Long Island Citizens Opposed to Detroiters' Belmont Casino Plans will meet Thursday, Feb. 2

A group organized to stop plans by Detroiters to use the Shinnecock Indian Nation to develop a casino complex at the famed Belmont Racetrack on Long Island will hold a community meeting on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012 at 5:30PM, Floral Park Recreation Center, 124 Stewart Street, Floral Park, New York. Information about the group is available at StopTheBelmontCasino.org or on Facebook at "Stop the Belmont Casino."

Long Island Residents Organize to Battle Detroiters' Belmont Casino Plans

Floral Parkers Lead Grassroots Effort to Stop Belmont Casino

1.13.2012

by Melissa Argueta

Residents initiate petition drive, letter-writing campaign to local and state officials

Is a plan to erect a casino at Belmont Park a safe bet or a bust? Droves of concerned Floral Parkers filed into the United Methodist Church at a Stop the Belmont Casino community meeting on Wednesday night to discuss this hot-button issue and how any future plans for a casino at the racetrack can be stopped.

How would a casino surrounding the communities of Elmont and Floral Park affect residents? Edwin Groshanz, Duncan MacDonald and Robert Moran are leading the grassroots-style campaign against the casino being built at Belmont. At the meeting, they provided facts and figures about how casinos can negatively impact the surrounding areas and how residents can join together to vocalize their opposition to local, state and federal politicians.

Floral Park resident Edwin Groshanz speaks at the Stop the Belmont Casino community meeting.

This fall, Detroit developers rolled out preliminary renderings for a casino at Belmont to residents in the Elmont community on behalf of the Shinnecock Indian Nation. However, all propositions came to a screeching halt after Governor Cuomo’s recent State of the State Address, where he touted his own plans for legalizing gambling in New York State and building the nation’s largest convention center and casino at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Groshanz said the group began with a team of three Floral Park residents. They held their first meeting in December and have already developed a website and created a facebook page. “We’re making decent progress and we’ve had some very nice wins in a very short time that are good for us, but I think the focus on tonight is that we don’t want to rest. We don’t want to watch and listen to what we’re seeing in the paper and take that as truth,” he explained.

Announcing plans for a petition drive and letter-writing campaign, Groshanz explained how residents can contact state and federal legislators opposing the casino. “By doing these simple steps, we’ll wind up getting, hopefully, several thousand letters to all legislators at all levels of our government...on top of that we’ll get a groundswell of community groups in support of us and we’ll get media attention,” he added.

During the evening, Groshanz cited various studies on the subject of casinos in communities. He explained that his view of casinos is not his opinion, but derived from the statistics and studies on communities where casinos open. Specifically, he noted increased crime, traffic and pollution and decreased property values. “I think the only way we can prevent those ills, crime, resource utilization, adolescent gambling, is to make it loud and clear to our legislators that we don’t want it. It’s unacceptable and it’s not part of our life and we don’t want it coming into our community,” he said.

Groshanz maintained that despite Govenor Cuomo’s recent announcement to build a casino at Aqueduct Racetrack, there is  no guarantee Belmont won’t be considered in the future as a casino site.

“For three years, people in Mineola and people in Albany have not been looking out for our best interests. We can’t afford to rest; the time for action is now; and the time to strike is when the iron is hot and we got this iron hot a month ago and we can’t sit back and rest,” he said.

Duncan McDonald emphasized that Aqueduct could fail for many reasons such as environmental regulations. “Legislation is the key thing…the whole game is the bill in Albany. It’s not the [Shinnecock] Indian Nation. It’s what the state permits. In the worst case, it could be that gambling casinos could be anywhere they want — Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn or inside the lobby of St. Patrick’s Cathedral,” he said.

While the Stop the Belmont Casino meeting is not affiliated in any way with the Village of Floral Park, Groshanz asked concerned citizens to attend the next board of trustees meeting at Village Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 17. The group intends to ask for the village’s help in obtaining a handicapped accessible room and various other administrative needs. “We’d like the village to support the things that we’re doing,” he added.

While Mayor Tom Tweedy did not attend the meeting, he has stated the village’s position against the casino in this week’s Mayor’s Message. Trustee Jim Rhatigan was in attendance and informed residents that in the summer 2007, under the auspices of then Mayor Phil Guarnieri, the village established an Ad-Hoc Committee called the Taskforce for Belmont’s Preservation and Improvement. They created a Statement of Principles to address 10 concerns regarding the development of Belmont Racetrack. “That statement of principles is still available on the village’s website,” he said.

Rhatigan encouraged residents to attend the next village board meeting to discuss the issue further. “We welcome as much participation in local government as possible; fill the hall. We will note all your comments and take heed of your comments,” he added.

To learn more about this effort or to be added to the email list, visit stopthebelmontcasino.com; or via facebook at Stop the Belmont Casino.

Long Island Civic Group Opposes Casino at Belmont Racetrack

WECA Opposes Belmont Ractrack Casino

12.30.2011

A resolution was recently passed by the West End Civic Association, Floral Park’s oldest association founded in 1920, to protect the interests of the residents of Floral Park, particularly the West End residents, who have a very high percentage of voters in all local, state and national elections and pay close attention to local civil matters.

“It has come to the attention of the membership that there are some individual politicians and officer holders who are supporting the creation of a gambling casino controlled and run by a tribe of American Indians on the grounds of a Belmont Race Track and we understand that Belmont Race Track has faced financial difficulties and we desire to maintain Belmont Race Track as the premier racing facility in the United States.

“Such a casino project run by any American Indian Tribe would irreparably damage our neighborhood and our quality of life and the quality of life for our children and generations yet to come.”

“It was resolved that the membership assembled unanimously request that elected public officials oppose any such project which would involve a gambling casino under the control of or run by an American Indian Tribe. We urge our members, their families and friends to write their elected public officials asking them to publicly state their strong and unbending opposition to an American Indian Trible running a casino at Belmont Race Track.

