Racetrack owners to announce plans to relocate here — if

The owners of a Toledo horse racetrack will present plans Thursday to relocate its operations to Austintown as long as the state legalizes slot machines at the facility.

Penn National Gaming Inc., which owns Raceway Park in Toledo, will discuss the move with the Ohio State Racing Commission at the agency’s 10 a.m. meeting in Columbus.

Officials with the company will be at the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber’s downtown Youngstown office on Central Federal Street at 3 p.m. with various local elected officials to announce the proposed move of the harness racetrack, said state Rep. Ronald V. Gerberry of Austintown, D-59th, and state Sen. Joe Schiavoni of Canfield, D-33rd.

Penn National sent an email today to the local media saying it would “announce a major potential economic development project for the Mahoning Valley” at the press conference.

The company plans to move Raceway Park to the vacant 186-acre Centerpointe business park in Austintown, off state Route 46, just south of Interstate 80, as long as the state permits slot machines at the new track.

For the complete story, read Thursday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com