Reports indicate that the City of Columbus has ordered the closure of the grandstand at Scioto Downs.
In Friday’s (Aug. 27) Columbus Dispatch, Jim Weiker reported that “the city of Columbus plans to prohibit the use of the Scioto Downs grandstand after a new engineer’s report found the grandstand’s roof to be dangerously deteriorated.”
The decision was based upon a new report made by Burgess & Niple, a nationally recognized engineering and architecture firm with corporate headquarters located in Columbus, Ohio, after an Aug. 3 and Aug. 4 inspection of the grandstand.
According to the story, Katie Miller, a spokesperson for Scioto's parent company Caesars Entertainment, said the company is “fully committed” to the racetrack and expects to have a plan in place shortly to address the grandstand roof.
“We’ll take all the necessary steps to fix this,” she said. “There will be more announcements to come...We’re very optimistic for the future there.”
Also on Friday, Scioto Downs announced an across the board purse increase for the remainder of the season while also adding race dates on Sept. 6 and 14.
“We’ve looked at the purse account with the OHHA and together we have agreed that purses can be raised,” said Jason Roth, director of racing. “Our $6,000 claimers will see an increase of $1,000 for their purses while the Opens will now go for upwards of $25,000.”
(USTA)