“Our Association offers to convey a copy of this resolution to all elected government officials, especially our State Senator Jack Martins and request that he enlist the entire Nassau Delegation in the New York State Senate to oppose any such casino both through public statements and through their vote to defeat any such proposal that comes before the New York State Senate and to further direct our officers to report back to the membership through the newsletter, which goes to each West End home and through the local weekly papers, which officials support, oppose or remain silent on this issue so we can vote appropriately in the future selecting our elected officials.”

Mayor Proposes Alternatives for Nassau Coliseum and Detroiters' Shinnecock Gambling Hall

Mayor Thomas J. Tweedy

MAYOR'S MESSAGE
11.17.2011

Mayor’s Message Village of Floral Park: November 17, 2011

“While stands the Colosseum, Rome shall stand; when falls the Colosseum, Rome shall fall; and when Rome falls – the world.” Those famous words describing ancient Rome were written on the office wall of the executive director of Mitchel Field when the Nassau Coliseum was being constructed in 1971 (New York Times 12/5/1971 “A Colossus Rises on Hempstead Plains”). When the Nassau Coliseum opened in 1972, built for under $32 million, that Nassau County leader understood the enormous impact the new arena at Mitchel Field would have on its Long Island community.

Today, Long Island is at a tipping point and the Nassau Coliseum is the nexus of the fiscal and emotional morass many Nassau County residents feel. The rebuilding of a new and improved entertainment center at Nassau County’s 77-acre Hub site would be a sure sign to all that Long Island will continue to be a major league community in this new century. In many ways, if the Nassau Coliseum falls, Long Island as we know it shall fall, and when Long Island falls, the American Dream that created Long Island in the first place, is in danger of being lost. It is therefore imperative that Nassau County’s leaders act decisively and boldly to make sure that the Colossus which rose on the Hempstead Plains forty years ago, does not fall and becomes a place of abandonment and lost glory.

It is obvious that creative ideas and innovative thinking are in order to make the Hub a beacon drawing people from all over to visit our region. The proposal last year by the Shinnecock Indian Nation that was initially so positively embraced by Nassau County’s leaders, to have a portion of the Hub set aside for a casino, now needs to be fully explored. Given Nassau County’s taxpayers strong resistance to any additional tax burden relating to rebuilding the Nassau Coliseum, as the referendum this past summer surely demonstrated, other ways to get this accomplished must be explored.

So the following is offered for consideration to the ongoing public debate by this public servant.
Like Yankee Stadium and CitiField, the new Nassau Coliseum should be built adjacent to the old at its current 77-acre Hub site. There is also a need to have a steady stream of revenue to finance the construction of a new arena, other than new taxes from homeowners. One way to accomplish the goal of creating a new Coliseum for Nassau County and a new casino for the Shinnecock Indian Nation is to build a new Coliseum in the parking lot of the old Coliseum, and then turn the keys to the old Coliseum over to the Shinnecock Indian Nation to use as the location for its new casino. In addition to the $14 million that the New York Islanders promised to annually provide Nassau County for a new arena, the Shinnecock Indian Nation would provide a portion of their gaming receipts to reimburse the financial costs to build a new Coliseum with the understanding that the hosting community surrounding the Coliseum are first made whole for accepting the additional burden of a casino in their midst. While the new Coliseum is being built, the New York Islanders would agree to stay in the current building and the Shinnecock Indian Nation could use that time to get their casino plans in order.

Belmont Park should be updated as a world-class thoroughbred racing facility. That can be accomplished through the use of the revenue stream for capital improvements already set aside for NYRA from its Aqueduct VLT operation. As for jobs, building a new Coliseum and casino consecutively at the Hub will certainly create more jobs than just a casino at Belmont Park alone.

The State of New York, which owns and controls Belmont Park, should support the creation of additional recreational opportunities for the communities surrounding Belmont Park. Using some portion of the 28 acre parking field south of Hempstead Turnpike for use by local residents for soccer should be explored. Likewise, the parking field behind the Floral Park-Bellerose Elementary School, which presently is being used as a make-shift tractor trailer animal feed distribution/storage facility, a trash dumpster transfer yard and a new car storage lot, should be converted to create additional sporting fields for our local residents in keeping with our vision of improving Belmont Park.

The possibility of reutilizing the old Coliseum and creating a new world class entertainment arena allowing the Islanders to stay home on Long Island, while providing a reliable funding source dedicated to debt satisfaction as well as a continuing source of revenue for Nassau County taxpayers is a win-win for everyone.

This is a proposal that should be discussed by all the stakeholders and not immediately shot down by special interest lobbyists who have their own plans for the Hub plans, which do not provide a realistic chance for either the Coliseum for the New York Islanders or a new casino for the Shinnecock Indian Nation.

Mayor: Detroiters Should Build Their Shinnecock Casino at the Nassau County "Hub" not Belmont Park

Mayor Thomas J. Tweedy

MAYOR'S MESSAGE
11.04.2011

Mayor’s Message Village of Floral Park: November 4, 2011

When newsmakers release a report late on a Friday afternoon, chances are it’s usually not something that puts them in the best light. Stories released in the classic “Friday afternoon dump,” as the cynical strategy is called, are purposely intended to be a one-day story published over the weekend. Such may well be the case of the Long Island Economic Council’s release on late Friday Oct. 14 of its proposal it subtitles “Nassau Hub Transformative Project,” but which could be subtitled “Dump into Belmont Park All Pet Projects.”

Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz, who has apparently ignored the call to step aside as co-chairman of the Long Island Economic Council, must take some “credit” for the plan his group released on a recent Friday afternoon. Hofstra University’s 220 acres of not-for-profit property on Hempstead Turnpike is adjacent to the 77-acre site of the Nassau Coliseum that is owned by the taxpayers of Nassau County. The Long Island Economic Council’s report is proposing that the Nassau Coliseum site be changed to a new research and development complex. Even more disturbing is the suggestion that the Nassau Coliseum, which since 1972 has been the heart of the entire development, could be moved from “the Hub” to Belmont Park!

