Spokane County has set a tentative date of the week of Oct. 20 for naming a long-term operator for the 200-acre racing complex on the West Plains that it acquired two months ago.


Earlier, the county had set a Sept. 19 deadline for receiving proposals, but since then pushed the date back to Oct. 3 to allow more time for responses. A tentative timetable calls for an evaluation committee to begin reviewing proposals the following week and to interview finalists, if warranted, the week of Oct. 13, then forward its recommendation to the county commissioners.


The county bought the former Spokane Raceway Park property and three adjoining parcels, totaling 314 acres, for $4.3 million. It had solicited and received proposals from four groups interested in operating the racing facility on an interim basis encompassing the 2008 and 2009 racing seasons, with the idea of seeking a long-term operator later.


When its purchase of the property took longer than expected to close, it decided to scrap that plan, let the county parks department run the facility for now, and seek a long-term operator who would start with the 2009 season.


Bela Kovacs, county purchasing director, says the county hasnt received any proposals yet, but says its not uncommon for any project to get right down to the wire before proposals begin to roll in.


I would hope certainly that we would get as manyif not moresubmittals as we did in the last go-round, Kovacs says.


The RFQ seeks an operator willing to enter into an agreement lasting at least 10 years. It requires the operator to make at least $2 million worth of improvements to the racing complex over two years, but doesnt spell out specific revenue-sharing terms between the operator and the county, instead asking applicants to make compensation-structure proposals.


The facility, now being called Spokane County Motorsports Park, includes a quarter-mile drag strip, a 2.5-mile road course, and a half-mile oval track.


Contact Kim Crompton at (509) 344-1263 or via e-mail at kimc@spokanejournal.com.