FREDERIKSTED — The “sport of Kings” has gone to the dogs under Governor Albert Bryan’s steadfast leadership, as first reported by the V.I. Daily News.
Very little action — outside of a few horses putting in light workouts — has taken place on the U.S. Virgin Islands’ two horse racing facilities since their last races were held more than five years ago.
But, behind the scenes, several events have taken place that could see work begin in earnest at both tracks — and possibly see horse racing return to the territory before the end of the year.
Commissioners at Wednesday’s U.S. Virgin Islands Horse Racing Commission meeting heard updates from the two track operators — Southland Gaming of the Virgin Islands and VIGL Operations LLC — on the status of their projects.
The biggest step so far came from Southland Gaming, which received approval last week from the St. Thomas Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Commission for the extension, assignment and transfer of the CZM permit for the Clinton E. Phipps Race Track in Estate Bovoni.
With the transfer, construction crews can begin work on the new grandstands, parking areas and gaming center at the Phipps Race Track as early as Friday, according to Southland Gaming representative David Edmonds.
“That means we’re officially commencing our initial prep work on February 17,” said Edmonds, Southland Gaming’s assets and acquisitions vice president-real estate. “We received that approval last Thursday (Feb. 9), and we do have an active permit now for the facility.”
Edmonds also said that work crews have completed preliminary repairs to the main horse barns and the track’s water cisterns, the track watering truck is on site and being used, and other track maintenance equipment is on site and being used in the initial track repair work.
As part of his presentation, Edmonds showed the commissioners photos of the new grandstand sections as they were being packaged for shipment to the territory.
“They show that we are really far along in the manufacturing process,” Edmonds said. “They’re working through full construction in February and March with the anticipation of delivering CONEX boxes in early April to the site. It’s great to see that.”
In addition, Edmonds said that Southland Gaming officials met with members of the St. Thomas-St. John Horsemen’s Association last week at the track to update them on their progress, and future plans and timelines.
As for VIGL Operations, which will operate St. Croix’s Randall E. “Doc” James Race Track near Rohlsen Airport, officials also reported progress — just not as much as with Phipps Race Track.
According to VIGL representative Jason Williams, it has also received approval last week from the St. Croix CMZ Commission on extending the permit it was issued several years ago for its planned work at James Race Track. But Williams said that changes to the site plans require VIGL to submit a new plan to the commission.
“That permit is now active again,” Williams said. “More important, what it did is now it gave us the ability to submit a new package — we are now making some changes to the old permit and the old site plan.
“Based on what I’ve been told, the new package should be submitted to CZM sometime next month, no later than April 1 — barring any unforeseen circumstances – for their review and, hopefully, approval.”
Still, the approved permit will allow construction crews to get onto the site to begin work on areas not covered by the new submission, such as cleaning and assessing the track’s drainage system and preparing the site for the “chute” that will allow full use of the now 1¼-mile track.
“We’re going to see more and more personnel at the track as time goes on,” said Williams, VIGL’s general manager of racing operations. “The work that’s being done now will take several months — right up to the time when we expect to see the new CZM permit be approved.”
Other business: A lengthy discussion was held by the commissioners over what steps would need to be taken to give approval to an outside party to promote “temporary racing” at both Phipps Race Track and James Race Track.
According to Horse Racing Commission chairman Hugo Hodge Jr., an outside group — which he did not name for the record — had submitted a letter to the HRC inquiring about promoting races at Phipps Race Track while construction work was ongoing.
The question Hodge raised before the board members was who would need to give approval — the HRC, Virgin Islands Sports, Parks and Recreation Department (DSPR); even the Virgin Islands Legislature — and in what order?
At the end of the discussion, board members tasked Hodge with getting a legal opinion from the Attorney General’s Office on the matter.
• Present at Wednesday’s meeting were Hodge, St. Thomas-St. John commissioners Shane Benjamin, Laura Palminteri and Sheldon Turnbull; and St. Croix commissioners Dodson James, Ron Phillips and Henry Schjang.
By BILL KISER/Virgin Islands Daily News
One comment
Comments are closed.