The suggestion that Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, built for under $32 million in 1972, should make way for Hofstra’s grand vision for its own neighboring 77-acre site is incredible! As our Statement of Principles on Belmont Park has already referenced; when Yankee Stadium was replaced, it was rebuilt across the street and when the New York Mets home was replaced, it was replaced in its own existing parking lot.

The current Nassau Coliseum, which originally contained 409,963 square feet of floor area, can be replaced at the same place it already exists by a state-of- the-art entertainment center. Representatives of the Shinnecock Indian Nation have also expressed interest in obtaining a portion of the Nassau County “Hub” site to construct a casino. What was predicted at its opening in The New York Times to become “the Disneyland of Nassau County” could finally become a reality. There are also over 6,000 parking spaces at Nassau Coliseum. So the proposal by the group, led by Hofstra’s president, that $150 million from New York’s taxpayers should be used to build a new 6,000-space parking garage at the very same site where they already exist, sounds absurd.

Belmont Park, which opened in 1905, has been called the Taj Mahal of American Racing by Sports Illustrated and was envisioned by August Belmont, Jr., William Whitney and other horse owners to be enjoyed by future generations as much as Central Park, Prospect Park or Van Cortland Park. The “vision” of Hofstra University Rabinowitz’s group, however, is to turn Belmont Park into an all-you –can-eat buffet line full of half-baked ideas.

The less than 400 words that the Long Island Economic Council dedicates to Belmont Park in its 32-page report demonstrates the lack of consideration they have given it. Their report even rather sloppily refers to Belmont Park as “Belmont Raceway.” Any thoroughbred horse fan knows a “raceway” is for trotters or NASCAR races, while the sport of kings is run on a track. The cursory references to Belmont Park also suggest that a casino be built as well as a stadium for a semi-professional soccer team. Perhaps the planning group also does not realize that the 10,000-seat stadium at Mitchel Field was built for a professional soccer team. Once again, why recreate at Belmont Park what already exists at the Hub? If a semi-professional soccer team is interested in playing in Nassau County, perhaps Hofstra’s president could offer the use of the 13,000-seat stadium at Hofstra University, since it has disbanded its highly regarded football team. The new soccer team could even use the practice facilities where the New York Jets used to play, since they are no longer at Hofstra either.

As to the suggestion for the location of a casino in Nassau County, if Nassau County planners are eager to obtain a steady revenue windfall from a casino, then the first place it should be built is on land already owned and controlled by Nassau County. Just because Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz does not want a casino at the Hub near Hofstra does not mean it cannot be done there.

Keep the Nassau Coliseum where the Nassau Coliseum is now. If Nassau County wants a casino, it should be built on its own land at the Hub and not at Belmont Park.

Detroiter Malik Says He's Been Planning Belmont Race Track Casino for 6+ Years; But He Has Yet to Meet with NYRA Officials

Developers Discuss Proposal for Belmont Racetrack

11.04.2011

By Rich Forestano 

Renderings of casino displayed for local businesses

Belmont Racetrack has played host to events as large as third-leg of the Triple Crown and as small, but still of importance, as 5K charity walk/runs. If a Detroit-based hotel/casino resort development company has its way, the corridor of Elmont and a “gateway” to the rest of Long Island, will go through a considerable change.

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left to right: Michael McKeon, Lance Boldrey,

John Waihee, Michael Malik

Developer Michael Malik presented renderings of a preliminary plan to the Elmont Chamber of Commerce last Thursday, Oct. 20. Malik’s colleagues Michael McKeon, Lance Boldrey and former Hawaii Governor John Waihee accompanied him.

Malik, a partner to the Shinnecock Indian Nation and financial backer for the tribe’s casino proposal, said the development has been attempting to find its stride for several months, but began to gain momentum when Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano announced his Economic Development and Job Creation Plan in May. Malik has been at the forefront of heading event control for the World Series, the NCAA Final Four, among others. [REALLY Mike Malik? Maybe some of the people you share office space with at Ilitch headquarters  have been involved at some level but you... He'll say anything!]

Malik revealed that he and his team have been targeting the Belmont’s development for six or seven years. Furthermore, the location is a prime spot for gaming development, according to Malik.

Malik designed the first development renderings in approximately 2005. They have since changed, dramatically.

The renderings were not permitted to be photographed, which showcased a casino building with a Victorian-style red brick facade, ground-to-ceiling paneled windows and a copper-patina roof, located on the southwest side of Belmont near the Cross Island Parkway, to give customers easier access and a new Belmont Park structure with the same design.

A grand entrance with fountains and galleries showcasing the history of Belmont is also in discussion. A circled driveway would take customers to and from the casino with malls of grass.

“Nothing has been set in stone; however, it has modernized features with a historic feel,” Malik said. “We would think to put the casino off the freeway itself, so that people can come on and off. We also added in a parking deck area on the opposite side of the street.”

The drawings also included an irrigation system on the south side of the park, beyond the main track, near the border of the Village of Floral Park, which has been prone to flooding. He stressed that these drawings “are not final.”

“The irrigation system would help to resolve that flooding problem, as well as help keep the track and surrounding green dry,” Malik explained.

Malik detailed an idea to take the flood waters that have plagued Floral Park and filter them into the infield in the middle of the track to provide a “welcomed aesthetic” to the infield, while addressing the flooding issues for the village to the north.

Other ideas portrayed in the renderings were a recreational area and private parking lot on the southern end of the park; an indoor train station next to the park; and a central area for parading horses before and after meets, and showing off winning horses. The alley that horses currently take into the park is hidden, beneath the bleachers, and the winner’s circle is closer to track level, away from spectators’ view.

