A Plainridge Racecourse official met with the Massachusetts State Racing Commission this week to determine whether or not more than $2 million in architecture and engineering expenses related to renovations at the track were reimbursable under the commission’s capital improvement fund
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The track is potentially eligible for financing under the Running Horse Capital Improvements Trust Fund, an account set aside by the commission to be used for adding or restoring permanent structures that enhance the property’s value or increases its useful life.
Plainridge General Manager Steve O’Toole said three projects have been completed so far under the track’s master plan for expanded gaming. They include renovation of 12,000 square feet of administrative offices, an updated wagering room and simulcast theatre and a 1,500 space parking garage. The total cost for racetrack improvements will be more than $34 million, with an estimated five per cent of that cost going to design, architecture and engineering.
“This facility is state of the art, clean and new,” he said. “We just want to find out what we are eligible for as we keep going with our plans.”
The commission doesn’t usually pay out until a project is completed, and it has neither approved nor rejected the track’s request.
(Harness Tracks of America)