The new owners of Heartland Park Topeka have filed paperwork with the Shawnee County Appraiser’s Office to reevaluate the value of the racing facility. , Shelby LLC says the $8.9 million appraisal is too high, while The Shawnee County Appraisers Office says it won’t lower the value of Heartland Park without reason.
Heartland Park President and CEO Scott Gardner stated that the property is “not the facility it was when it was brand new.”
At the current $8.9 million valuation, Shelby would be required to pay $341,870 in taxes. Shelby bought the property for $2.55 million; at that amount they would pay approximately $100,000 in taxes.
County appraiser Steve Bauman spoke to the Shawnee County Commission about the appraisal, saying it was based on age, condition and location.
“We went out and inspected the property,” Bauman told WIBW TV-13. “Some of the pictures in the paper seem to indicate that maybe it was in worse condition than we felt it was, but we’re asking for that information as well, what kind of estimates they have to complete their pairs, exactly what they are seeing, and we’ll take all that into consideration.”
Gardner says Shelby is starting over at the facility and a lot of work will need to be put into it.