Malik said the horse parades would be one of the many crucial pieces to the fan/family experience.

“We want the world to focus on Belmont,” he said. “We want people who are watching the Belmont Stakes on television to want to come.”

Malik detailed a new seating area in the center of the infield. He said the height of the building could be between 12 and 15 stories.

When Elmont Chamber President Chris Rosado asked Malik whether he thought the casino development might harm nearby businesses, Malik said that, although he couldn’t definitively say for sure, he believes a casino would boost business since the casino is expected to create at least 5,000 jobs.

Malik said he hopes to sit down with the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and discuss its proposal soon. Concerning negotiations, Malik would not divulge how long it would take.

“We want to get this done as soon as possible,” he said. “Hopefully within the next year we hope to be through our approvals. That’s kind of the guideline we’re in.

Hofstra University Says No to a Shinnecock Casino; Mayor Tells Conflicted Hofstra President Not Near Floral Park Either

Mayor Thomas J. Tweedy
Floral Park, New York

MAYOR'S MESSAGE
10.20.2011

Mayor’s Message Village of Floral Park: October 20, 2011

Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz is being called upon by the Floral Park Task Force on the Development and Preservation of Belmont Park to immediately recuse himself from the Long Island Economic Development Council and to cease any further involvement with the group, especially concerning the potential location of a casino or moving the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum from its present 77-acre site, which is adjacent to Hofstra’s 220-acre campus, to Belmont Park, which is owned by the State of New York. The Long Island Economic Development Council, which is co-chaired by Hofstra’s president, was launched this past July by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, as one of 10 regional planning groups competing for $1 billion in state funding earmarked for local projects they determine to be part of their regional strategy. The Floral Park Task Force was formed as a result of the State of New York’s taking over control of Belmont Park from NYRA in 2008, and as a hosting neighboring community, Floral Park has been very concerned about the various plans that have been discussed concerning the future of Belmont Park.

Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz has been the co-chairman of this important planning group that has been advising Governor Andrew Cuomo on Long Island’s regional priorities, including prioritizing the potential inclusion of Nassau County’s 77-acre site that is currently occupied by the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. This past summer, the taxpayers of Nassau County soundly defeated a referendum proposing that a new arena be built at its current site to replace the Coliseum, which was built in 1972. The New York Islanders have threatened to move if they are unable to play in a new arena when their current lease with Nassau County expires. There have been several proposals made concerning “the Hub,” including the Lighthouse Plan proposed by the New York Islanders’ owner Charles Wang, which was dramatically scaled back after a thorough review by the Town of Hempstead.

Representatives of the Shinnecock Indian Nation have also discussed having 40 acres of the Hub site set aside in order to build a casino. Hofstra President Rabinowitz has said, “We’re not only opposed to a casino [near] Hofstra University, but we have every intention of fighting it” according toNewsday [June 11, 2010]. Hofstra University President Rabinowitz has also told the New York Times ‘that the prospect of an adjacent casino would be “awful” and that scholars and researchers “would not be attracted to live in an area where there were busloads of New York City people coming to gamble.”’ New York Times [July 23, 2010].

While there are a host of projects in need of such funding on Long Island, under the leadership of Hofstra’s president, the planning group has apparently focused its initial attention on the 77-acre site, which is adjacent to Hofstra University’s 220-acre campus on Hempstead Turnpike. In the Long Island Regional Development Council’s submission of its 32-page report, less than 400 words are dedicated to the development and future of Belmont Park. Whatever the merits of redeveloping the 77-acre Hub site to fit nicely into the vision that not-for-profit landowner Hofstra University has for its own future, Hofstra’s president must not be the one leading the planning group making such decisions.

Floral Park has set forth its position. We support maintaining Belmont Park as a world-class thoroughbred racing facility, as it has been for over a century. Floral Park submitted its Statement of Principles to the State of New York in 2007, demanding that any discussions concerning the future of Belmont Park include its hosting communities in Western Nassau County. We respectfully, but unequivocally, call for Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz to step aside and resign in order that the process leading to any proposed changes at Belmont Park are made transparently and fairly to ensure the communities surrounding Belmont Park are given the same consideration as Hofstra University has apparently been granted in determining the future of its neighboring 77-acre Coliseum site.

Mayor Disappointed that Shinnecock Failed to Include Floral Park in Community Outreach for Belmont Park Casino Scheme

Mayor Thomas J. Tweedy
Floral Park, New York

MAYOR'S MESSAGE
10.13.2011

Mayor’s Message Village of Floral Park: October 13, 2011

The 10th and final principle relates to oversight and transparency. This principle speaks to more than just a measure of trust; this is a requirement that must be memorialized into law. The State of New York, its governor and elected state representatives, has a moral obligation to fairly and equitably represent the interests of all New Yorkers. Our 2007 Statement of Principles speaks to the fundamental issues of fairness. The analysis of this 10th principle articulates the apparently deliberate yet inequitable treatment the surrounding communities of Belmont Park are subject to when compared with other — state owned; NYRA operated — thoroughbred racing facilities.

TRANSPARENT RESPONSIVE OVERSIGHT CREATES COMMUNITY TRUST

X. The neighboring communities must be involved and considered in any significant change of operations or activities at the facilities. The facilities must be subject to formal local oversight and review to consider all proposed additions, renovations or demolitions at the sites. There should be the establishment of a corporate ethics compliance official and a local community liaison who will be available to the surrounding communities to ensure implementation of both the letter and spirit of this Statement of Principles.

