Too many, like Town Manager Joe Fernandes seem too emotionally invested.......
What does future hold for Plainridge?
Posted: Wednesday, August 7, 2013
BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
The Sun Chronicle
PLAINVILLE - Hope remains that harness racing can be preserved at Plainridge Racecourse despite the track being disqualified as a bidder for slot machines that would have boosted revenue at the Route 1 facility.Track and town officials said the disqualification was a blow to the track, horsemen and the community because, as one track official put it, "harness racing is an industry that hangs in the balance."
Plainridge has steadily lost money over the years, and the added revenue 1,250 slot machines would have brought to the track was seen as the savior for the only harness track in Massachusetts.
The extra money would have led to bigger purses, which in turn would attract a higher quality of horses and more customers.
Track officials have said they would likely have to shut down if they didn't get permission to operate slot machines.
Now slot machines are out of the question, at least under the current track ownership.
The state Gaming Commission has disqualified Plainridge after uncovering evidence former President Gary Piontkowski was taking money over a number of years from the track "money room."
There was speculation Tuesday that another gaming firm could try to acquire Plainridge and revive it as a possible location for the one slot machine license the state will issue.
However, there was no clear evidence that was a possibility.
Track spokesman Bill Ryan would only say that the track and its property "could always be sold."
Town Administrator Joseph Fernandes said he has only heard speculation about an outside firm, and has not been contacted by anyone.
Three other firms applying for the slot machine license did not respond to requests for comment. They have all reached agreements with other towns to locate a slot parlor if they win the state license.
Ryan said the owners of Plainridge want racing to continue at the track, but they are unsure what the future holds.
Many in Plainville said they expect some type of retail development to replace the 15-year-old track.
Dave Simmons, a local attorney who specializes in real estate development, said a large retail outlet is a natural for the site.
Just south of Plainridge sits large developments that include Lowe's, Target and Stop & Shop stores. Just north, near the Interstate 495 cloverleaf, another shopping plaza is in the works.
Plainridge would sit near the other developments, and close to the I-495 exit ramps, but away from the congestion on Route 1 in Foxboro, he said.
"It's a prime piece of property and a large piece of property," he said of Plainridge.
Fernandes said retail space, possibly a mall, will likely come to the site.
But, he said, if it is a retail development, he hopes the Plainridge land fronting Route 1 could be the location for the stores and the racetrack could be preserved in the back of the property.
"It's a perfect location for retail," Principal Assessor Mary Jo LaFreniere said, but she added she could not predict what will actually happen to the property.
Michael Purpall, president of the Harness Horsemen's Association of New England, said the loss of the track would be devastating to harness racing.
He said about 500 people and 72 farms depend on the track for income.
The track has been struggling for years and a slot operation was its only hope for survival, he said.
Town officials said municipal government is also dependant on the track.
LaFreniere said Plainridge is the town's third or fourth largest taxpayer, depending on how you look at it.
She said its largest parcel is 88 acres and has an assessed value of more than $18 million. The track paid $279,546 in property taxes last year, she said.
Plainridge had promised to pay the town $1.5 million in property taxes and $2.7 million in fees based on a percentage of revenue [OVER 5 YEARS!], if it got the slot machine license and built a $125 million facility.
Fernandes said a large retail development could probably replace the lost property taxes, but no developer is going to pay the town 2 percent of its revenue in fees, as Plainridge had promised to do.
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/what-does-future-hold-for-plainridge/article_8e7a8aaa-7aa4-576a-9bc5-0a961977dd74.html
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