Maryland roofing CEO Charles Siperko angers neighbors over go-kart course built on private 11-acre property for his son
A Maryland father has enraged his neighbors for building a half-mile go-kart track for his motorsports-loving son on their 11-acre property.Charles Siperko, the CEO of KCS Roofing in Columbia Md., began constructing the practice course for his 11-year-old on his property in the Highland Community of Howard County in August, but was quickly met with disapproval and pushback from disgruntled community members.“My 10-year-old son eat, breathes, and sleeps motorsports.
His passion holds the seeds of a future professional car-racing career, but it’s not an easy journey,” Siperko said in an Aug.28 Change.org petition.The now 11-year-old thrill-seeking preteen has been on the track every weekend for over a year and a half but has had to travel down to Florida to practice, missing out on time with friends, family, birthday parties and other social events, the petition said.“He misses it all for his single-minded pursuit of becoming a professional racer,” Siperko added.Siperko claimed he invested over $100,000 into creating the practice course at home to help his son follow his dreams of racing during the warm months in Maryland.The asphalt track features a long straight-away that edges up against a private driveway shared by two properties, along with S-turns, tight corners and a complete 360-circle, photos shared by Siperko and his wife Sarah Troxel captured.Siperko and his family faced several legal obstacles and had construction halted by the county upon building the course.Issues arose when it was discovered that proper permits weren’t obtained through the county and Maryland Department of the Environment.Neighbors also raised issues with the destruction of the wetland, noise, impact on property value and traffic issues on the roads in the neighborhood with complaints the track can be seen in the public eye.The property sits on a private driveway 1,000 feet off the main road blocked by trees and brush, 23 miles north of Washington DC, satellite images show...