One of the most disappointing aspects of the State of New York’s taking over effective control of the 435-acre Belmont Park from NYRA has been the continued lack of transparency associated with its current and future operations. As one of Floral Park’s elected representatives, it is frustrating to learn that the Shinnecock Indian Nation was holding informational meetings about their plans at Belmont Park without any representative from the Village of Floral Park being invited to participate. We have made our displeasure known, however, to representatives of Senator Jack Martins, NYRA, as well as those knowledgeable about the Shinnecock Indian Nation’s proposal. While we are optimistic that promises that representatives from the Village of Floral Park, in recognition of our status as a host community of Belmont Park, will not be “inadvertently” omitted from any future discussions concerning Belmont Park, we would be more at ease if those assurances were written into law rather than merely expressions of apparently good intentions.

Ironically, when the State of New York passed the legislation in 2008 to take over control of Saratoga, Aqueduct and Belmont Park from NYRA, and while a new local community advisory board was created for the communities surrounding Saratoga and Aqueduct, once again the communities surrounding Belmont Park were unbelievably, left out in the cold! Despite the submission of our Statement of Principles in 2007 to the State of New York, which clearly expresses Floral Park’s interest in participating in such an advisory board for Belmont Park, the governor signed the bill on Feb. 13, 2008 without establishing a similar advisory board for Belmont Park. We immediately raised the issue with Senator Craig Johnson, who represented our community at the time. Thereafter, he introduced an amendment to establish a 15-member advisory board for Belmont Park, of which four members were to be designated by the mayor of Floral Park, with the approval of Floral Park’s entire board of trustees. In addition to the four designees from Floral Park, four would be designated from the Town of Hempstead (three of whom reside within the Hempstead hamlet of Elmont); four would be designees of the Elmont Community Coalition of Civics and three would be designated by NYRA itself.

Once again the mysterious ways of Albany resulted in a failure to pass bill S.766-2009 creating a local advisory board for Belmont Park. Now that representatives of the Shinnecock Indian Nation have proposed construction of a casino and hotel facilities at Belmont Park, along with who knows what other changes the backroom discussions in Albany may be scheming to foist upon the communities surrounding Belmont Park in the future, the need of Floral Park to have a formal role as host community of Belmont Park is now greater than ever. While we would want any group overseeing the developments at Belmont Park to include a corporate ethics compliance official and a local community liaison who will be available to the surrounding communities to ensure implementation of both the letter and spirit of this Statement of Principles, at least having a formal board would be a good start. Why the neighbors of Saratoga and Aqueduct have been given a formal voice in what takes place there, while the State of New York continues to ignore the neighbors of Belmont Park begins to look more like an act of commission rather than an inadvertent act of omission. Even a barnyard dog at Belmont Park knows when it has been accidentally tripped over and when it is purposefully kicked; so do the communities surrounding Belmont Park. It’s about time the State of New York demonstrates that they will treat us like a member of the family rather than being left out in the cold in Belmont Park’s barnyard doghouse. They should know by now that our bite will surely be worse than just our bark!

Mayor: Don't approve Shinnecock Casino Scheme at Belmont Park at the Expense of the Surrounding Communities

Mayor Thomas J. Tweedy
Floral Park, New York

MAYOR'S MESSAGE
9.29.2011

Mayor’s Message Village of Floral Park: September 29. 2011

We continue to relate our 2007 Statement of Principles not to a state controlled VLT operation but rather a Shinnecock controlled Indian full gaming casino. This week, we further examine our relationship with NYRA and an equitable future relationship with Belmont Park.

Be an Economic Engine for, and Be a Part of, Your Neighboring Communities

VIII. The facilities must continue to be an economic engine generating jobs and business for the communities in which each is located. It must be ensured that local residents and businesses are protected from any adverse economic impact as a result of activities at the facilities. Local residents should be given preference when hiring at the facilities and local businesses be given preferred status, including as suppliers, vendors and service providers. Creating an overall business and service center should be considered, with the goal of generating additional revenue streams to benefit the surrounding communities.

Be a Part of, Instead of Apart From, Your Neighboring Communities

IX. The facilities should become an integral presence within the communities in which each is located. This includes the support of and the participation in active civic and volunteer life as a pillar of the neighboring communities in which the facility exists. This includes the support and participation in annual community events and the inclusion of the local communities in events taking place at each facility, including but not limited to, world renowned thoroughbred horse racing events taking place at the facilities and recreational areas to groups and organizations in the surrounding communities.

Floral Park has steadily forged a stronger bond with its Belmont Park neighbors over the past several years. For example, NYRA President Charles Hayward graciously accepted Floral Park’s invitation to participate in our public hearing discussing Belmont Park during which he took that opportunity to publicly announce support of our Statement of Principles. Floral Park understands that Belmont Park is a vital component of our local economy, with the potential to bring even more jobs and revenues now that the State of New York has taken control over the 435-acre property from NYRA. In many ways, Governor Andrew Cuomo has an even greater moral responsibility to protect the interests of his constituents surrounding Belmont Park than any of his predecessors, who could pass the buck to NYRA when it previously controlled Belmont Park. One thing that is now clear, however, is that whatever goes on at Belmont Park is the responsibility of our elected representatives in Albany and no longer merely a group of thoroughbred horse owners.

Should legalized gambling facilities be expanded at Belmont Park, it is important that the local community gets our fair share of the economic benefits that may be generated. This includes not just during the initial construction phase, but also in the revenue stream of thousands of permanent jobs that may be created for years to come should the Shinnecock Indian Nation be allowed to develop a full scale casino and hotel facility at Belmont Park; Floral Park’s long-standing relationship with NYRA should be expanded to include the Shinnecock Indian Nation’s presence at Belmont Park too. Just as NYRA has made strides to become more involved in the civic, business and social fabric of Floral Park, the Shinnecock Nation or any other new tenant at Belmont Park must be required to embrace their new neighbors rather than take advantage of us or, worse, just ignore us.

