By Brian Zanzonico
Assemblyman Tom Alfano and four local civic leaders took a tour of Belmont Park as guests of New York Racing Association President Charles Hayward on Sept. 26, and their get-together concluded with a meeting with Hayward that was described as a positive exchange of ideas.
The elected officials emerged from the meeting with renewed hope that NYRA's overhaul of its board - which will be trimmed from 28 members to 19, and will include two members appointed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer, one by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, one by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and one each by representatives of thoroughbred breeders and owners - will mark the beginning of a new era in the relationship between the track and the community it calls home.
"This is a new NYRA management team," said Joyce Stowe, president of the Tudor Manor Civic Association. "They recognize that we should be included in the development of the track. They never did that before. NYRA never reached out to the Elmont community."
Stowe, who was joined by Alfano, East End Civic Club President Pat Nicolosi, longtime civic leader Chet Collins and Parkhurst Civic Association President Cheryl Lee, explained that Hayward did not make any firm commitments, nor did he discuss NYRA's plans for the track, which are contingent on the state Legislature's approval of Spitzer's recommendation that NYRA operate the state's three tracks - Belmont Park, Aqueduct Raceway and Saratoga - for the next 30 years. But Hayward listened to the community's requests, which included NYRA's taking better care of Belmont's often litter-strewn perimeter and repainting the fencing, and other ideas for the park, the biggest of which is the construction of a hotel on the premises.
Alfano's chief of staff, Scott Cushing, said that by the time the civic leaders left the grounds after the meeting, a crew was giving a fresh coat of paint to the fence that rings the century-old track.
The call for a hotel on park grounds is hardly a consensus among residents - most agree that improving the park's aesthetics should be the first priority - but Alfano said it would go a long way toward attracting tourists.
Hayward could not be reached for comment.
"Civic leaders are excited by the prospect of a significant hotel," Alfano said. "We discussed it with Mr. Hayward and he wasn't against it. There are no real hotels in the area. We have both Kennedy Airport and LaGuardia nearby, and a hotel could bring people here, and a hotel could create jobs."
Nicolosi, who once delivered bread to the race track in the early-morning hours, said the construction of a hotel, coupled with the presence of video lottery terminals, would make Belmont Park a more popular tourist destination. "Without VLTs, the track won't draw anywhere near what it should," Nicolosi said. "This tour brought to light the fact that we have one of the best tracks in the country in the heart of Elmont. The key is to bring people here."
Some residents disagree, however, arguing that a hotel and video gaming would only invite criminal activity, including prostitution.
"I'd have to study it," Alfano said. "I'll check out Yonkers and how it has run. But so far, I've haven't heard anything about there being a problem with crime at Yonkers Raceway."
Last month, Spitzer recommended that NYRA, which has managed the state's tracks since 1955, retain control of them for the next 30 years. Spitzer chose NYRA, whose current contract expires Dec. 31, over the Excelsior Racing Associates, a group led by Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, and Empire Racing. Spitzer also awarded video lottery terminals to Aqueduct, and will decide in the near future on an independent operator to manage the VLT business. Both are contingent on the approval of the state Legislature.
Nicolosi, one of the biggest critics of NYRA's relationship with the community, said he has a new-found respect for the organization. "I see now the attitude of the people working there now," he said.
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