NYRA's New $100M Plan Includes Improvements to Saratoga Race Course, Backstretch Worker Housing

NYRA's new $100M plan includes improvements to Saratoga Race Course, backstretch worker housing

SARATOGA SPRINGS — New York Racing Association on Thursday will unveil some of the $100 million worth of capital improvements targeted for Saratoga Race Course when new gaming revenue becomes available this fall.

New backstretch worker housing is expected to be a high priority, along with a variety of other projects, including new restaurants and an upgraded press box.

A community forum on proposed track upgrades is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the City Center.

“We have compiled a list of 21 potential renovation and rehabilitation projects throughout the front side and backstretch of the track,” NYRA President and CEO Charles Hayward said in a letter to stakeholders.

Proposed projects will be open for public comment and feedback from the community to assess their importance and set a timeframe for implementation.

Aqueduct Race Track’s new casino, Resorts World New York, is scheduled to open in October, giving NYRA nearly $30 million per year for capital improvements.

The first work at Saratoga Race Course is expected to begin after the 2012 meet. Changes will hopefully be in place by 2013 — thoroughbred racing’s 150th anniversary in Saratoga Springs.

NYRA has been working with London-based Turnberry Consulting and the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation on a menu of items for the racecourse.

“We recognize that part of what makes Saratoga Race Course so special is its deep integration and embracement by the community,” Hayward said in a statement. “All of us at NYRA truly look forward to hearing from the public as we prepare to make essential and intelligent changes to bolster the fan experience and to secure the future of Saratoga.”

Visual renderings of proposed projects will remain on display at the City Center through Friday. The exhibition will be moved to Saratoga Race Course on Saturday and will be available for public viewing near the Jockey Silks Room through Labor Day, the final day of the 2011 Saratoga meet. Turnberry is working on capital plans for NYRA’s other tracks — Aqueduct and Belmont Park — as well. Saratoga is NYRA’s highest priority because the historic track is aging, and because its annual summer meet is such a high-profile destination.

Aqueduct’s new casino will have 5,000 gaming machines — 4,500 video lottery terminals and 500 electronic table games — that could generate up to $800 million per year.

The NYRA board will outline plans for Saratoga to local officials at 9 a.m. Thursday at the City Center. A press conference is scheduled for 11 a.m. the same day at the Fasig- Tipton Co.’s Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion on East Avenue.