The State of New York has a once in a generation opportunity to make Belmont Park the cornerstone of a renaissance and rejuvenation of western Nassau County that could propel our community into the rest of the century with a solid and stable economic base. All of our elected representatives, especially those in Albany, need to seriously consider any proposed changes at Belmont Park and to conduct a comprehensive due diligence review, in order to ensure that promises of quick and short term revenue infusions from Belmont Park are not done at the expense of the surrounding communities. Floral Park has demonstrated that it takes its relationship with its next-door neighbor at Belmont Park seriously and it expects the same commitment from anyone else who else wants to become new neighbors with us. It is important that any new neighbors at Belmont Park make a sincere commitment to take care of Floral Park, rather than leaving Floral Park with no other choice but it protect its interests any way it can in order to keep Floral Park a great place to live and raise a family. Floral Park has always been a good neighbor of Belmont Park and we deserve the same in return!

Shinnecocks or not: New York, NYRA Would be Wise to Include Neighbors in Planning for Future of Belmont Park

Mayor Thomas J. Tweedy
Floral Park, New York

MAYOR'S MESSAGE
9.15.2011

Mayor’s Message Village of Floral Park: September 15, 2011

We continue to again discuss our 2007 Belmont Task Force Statement of Principles. These principles are based on fairness and equity.  Recent press releases regarding NYRA’s Saratoga Race Course and that NYRA property’s development makes our seventh principle, being a good neighbor to your neighbors more timely than ever before. 

Be a Good Neighbor to Your Neighbors

VII. The neighboring communities that have existed in peaceful co-existence with these facilities for decades should have their right to the quiet enjoyment of their neighborhoods respected and continued to be maintained.  Those areas that are natural park-like settings must continue to be maintained.  There must be a comprehensive facilities management plan addressing both modernization and preservation plans and must include design guidelines, based upon generally acceptable community standards, to be used in the development of individual capital and maintenance projects.  Any proposed material change in the nature or time of operations at the facilities must be fully disclosed and reviewed with the neighboring communities prior to such a change.

Belmont Park and its surrounding communities have peacefully coexisted as neighbors for many years. Floral Park residents from Poppy Place to Plainfield Avenue, and all the streets in between, share the longest uninterrupted residential border with Belmont Park. Many Floral Park residents‘ homes are just a short distance from the active areas of Belmont Park. Such as the various tracks and service roads used throughout the year, as well as the parking fields, which recently have been allowed to become a makeshift tractor trailer feed station and a dumpster storage repository next to our school children’s play yard behind the Floral Park-Bellerose School.  While most of Elmont’s border with Belmont Park is buffered by up to six lanes plus sidewalks and turning lanes on Hempstead Turnpike or are next to an occasionally used parking area, many Floral Park residents can literally hear the galloping of horses and the vocal calls of the jockeys every morning on the practice tracks or on the main track during race days.  Therefore maintaining a sufficient buffer zone near neighboring homes and schools is something the State of New York cannot delegate to someone else, be it the current tenant NYRA, or even the proposed Shinnecock casino operations.  Whether it is an attractive natural buffer or a series of football, baseball or even soccer fields, a sufficient buffer zone needs to be incorporated in any planned changes at Belmont Park.

Ironically, just this month in Saratoga, NYRA announced a menu of 21 potential capital improvement projects for its Saratoga Race Course “designed to secure the historic nature of the race track while enhancing the facilities and overall fan experience” according to NYRA’s Sept. 1 press release. {See: http://www.nyra.com/saratoga/stories/Sep012011b.shtml#}. NYRA notes that the various Saratoga projects “will be open for public comment and feedback from the community in order to assess priority and implementation” over the next 5 to 10 years. NYRA President and CEO Charles Haywood has stated that “NYRA is deeply committed to preserving the historic fabric of Saratoga Race Course while implementing a capital improvement strategy that will allow Saratoga to grow and flourish for years to come.” The funding for the capital improvement projects will come from NYRA’s 4 percent share of revenues from the 4500 VLT machines and 500 electronic gaming tables being installed at Aqueduct Racetrack, which is estimated will provide NYRA about $27.6 million annually, which is more than Floral Park’s entire annual budget this year!  Imagine if gambling at Belmont Park could provide Floral Park’s taxpayers with a comparable amount of what NYRA and its thoroughbred horse owners are already in line to get from VLT machines at Aqueduct!

Why Belmont Park, which is home to NYRA’s jewel of the Triple Crown, is getting distant third place treatment after Saratoga or even Aqueduct is outrageous!  While NYRA is willing to solicit community feedback on its ambitious plans at Saratoga while NYRA and the State of New York all but ignore its Belmont Park neighbors is unbelievable! Floral Park has put its cards on the table with its Statements of Principles since 2007, it seems that NYRA and the State of New York pay more attention to those in Saratoga or even the Shinnecock reservation in Southampton than they do about Belmont Park’s neighbors right here in western Nassau County. NYRA’s announcement seeking public comment and feedback to determine the next steps in Saratoga should be a blueprint to do the same at Belmont Park, with or without the involvement of the Shinnecock Indian Nation!  The first thing that must change at Belmont Park, however, is the need for those in Albany to warmly bring Belmont Park’s neighbors with them into the winner’s circle instead of leaving them out in the cold back in the starting gate.

Blogger's NOTE: The Shinnecock Indians propose to build and operate a hotel, casino and new train station at Belmont Park & Race Track on Long Island and various other locations on Long Island (NY). Gateway Casino Resorts, an entity organized by Detroiters Michael J. Malik, Sr., and Mrs. Marian Ilitch, has been out front bankrolling the Tribe's various failed casino development proposals for nearly decade and are behind this latest scheme.

Mayor Cites Study, Warns Shinnecock Casino at Belmont Park Will Bring Significant Increases in Local Crime

Mayor Thomas J. Tweedy
Floral Park, New York

MAYOR'S MESSAGE
8.25.2011

Mayor’s Message Village of Floral Park: August 25, 2011

Public safety is one area where Floral Park has exerted its rights as a community. The quality of life we enjoy is a function of the sense of security we feel. This week’s principle from our 2007 Statement of Principles addresses safety and security. Safety and security may be the area of greatest concern, an area where the most negative impacts may be realized by the development of an Indian casino at Belmont Park.

