The possibility of a harness meet at the new Alberta Downs track near Lacombe in mid-April is looking more and more plausible with negotiations
and construction well underway.
Bob Jenkins, a consultant on the multimillion-dollar project, told albertalocalnews.com if development permit approval is granted by Lacombe County's municipal planning commission on Feb. 24, the harness racers will be the first out of the gate at the track located just east of Hwy 2 near Hwy 12.
Ideally, the first 14-day Lacombe meet would start on April 18 with cards on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The campaign would end June 7 with Grande Prairie starting June 12.
The project to create a B-circuit track to serve both harness and thoroughbred racing suffered a setback when an application for up to 150 slot machines was not approved by the province, which meant to turn the track into a year-round facility.
Albertalocalnews.com reports that new gaming licences are on hold until the end of March. A review of gambling and the province's capacity for more venues is set to begin in April.
Developer Robert Allen has withdrawn the slot machine part of the application to prevent delay of county approval. The slot machine portion of the project, however, could come forward again later.
Meanwhile, the county has agreed to renegotiate a development agreement that required the developer pay for the cost of paving an access road off Hwy 12 to the racetrack.
Construction on a two-tiered grandstand building is expected to begin this spring while work is also continuing on the horse barns. The racetrack will feature on- and off-site pari-mutuel betting during Alberta Downs race days.
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(With files from albertalocalnews.com)