Hardwick selectmen delay vote on thoroughbred horse racing track

HARDWICK — Selectmen halted on whether to allow a thoroughbred horse racing track in town after a two-night, three-hour, sometimes emotional public hearing that wrapped up Tuesday evening.

Board members agreed to put off the matter for at least two weeks, after residents asked them to either vote down the project immediately or wait and gather more information before deciding.

The approval of the board is the first step in a lengthy process that, if all goes according to their plans, would allow Commonwealth Equine and Agricultural Center, with Richard Fields and Robin Kalaidjian as managing partners, to operate a race track, thoroughbred horse breeding facility and retirement/retraining program at Great Meadowbrook Farm, 228 Barre Road.

More:Is Hardwick poised to become horse-racing capital of Massachusetts?

The first races could be held as soon as September 2023.

Select Board chair speaks up

While the Monday and Tuesday night meetings appeared stacked with naysayers, some residents who support the proposal have privately approached Select Board chair Julie Quink to say they're uneasy about voicing their opinions in public in part because of heckling, Quink said.

"There are people sitting in the audience that have reached out to me personally that are afraid to stand up and speak. That is not Hardwick. What is wrong here?" Quink said. "I ask you to respect the people sitting next to you and don't catcall. Speak. Be polite. Because people, believe it or not, sitting in this audience have an opinion and they're afraid to come up and voice it."

After the meeting, one local resident said they favor the proposal and knew of many others who felt the same way but either didn't speak or didn't attend the meeting for fear of being stigmatized by opponents.

On Monday, Fields spoke of his dream to site a thoroughbred race horse breeding, racing and retirement facility on Upper Church Street. Some residents told selectmen that if Fields' dream were to come true, it would ruin the dreams they've been building.

Roger Raymond of Upper Church Street said Monday he fears traffic will be increased and drivers will be irresponsible, perhaps crashing cars near his property and injuring his family.

"We came here for our dreams, too," he said.

Though he apologized Tuesday for his harsh comments the previous night, he questioned whether the town should get involved with racing.

The money is tempting for a community that has no police station and contracts with an ambulance service two-towns and as much as a half-hour away, something Phillip Jurczyk, a lifelong resident, said will cost lives since the nearest hospital is a drive of 30 minutes.

PILOT program

Fields said he wants to support the community and promised $500,000 annually through a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program and could negotiate other benefits with Hardwick officials as a Host Community Agreement is worked out.

That money would be allocated by voters through the town meeting process and could be used for capital or other expenditures, Quink explained.

But the lack of trust for outsiders proposing a new business in town was evident, just as it was several months ago when residents clapped back at developers, including Worcester Chef Weidong "Wilson" Wang of Baba Sushi, after they proposed a marijuana farm called Zen Acres, at the site. Wang's group scaled back their project amidst the negative feedback, but residents still vowed to fight.

Then came word that Wang's group was considering selling; Fields' group, Commonwealth Equine and Agricultural Center, was interested.

But residents still aren't sure about the new proposal.

"This whole time, with this race thing, it's notoriously corrupt," Raymond said. "Do we want a notoriously corrupt industry with a man who just admitted that he sat on the board of the New York City Police Department, another notoriously corrupt entity? Is that where we want to go? Is that what we want to do? Is that where we want to get our money?"

Cara Wilczynski, who lives close to Great Meadowbrook, said everything being proposed means nothing to her because her job in sales for a technical company has shown her that competitors often offer her customers the world, but after the deal closes, they don't deliver.

She asked selectmen to delay the vote.

Among the residents, there was support for the project and Lori Hoffman said she's excited.

Kentucky Derby connection?

"This is a great thing for the town of Hardwick," she said and asked that Fields name the first foal born at the farm "Hardwick Proud" so that when it one day wins the Kentucky Derby and goes on to a Triple Crown it brings more assets to town.

Her comments were met with a round of applause when she spoke of the community's pride.

Michelle Arnhold also favors the project and noted that many residents moved to Hardwick to experience country living.

"Horses are part of that country living," she said. "Horses founded this country; it started right here in this town."

Outside the second session, activists Terry Carlo of Pittsfield and Madeleine Kando of Bedford handed out orange printed sheets encouraging residents to oppose the project and urging them to petition for a vote to overturn the Select Board's decision should they come down in favor.

But during the meeting, John A. Stefanini, chair of the Racing Oversight Board for Commonwealth Equine and Agricultural Center, said the flyers contained inaccurate information.

He reiterated that while the state hopes to see racing facilities hold 20 race days per year, there simply aren't enough horses or isn't enough purse money to do that and the state would likely grant a waiver. The group has planned for one weekend of racing in 2023 and said it could be a decade before they're ready for three or four festivals.

Commonwealth Equine and Agricultural Center application

Commonwealth Equine and Agricultural Center submitted its application to "construct and operate the first new thoroughbred racetrack in Massachusetts in decades," to the state Sept. 30.

With the state's new gaming laws, Hardwick appears to be poised to be the first community to navigate the process and following the hearing, officials said they want to wait as they research the process, find answers to some legal questions and mull their individual thoughts.

Quink and Select Board member Kelly Kemp said they see the obvious benefits to the town which has recently had serious financial hardships. While some residents asked for a cost-benefits analysis, Quink, who works in finance, said, "I understand full-well what this money means to the town ... there are so many polarized comments in the room ... we have to take pause."

She said the proponents have not put any pressure on the board and have weathered a difficult, uncomfortable process of coming into a town where they're not wanted. But, in the end, there may be a middle ground, she added.

Kemp said if done correctly, it could be great for the town and she recalled the Over the Walls Horse events that drew big crowds to the site in the early 2000s.

Quink also told residents that the board has received few mails or phone calls from residents regarding the proposal

H. Robert Ruggles said he wants to take time to figure out things including parking and traffic and would agree to take up the matter at a future meeting.

The board is also working to schedule a required public hearing with the state Gaming Commission during which residents could again express their opinions.