WISCASSET — Kingfield couple Richard and Vanessa Jordan closed on a 35-acre West Alna Road property Wednesday that included the shuttered Wiscasset Raceway.

“It all went smoothly,” said Richard Jordan, who owns Jordan Lumber Co., in Kingfield. “It’s a big day for us. We signed all the papers and we’re leaving happy. It seems like it’s been going on for months.”

The Jordans purchased the race track for $130,000 at auction on July 12. They closed on the property through Bank of Maine in Boothbay.

Previous owner Doug White had bought the property for $500,000 in 2007 but financial woes forced him to close after the 2010 season.

While the Jordans purchased the property for well below the assessed value, they face cleanup costs through the Department of Environmental Protection estimated at more than $200,000. There also back taxes totaling about $41,000 that need to be resolved as well.

“The town is working with us,” Vanessa Jordan said. “We’re in constant communication.”

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Vanessa Jordan added they will change the track to its original name, Wiscasset Speedway, which opened in 1967.

“We’re going back to its history,” she said.

A community cleanup day is in the works for September. The Jordans also plan to hold a race in October. They reiterated Wednesday that they plan to keep the track as a racing facility.

“Absolutely,” Vanessa Jordan said. “It will give us the winter to get going for the 2013 season.”

Bill Stewart — 621-5640

bstewart@centralmaine.com


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