Official: Company said ‘racino’ situation is the same

staff report

HILLSVILLE, Pa. — A Mahoning Township supervisor said Centaur officials assured him last week that the proposed Valley View Downs “racino” situation remains the same as after last month’s hearing of the Pennsylvania State Gaming Board.

At that time, officials from Centaur, the racetrack developer, expressed disappointment that they had been denied a conditional Category I slots license which would have satisfied their lenders. There was some speculation that this setback would scuttle the project.

But Supervisor Gary Pezzuolo said when supervisors met Monday that the word from Centaur is that the situation has not changed and that Centaur continues to work with its lenders.

Centaur is waiting for a decision on a permanent slots license. The license is expected by September for the racetrack, which would be near the intersection of U.S. Route 422 and Pa. Route 551. The gaming board had refused requests by Centaur to hurry the decision, stating they have to conclude extensive background investigations on owners and key track employees.

The Category I license would allow operation of 3,000 slot machines at the track, for which a harness racing license already has been approved.

In asking for the conditional license in July, Centaur officials had pointed out that credit markets have faltered since the original financing package was put together and said their lenders wanted a conditional license obtained by July 15.

They stated at the time that there was no prospect of obtaining alternative financing “on the same, or possibly any terms.”

In related business Tuesday, supervisors officially accepted $11 million in grants and loans from the state for a sewer project to serve Edinburg and also the proposed racetrack.