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Penn National Begins Site Prep for Race Course
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Bulldozers, excavators and other digging and site preparation equipment were staged Thursday by Independence Excavating at the front of the former Centerpointe Business Park property where Penn National Gaming Co. plans to build its Austintown racetrack.
Bob Tenenbaum, Penn National’s Ohio spokesman, confirmed that site preparation work started this week for the Hollywood Slots at Mahoning Valley Race Course. “They’ve been doing some stuff there a piece at a time, and there will continue to be pretty much moving forward,” he said. This summer Penn National offered details on its plan, initially announced in February 2011, to develop a $125 million racetrack and video lottery terminal facility with restaurants, bars and other features at the 186-acre Austintown site.
Although the site work is under way, before formally announcing a groundbreaking date, Penn National is waiting for the Ohio Racing Commission to grant final permission to relocate its thoroughbred license from Beulah Park in Columbus to the site, Tenenbaum said. Before that happens, the commission has to establish a rule to allow for the relocation, but the commission withdrew the proposed rule for what Tenenbaum says it termed “technical reasons” and has to refile it. The racing commission is scheduled to meet Jan. 10 in Columbus.
“They can’t formally act on our application, which we have submitted, until after that rule is finalized,” he said. “We’re still hopeful that it’s going to be soon and at this point it doesn’t change the planned opening in 2014.”
Construction of the racetrack and complex will take 14-18 months, Tenenbaum said. The company should be able to be more specific about a potential opening date once construction begins and they are able to have a better handle on the timeline.
“And a lot of it depends on the weather, too,” he added.
Copyright 2012 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.