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Journal North: Home | Sports | Opinion | Obits | Entertainment
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Pojoaque Jockeys for Racino
By Raam Wong
Journal Staff Writer
POJOAQUE — You can say this about Pojoaque Pueblo's bid to operate the state's sixth and final non-reservation racetrack-casino: the tribe doesn't have to resort to the tired cliche of "if you build it, they will come."
That's because, unlike the proposals put forth by investors in Raton and Tucumcari, the pueblo already has its track, the Downs at Santa Fe, just south of town. The mothballed facility also has a one-mile track in good condition, seating for 4,000 and even some horses currently being trained there this summer.
What it doesn't have is a license. So it was that pueblo officials came before the state Racing Commission Tuesday to try to change that.
"The Downs at Santa Fe can be up and running faster than any of the other existing applicants," pueblo Gov. George Rivera said during a commission hearing in a Cities of Gold Casino Hotel conference room packed with about 200 attendees mostly in support of the application.
A gambling compact reached last year between Gov. Bill Richardson and 10 pueblos caps the number of non-reservation racetrack casinos at six in New Mexico, where five currently exist. That means there's only one license left, at least for the next 33 years, and Pojoaque wants it.
The pueblo argues its years of experience running casinos gives it the know-how to draw big crowds to an already existing track, which would serve horsemen and tourists alike because of its central location in New Mexico and proximity to the City Different.
The pueblo purchased the Downs at Santa Fe in 1996 and closed it the next year.
Plans call for a $25 million face-lift that includes remodeling the grandstand to accommodate 600 slot machines and minor renovations to the barns. Horses could be running by May 2010, with race days on Wednesdays, Fridays and weekends during the summers, with at least nine races per day. Officials say the Downs would provide about 225 new jobs, providing about $9.1 million in annual salaries.
The Racing Commission is holding hearings in each of the three communities jockeying for the license.
In Raton earlier this month, seemingly the entire town turned out to support the effort to build a $50 million racino, with the mayor hosting a street party before the hearing got underway.
While Raton's pitch focused on its ability to draw out-of-state visitors, officials testifying during the more low-key hearing in Pojoaque on Tuesday said the Downs' high-visibility location along Interstate 25 and near a planned Rail Runner Express commuter train stop would attract racing fans from Albuquerque and Rio Rancho.
"I'm speaking for people from Albuquerque," Duke City resident Marsha Ford said. "We're really hoping Santa Fe reopens."
"The thing about Santa Fe Downs is it's pristine in its location and fits in with the rural community as it currently exists," La Cienega resident Rosemary Thompson said.
Two speakers were against the application.
"I am strongly opposed," La Cienega resident Beverly Garcia said. "For 11 years, we've been pleading with them to clean up one of two contamination messes that exist there."
A mountain of manure has been a huge headache for the Downs for many years, with residents complaining about health and fire risks.
But Allen Mosley, the chief executive officer for Pojoaque's business holdings, said crews finished removing the manure pile earlier this year and that no further cleanup is needed for the track to open.
The second contamination site, an old landfill, is owned by the track's former owner, Santa Fe Racing Inc., Mosley said.
Still, Garcia said she wanted assurances that if the track is reopened, manure will be hauled out on a daily basis, saying she's worried about flies, odor and other nuisances.
The commission also heard from several northern New Mexico horsemen who said Santa Fe's central location made it the ideal place to train and run horses.
"It was always the best facility in the state," said trainer Joe Ray Chavez. "We need another track up north. We're hoping its Santa Fe."
Pojoaque officials say current gaming operations give the pueblo marketing and management expertise that sets it apart from other applicants. The pueblo also said it could market the racino to its database of casino regulars.