Bay State Racing is proposing a horse racing facility in Gardner: What it takes to open one

If the Gardner City Council approves horse racing at the 827 Green St. property, Bay State Racing LLC will still have several steps before construction begins.

The city council can vote after the public hearing is closed. The hearing is at City Hall tonight at 7:30 p.m.

For racing to come to the city, approvals are required by the City Council, Planning Board and Conservation Commission, and a Host Community Agreement (HCA) must be negotiated and signed. Bay State Racing must also obtain a license from the Mass. State Gaming Commission, and no building permits can be issued until all other boards and commissions have granted their approvals.

Elizabeth Kazinskas, City Council president, said the council has the opportunity to vote on allowing horse racing at the Green Street property during their regular meeting on Monday, Aug. 5. Still, council members can make a motion to postpone the vote.

Host Community Agreement

Bay State Racing submitted a Host Community Agreement to Mayor Michael Nicholson on Thursday, July 18. Negotiations on the agreement cannot start until and unless the city council votes to allow the mayor to begin negotiations.

Kazinskas said the next step is for the city council to vote to allow the mayor to go into HCA negotiations with the horse racing company. If the council votes to allow horse racing at the Green Street property, Kazinskas said they can vote on HCA at the same meeting or motion to postpone the vote.

John Stefanini, chair of the Racing Oversight Committee at Bay State Racing, said they have agreed to fund and organize a city-wide tree-planting program with the mayor, donate $20,000 yearly to local charities, and make the site is available for community events, including farmers' markets and festivals.

"We anticipate that the track will generate approximately $500,000 a year in revenue for the city," he said. "That would make us the largest taxpayer, and right now, Walmart is the biggest. They pay about $170,000."

Under the submitted HCA, Gardner first responders, the police and fire departments, and emergency medical services can be called to the horse racing site for any reason; Bay State Racing has agreed to pay for all emergency services expenses.

License, wetlands, and parking

After the mayor and Bay State Racing agree on the terms of the HCA, Stefanini said Bay State would simultaneously contact the Gardner Planning Board and Conservation Commission and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

Stefanini said the Planning Board has to review their proposed parking lot while the Conservation Commission has to make sure activities and construction done at the site will not harm the wetlands near it. No wetlands are on the site, but the east side of the Green Street property is close to Perley Brook Reservoir and flows into Crystal Lake, which is the city's water supply. Stefanini said the turf racing track will be on the west side, so there will be a sufficient buffer between the wetlands and the race track.

"The Mass DEP office said the site would benefit very much from a groundwater treatment plan, which we intend to have," he said. "The site would benefit from having a program to collect, store and dispose of on-site horse manure. We believe we will greatly improve the groundwater management and more maintenance on this site, thus improving the groundwater."

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission requires all horse racing applications to be submitted by Tuesday, Oct. 1, if the applicant wants to start racing in 2025.

Thomas Mills, Communications Division chief of the Gaming Commission, said the commission reviews applications during public meetings, which anyone from Gardner can attend. He said the meetings are recorded and posted on the commission's YouTube page, and additional public hearings could be organized if the commission wants to gather public comments.

Building permit

The horse racing company cannot request a building permit from Gardner until it has obtained its horse racing license from the state and been approved by the Conservation Commission and Planning Board.

Stefanini said that after they obtain the building permit, they hope to finish all construction and renovations by early next year.

Plans call for building a 1-mile racing track and a gazebo. Currently, there are two barns and a house on site. Stefanini said they plan to renovate the house, but they have not decided whether to renovate both barns or just one.