be successful under the ownership of the county.” Long and winding road “I couldn’t be happier that we’re selling this property to the Kalispel tribe,” he said.
#Race strip professional
The county doesn’t have the expertise to run a professional racetrack, French said. Spokane County Commissioner Al French said he’s never been a supporter of county raceway ownership and has wanted to sell the property since he was elected. The county did have supporters, however, who argued the raceway would fuel economic development and generate tax revenue. Opponents lambasted the 2008 purchase as a misuse of taxpayer funds and doubted the facility would be profitable enough to merit the investment.
Many have criticized the county for buying a racetrack in the first place. The sale ends the county’s controversial 13-year venture into racetrack ownership. Until Tuesday, tribal officials had not definitively stated that they intended to maintain the Airway Heights racetrack for racing. Tim Nydegger, executive director of corporate strategy for the Kalispel Tribe Economic Authority, said the tribe looks forward to “maintaining the park as it is.” “We’ve seen how strong the racing community is in Spokane. “We want to see racing succeed,” Haugen said. Kalispel tribal officials implied that the raceway won’t be repurposed.īrandon Haugen, the Kalispel tribe’s executive director of real estate, said the tribe wants to help grow motorsports. “This is going to be huge for the region.” “This is a huge day,” Spokane County Commissioner Josh Kerns said.
On Tuesday, the county commissioners waved the checkered flag and agreed to sell the Spokane County Raceway to the Kalispel Tribe of Indians for $6.1 million. Spokane County’s days in the racing business are officially coming to an end.
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