Spokane County is calling in a heavy hitter in motor-sports consulting to help determine whether its economically feasible for the county to buy Spokane Raceway Park and operate it under public ownership.


A consulting contract isnt completed yet, but Baskervill Motorsports Design is the top pick by Spokane County commissioners out of five consulting companies that responded to the countys request for qualifications to do the study, says John Bottelli, special projects manager for the county parks and recreation department.


The company, which is the motor-sports arm of Baskervill, a Richmond, Va.-based engineering and design firm, lists NASCAR, the National Association of Sports Car Auto Racing, as one of its clients.


Spokane Raceway Park has been under Spokane County Superior Court-appointed receivership since June 2005 as part of a legal battle between the tracks former operator, Orville Moe, and investors who claimed they never received dividends from the operations. Spokane attorney Barry Davidson, the receiver assigned to the case, couldnt be reached for comment.


Bottelli says the consultant will be required to complete a study quickly, because the county expects the receiver to put the raceway property up for sale in February or March.


We only have time for a six- or eight-week turnaround, he says. He adds that the budget for the study is under $30,000.


Were asking for a lot of work for not a lot of money, Bottelli says.


The consultant will have the aid of a motor-sports task force that already has conducted hundreds of hours of pro bono work to jump-start the analysis, Bottelli says, adding that the consultant could have more work if the county decides to buy some or all of the property.


Were making it clear, though, that the county hasnt bought the property, Bottelli says. I have no idea of what offer will or wont be made.


Baskervill Motorsports Designs experience with motor-sports complexes includes planning and design work at six tracks where NASCAR was its client, says Mark Lindsey, a principal at Baskervill.


Lindsey says motor sports are growing in popularity.


NASCAR is the second-most watched sport behind professional football, he says.


While nobody is talking about bringing NASCAR to Spokane Raceway Park, Lindsey says no track is too small to be an economic engine in a community, because even amateur racers spend a lot of money.


I dont think any track is small potatoes, he says. People racing cars are not necessarily young kids. They are business owners and professionals.


Lindsey says he plans to come to Spokane shortly after Thanksgiving to view Spokane Raceway Park and meet with county officials and the motor-sports task force.


Spokane Raceway Park, at 101 N. Hayford Road, in Airway Heights, is 35 years old. It has a half-mile oval track, a quarter-mile drag strip, a 2.5-mile road course, and seating for more than 15,000 spectators. Bottelli says the complex needs some immediate cleanup and safety improvements.


County commissioners called for the economic analysis after obtaining an appraisal on the nearly 600-acre raceway park property. The property includes an operating gravel pit, which occupies 90 acres west of the racing complex on the north side of Sprague Avenue, and about 70 acres of commercially zoned land along Hayford Road, north of the Northern Quest Casino.


Spokane Raceway Park facilities occupy about 200 acres of land. The remainder of the property is zoned light industrial.


Bottelli says the receiver, whose interest is in maximizing the return to the investors, most likely by selling the property, might choose to sell the park as one parcel or break it up and sell it in pieces. He says the countys appraised value of the property remains confidential, although its far less than a $26 million figure that has been mentioned in court proceedings.


If the county were to pay that price through a bond measure, the complex would need to bring in $2 million to $3 million in annual revenue to pay off the bonds, Bottelli says.


We dont see that happening, he says.


The county is barred by court-issued confidentiality orders from disclosing revenue totals the motor-sports complex made this year, but were it not for legal expenses, the complex would have held its own financially, Bottelli says.


There were some fairly handsome revenues for event days out there, he says. There was also a huge amount for legal expenses, so it shows a huge loss.


Bottelli says the countys motor-sports task force, which is made up largely of local racing enthusiasts, believes theres potential for a reasonable net income from the complex.


Former Spokane city attorney Jim Sloane, a member of the task force, says hes encouraged by the countys efforts to look into putting Spokane Raceway Park under public ownership. Sloane, who is involved in amateur auto racing, says the task force is confident the raceway park can hold its own under public ownership if given a chance.


It can operate as a motor-sports park where the rent that would be charged would be sufficient to pay for operation and maintenance, he says.


Portland International Raceway, which is owned by the city of Portland, Ore., is a good model of a municipally owned motor-sports complex, Sloane says.


He says a 2004 economic study of that facility by ECONorthwest Inc., a Eugene-based consulting firm, says the complex generated $45 million in economic activity that year and was responsible for 690 full- and part-time jobs.


Sloane says Portland International Raceway operates under its own enterprise fund and receives no revenue from taxpayers. In 2006, the motor-sports complex generated $1.8 million in revenue and had $1.3 million in expenses, with the surplus revenue going back into track improvements.


Sloane says he believes Spokane Raceway Park has the potential to be just as big of a draw as the Portland facility.


Harry Sladich, president and CEO of the Spokane Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau, says hes excited about the possibility of promoting an updated racing complex as a new venue to draw people to the Spokane area.


Absolutely, it will generate overnight stays, and it will have an economic impact, says Sladich, who also is a member of the motor-sports task force and a motorcycle racer. A professionally run raceway could be booked like a convention center.


Contact Mike McLean at (509) 344-1266 or via e-mail at mikem@spokanejournal.com.