Ruffin, Stevens buy county land under, around Wichita Greyhound Park

The land under and next to Wichita Greyhound Park sold at auction Tuesday to two men wanting to protect what they already own there.

As expected, gambling magnate Phil Ruffin bought the land that includes the park buildings and racetrack, which he closed in 2007 after voters rejected a ballot measure that would have allowed slot machine gambling at the facility.

Ruffin paid $1.6 million for the 82-acre tract next to 77th Street North. He owns the buildings at the track and had been leasing the land.

“We’ve been there for 21 years, so it’s nothing new,” Ruffin said after the sale.

Closing the park in 2007 and laying off 400 people was “one of the worst days of my life,” he said.

Year after year, Ruffin has failed to convince the Kansas Legislature to approve gaming at the park.

“We just can’t seem to sway the Legislature,” he said.

He’s not sure he’s up for another battle next session.

“I’m kind of burned out on it,” he said. “We’ll see.

“Now we own it for a long, long time — well beyond my lifetime. Maybe the kids can get it. Who knows?”

Ruffin wasn’t interested in the second tract, which was nearly 35 acres west of the park and next to I-135. Johnny Stevens was, though.

He bought that tract for $150,000. Stevens owns the neighboring land and what used to be the Kansas Coliseum and its accompanying buildings. Now it’s being leased by Wichita State University for its National Institute for Aviation Research.

Stevens said he primarily wanted that land to control his southern boundary. But there’s an added benefit.

“This gives us an opportunity — a piece of vacant ground we can develop,” Stevens said.

The Sedgwick County Commission had scheduled a special meeting at Fire Station 32 in the event the sale price did not meet the minimum bid the county had set for the land. Since the combined bids of $1.75 million exceeded that “reserve price” of $1.3 million, however, the meeting was little more than a formality.

Commissioner Richard Ranzau noted that the total still fell short of the appraised value of the 118 acres, which ranged from $2.1 million to $2.9 million.

Commissioner Jim Howell said he’s kind of torn over selling the land.

“We get some revenue for today that we can use for good things,” he said.

Howell called the decaying park “a blight, and I think the community’s frustrated seeing that thing stagnate over the years.”

Commission chairman David Dennis said “we’re very pleased” about the sale because it puts the land back on the county’s tax rolls.

It’s possible that the proceeds from the sale will be earmarked for the new county administration building that’s being discussed, Dennis said.

More than a half-dozen people registered as potential bidders before the auction was held.

This story was originally published July 17, 2018 at 1:59 PM.