HARNESS RACING Group hones plans for track near New Castle

The hearing could go on for several days.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- With the second round of state hearings looming, Bedford Downs President Carmen Shick says he is working hard on plans for his proposed one-mile harness racetrack.
"Every waking minute we have been working on refining our plans," Shick said last week.
Shick and his team of experts are set to appear at 10 a.m. Oct. 25 before the Pennsylvania Harness Racing Commission for an evidentiary hearing at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.
Bedford Downs will make a presentation about its plan before hearing officer Ed Finklestein, a Harrisburg attorney hired by the commission, said Anton Leppler, executive director of the Pennsylvania Harness Racing Commission.
Competitors will then have a chance to cross-examine Shick, he added. The hearing could last for several days.
Proposal
Shick has proposed a multimillion-dollar project on 550 acres west of New Castle that would include a harness racing track and casino, as well as a full-service hotel, convention center, retail shopping district, indoor water park and condominiums.
Bedford Downs is vying for the state's last harness racing license. The license is expected to be awarded early next year.
Bedford Downs' main competitor is Valley View Downs, which has proposed another multimillion-dollar track and casino along Pa. Route 51 in Chippewa Township, Beaver County.
Officials from Indiana-based Centaur Inc. have said their plans also call for restaurants, shops and a hotel. Valley View Downs hearing is set for Nov. 9.
The last hearing will be on Nov. 17 for Vorum Racing in Washington County. Vorum isn't considered a serious contender by most, however, because its location does not make it eligible for the lucrative slots license that will be given out sometime later by the newly formed Pennsylvania Gaming Commission.
Shick said he expects to go into the intricate details of his proposal at the hearing later this month.
"We will go into depth on the much more boring issues. [The presentation will include] what exactly is in the facility, room-by-room, inch-by-inch type of thing. We will connect all of the dots. It will be top to bottom down to the smallest details," he said.
Elaborate meeting
Shick said it won't be nearly as elaborate as his Sept. 8 public comment meeting presentation that attracted nearly 600 people to a tent set up on the racetrack site. That event included a multimedia presentation that Harness Commission Chairman Roy Wilt called one of the most professional presentations he's seen in his 30 years in public life.
Shick expects most of the evidentiary hearing presentation will be conveyed through a PowerPoint presentation. "Hopefully we will raise the bar again."
He added his team has been working on plans that will make Bedford Downs the most advanced and user-friendly harness racing track in the country. He would not reveal the details, but said they are trying to raise the comfort level for patrons.
"We are going to try to make the most enjoyable harness venue possible. It's got to be fun," he said.