A father in Howard County, Maryland, built a go-kart track on his private property for his son. But permits and noise are now at the center of the controversy over whether he can keep it.
“I just didn’t think it was going to be an issue,” said Chris Siperko, who lives on 11 acres in Highland.
Siperko said he spent close to $200,000 constructing a go-kart track on his private property for his son Achilles. The track was completed around mid-January, he said.
The family travels to Florida almost every weekend for Achilles to train as a racer. Siperko said he did some research and didn’t see anything about permits.
“So I called some paving companies,” Siperko told WTOP. “They came out and they said, ‘Oh, it’s your property. You don’t need a permit, as long as it’s not touching a main road. So as long as it’s not touching the driveway that touches the road or accesses the main road, you don’t need a permit.'”
Dan O’Leary, chairman of the Greater Highland Crossroads Association, told WTOP that his group is strongly supporting neighbors who object to the track. He called the opposition to the go-kart track “emotional and overwhelming.”
Siperko said when neighbors saw the construction, they contacted the county. He then received two citations, one for the paving and one for constructing it on wetlands.
“We are sympathetic that a family has gotten itself in a such financial and emotional situation. Everyone wants to help their children succeed in their aspirations,” O’Leary wrote in a statement. “A simple call to Howard County officials would have confirmed that extensive permissions are required to disturb more than 5,000 Sq. Ft. (about 1/8 acre) of ground.”
There have been two community meetings on the matter, and Siperko said he is gearing up for hearings with the county on fighting to keep the track.
A Change.org petition on the issue supporting the Siperko family in keeping the track has received more than 1,700 signatures as of Saturday afternoon.
“I’ll do everything to try to make it right for the county,” Siperko said. “If he wanted to do basketball, I’d build him up a basketball court. I mean, if he wants to swim, I could build him a pool, but he doesn’t want to do that. He wants to be a racer, so I built him a track.”
The Greater Highland Crossroads Association represents Highland and rural areas of Fulton, Dayton and Clarksville. The goal of the association is to “see new development evolve in a way which compliments, not compromises, the Highland area,” according to the association’s website.
In his statement, O’Leary wrote that the go-kart track was not approved and is greatly impacting the neighborhood.
“The principle objection — other than the environmental damage — was the noise generated by the tires on the EVs, prompting distant neighbors to call the police and the authorities,” he said.
O’Leary said that the association will “continue until the end to support our neighbors and members. In our experience, this may take around two years if it goes to the District Court.”
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