Safety and Security Is a Necessity Not a Luxury

VI. The safety and security for the facilities and their neighboring communities must be maintained and increased. Safety includes the safe inflow of traffic to and from the facilities whether the sites are hosting an event or conducting ongoing operations. Security should include use of state-of-the-art technology, including requiring proper identification of all persons permitted in the non-public areas at the facilities. In addition, as these facilities have already been designated as staging areas should an emergency or natural disaster take place, there must be state-of-art readiness and facilities in place.

Floral Park is proud to be one of the few full service villages in Nassau County that maintains its own full-time police force. This commitment to public safety is a cornerstone of our community remaining a great place to live and raise a family. The potential introduction of a 24/7/365 full scale casino at Belmont Park will no doubt have a significant impact on our public safety resources. I have asked our Police Commissioner Stephen McAllister and his staff to consider the impact the Shinnecock casino at Belmont Park could have on Floral Park. The preliminary analysis is quite disturbing. In particular, according to a study authored by Grinols and Mustard, while the crime rates near casinos may initially remain comparable to historical crime patterns, after about three or four years, after the initial novelty of the excitement created by any new casino facility subsides, there appears to be a steady increase in crime, and the types of crime committed are quite different than what was taking place before the presence of a casino. The data suggests that casinos create crime and not merely move crime from one area to another. Now bear in mind that the areas where many casinos have been built were either in dire shape or desolate even before the casinos were introduced, so what a casino at Belmont Park could bring to our community in the way of criminal activity may not be predicted based upon the experiences of places like Atlantic City, Detroit or even rural Connecticut. One thing is for sure, however, introducing tens of thousands of additional visitors to any area will result in increased traffic, accidents and crime.

We also have the benefit of reviewing the comprehensive report prepared by the community leaders of Palmer, Massachusetts, a community of 12,500 that has been considering the introduction of an Indian casino into their community. They studied various issues, including public safety, and concluded that their police department needed to be dramatically expanded and additional public safety facilities needed to be built in order to accommodate an Indian casino in their area. While the Shinnecocks would surely have security to protect their own property and visitors while at Belmont Park itself; will or can the Shinnecocks also protect their neighbors and their homes once their visitors leave the secure confines of Belmont Park? Given that the Shinnecocks casino will be open and may be serving alcohol all hours day and night, will our roads see an influx of after hour patrons from all over the metropolitan area? Will those same all night revelers also be leaving Belmont Park about the same time our school children will be going to school in the morning? Having a DUI check point near Floral Park Memorial High School is not something our local police department should have to consider, but if so, our local taxpayers should not have to foot the bill to protect the community from unlawful activity emanating from Belmont Park! Will Floral Parkers be left with no choice but to depend on the benevolent protection of the Shinnecocks, the State of New York or Nassau County rather than the current peace of mind we enjoy with our own police department? Is that fair?

The studies suggest that casinos have a significant impact on the local community and bring “more work for police, courts and more filled jail cells.”(Miller and Schwartz 1998). As one community leader in Palmer has suggested “there needs to be some mechanism to ensure the host community does not end up as becoming a net loser in the process” and to “have a host agreement in place that will cover ALL the expense…so that no burden is placed on the citizens to cover any expenses associated with a casino.” (See Palmer Citizen’s Casino Impact Study Committee Report dated April 13, 2009).

We assume the Shinnecocks will install state-of-the-art security at Belmont Park. Floral Park must be assured that we will maintain and perhaps even enhance the safety and security of our community in a similar manner as a result of a casino at Belmont Park. We don’t want to find, like the citizens in New Orleans after Katrina did, that what was thought to be the community’s dream facility, their Superdome, turns out to be a nightmare of shallow promises and unfulfilled expectations.


Blogger's NOTE: The Shinnecock Indians propose to build and operate a hotel, casino and new train station at Belmont Park & Race Track on Long Island. Gateway Casino Resorts, an entity organized by Detroiters Michael J. Malik, Sr., and Mrs. Marian Ilitch, has been out front bankrolling the Tribe's various failed casino development proposals for nearly decade and are behind this latest scheme. 

Mayor has Host of Concerns About Shinnecock Control of Belmont Park

Mayor Thomas J. Tweedy
Floral Park, New York

MAYOR'S MESSAGE
8.18.2011

The potential of the Shinnecocks taking control over some, if not all, of the 435-acre Belmont Park property raises a host of concerns; especially the impact a federally recognized sovereign Indian Nation could have on the surrounding community. While the State of New York has had a great deal of control over what takes place at Aqueduct and Saratoga, NYRA’s two other thoroughbred racing facilities, if it cedes control of any part of Belmont Park to the Shinnecocks, what takes place there could be beyond the control of the State of New York, and even, the federal government in some important respects.

The Town of Hempstead has had an important say over what takes place at the 77-acre Nassau Hub and Coliseum, as evidenced by Hempstead’s dramatic downsizing of the proposed “Lighthouse Project” advocated by the owner of the New York Islanders. Whether the Town of Hempstead or even Nassau County could assert jurisdiction over property under control of the Shinnecocks is a serious concern. Whether the Shinnecocks, operating a hotel with hundreds of rooms supporting a full scale casino rivaling Foxwoods Casino, will have to play by the same set of rules that the New York Islanders have been since 1972, seems to be an issue of fairness for everyone impacted by whatever takes place at Belmont Park.

We all know the Shinnecocks have strongly resisted the State of New York’s attempts to collect their fair share of our tobacco taxes. Wouldn’t it be ironic if the State of New York now allows the Shinnecocks to open yet another outlet to sell tobacco products at Belmont Park! Will tobacco smoking, which is prohibited inside all our public buildings, now be allowed at the Shinnecocks gaming facilities at Belmont Park? What if one of their workers at Belmont Park gets lung cancer from being exposed to tobacco smoke in the Shinnecocks’ facilities, will such a worker be allowed to sue or seek worker’s compensation? The tobacco related issues alone illustrate the game changing nature of interjecting a sovereign Indian Nation like the Shinnecocks into the equation at Belmont Park.

We have discussed the potential strains on our local infrastructure and one way to relieve our concerns would be for payments to be made on behalf of the operations at Belmont Park that would represent their fair share of those services. We must not be subject to the changing winds in Albany to be sure that we receive our fair share of what takes place at Belmont Park. Our local school districts and our local taxpayers have already been shortchanged by Albany, and there is certainly no current iron clad agreements in place which assures us that Belmont Park begins contributing its fair share to our local communities as was done in the past. Why Belmont Park’s horse owners and gambling interests should get paid first, while our school children and local taxpayers get taken care of last, is simply unfair. It must be the other way around, before anyone else tries to get their piece of the action at Belmont Park.

Shinnecock Roll Out Plans for Casino Development at Belmont Racetrack

Developers Roll Out Preliminary Plan for 
Casino At Belmont Racetrack
7.29.2011

by Melissa Argueta

Senator Martins, Local Leaders Weigh in on Impact of Project to Nassau County Communities

Representatives from the Shinnecock Indian Nation recently gave Nassau County residents a sneak peek into a conceptual development plan for a casino at Belmont Racetrack during an Elmont Coalition for Sustainable Development meeting held at the Elmont Library.

The tentative proposal calls to build a 500- to 600-unit hotel, a gaming facility and entertainment complex, which includes restaurants, a renovated Long Island Rail Road Station and a soccer field.

In a roundtable discussion at Anton Newspapers earlier this month, Senator Jack Martins advocated his support for the potential project as part of the Elmont revitalization initiative, and offered insight into how such a project could affect constituents living in the 7th Senatorial District.

Martins confirmed that the Shinnecock’s development proposal is not a done deal and still has to be approved on the state and federal levels. “Just because they announce that they are looking at Belmont, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. It may never happen, just because of all of the different hurdles that they have to overcome, but the fact that the Shinnecocks are willing to take on that possibility, let them go ahead and do it,” Martins said.

Last month, Martins met with officials at the Empire State Development Corporation to discuss the state’s commitment to move forward with the Belmont casino. Regardless of whether the proposed plan is approved, Martins said the Elmont community will still proceed with its own revitalization efforts.

“The reality is, the odds are against there being a casino there. But they [the Shinnecock Nation] know that, and they are willing to try, so let them try. In the meantime, my job as I see it is to work with the community, look at the state’s resources and see what’s available to move the process forward for their own visioning,” Martins said.

Sandra Smith, chairwoman of the Elmont Coalition for Sustainable Development, has had direct meetings with Shinnecock Nation and said the Elmont community has embraced the idea of a casino in the area. The Coalition reached out before the Shinnecock got federal recognition in an attempt to foster a smooth dialogue in the future, which Smith says is working quite well.

“From my standpoint, the community as a whole is accepting the idea,” she said.

Furthermore, Smith has had unending conversations with Martins about the proposed casino and that both have been working to remedy the idea of it coming to fruition. Smith, through the coalition, has held “revitalization meetings” concerning Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont and the Belmont property has been on the table for the last “four or five years.”

“We spoke about this idea a lot,” Smith said. “He’s for it and so am I. He’s been very supportive in helping shine the light on this to move the process forward. The coalition reached out to the Shinnecock Nation before they received federal recognition to show that Elmont was interested in having something at Belmont.”

Smith met with the New York Racing Association (NYRA) in recent weeks and addressed having a proposed casino on the south lot at the racetrack. She said at the meeting, she notified NYRA that the coalition has been discussing the plan with Shinnecock Nation.

In an effort to get additional feedback on the project, Smith said the Shinnecocks will be hosting a series of meet-and-greets with local residents. Earlier this month, approximately 60 people attended the first information session and asked Shinnecock developers questions about the plan.

“It was quite positive,” Smith said. “It was an opportunity to have a community to community meeting. Their representatives wanted to meet the people of Elmont and have an informal conversation.”

The construction project could generate anywhere from 5,500 to 12,000 jobs from white-collar to blue-collar positions, according to Smith.

“Belmont is part of the Triple Crown; it’s a world known brand,” Martins said. “Our effort is to try and incorporate Belmont into the local community to provide economic opportunities.”

According to Martins, New York State owns the Belmont property, which is located in Elmont. However, the backstretch portion of the land is situated in the Village of Floral Park. Mayor Tom Tweedy and other village residents have publicly raised concerns about the additional traffic that may be produced in the village and surrounding towns.

In his Mayor’s Message printed in the July 22 Floral Park Dispatch, Tweedy estimated that a proposed casino at Belmont could draw as many as 51,000 visitors per day, including gaming visitors, racing fans and Belmont employees.

“One need not be Nostradamus to know the impact this will have on our village, especially our police. This year’s Belmont Stakes alone had an attendance of 55,779. That day, the Floral Park Police Department worked a double-staffed shift with additional overlapping shifts to cover traffic and other public safety issues due to the large number of visitors and the nature of the day,” Tweedy wrote.

Martins maintained that the surrounding towns will not be impacted negatively by development. “If a casino becomes a viable possibility, it will be located in a way that it does not interfere with Floral Park or areas that don’t want to see that kind of activity,” he said.

Smith stressed that the representatives from the Shinnecock Nation will hold future meetings with Floral Park officials to discuss their concerns as well. She also emphasized that the plan proposes aiding Floral Park’s water and flooding problems by building a drainage area to pull out water from the backstretch area and using it instead for decorative purposes.

Rich Forestano contributed to this story.