Will Closing OTB's be good for Elmont?

The New York City Off Track Betting Corporation will cease operations June 16 unless state officials provide regulatory relief before then, according to a January 16 report to the OTB’s board of directors.

Officials with some OTB’s, including NYCOTB, say the talks in Albany over the Thoroughbred franchise should also include resolution of long-standing competition problems between the tracks and off-track betting corporations.

Trimming OTB could result in greater benefits to the area tracks with increase attendance and betting. With $1Billion last year betted at NYCOTB, that money could potentially be spent at Aqueduct and Belmont. With a greater system of cost management through consolidation and a better system of profit sharing, the move might result in a benefit to NYRA, the surrounding communities and greater revenue to the State.

Leonard O. Allen, president of District Council 37’s Local 2021, which represents most of the employees who would be laid off, said he believed OTB appeared to have little choice but to close if the state does not make changes.

Revitalization of Elmont's Down Town

Working with the Town of Hempstead, the Locustwood / Gotham Civic Association helped petition a Restore New York Grant to revitalize our down town area. $100 million were awarded to various projects across the state through competitive grants. Despite this large figure, three quarters went to needed funding of upstate projects, that left the Long Island area with a total of $7 million.

Fortunately, for the residents of Elmont, the Restore New York with the works of the civic and the Town of Hempstead helped secure $2.5 million for the Argo Theatre / Down Town Project. We hope to continue working hard with the Town to secure a brighter future and securing the essence of our suburban residential community.

VLTs Do Not Bring Sustainable Development

Elmont Coalition for Sustainable Development

Goals

• Facilitate Community Revitalization by working with professional visioning, community development and architectural/engineering agencies/corporations to develop a safe, fun, and environmentally healthy place to live, work, and shop for all of our citizens.

• Identify and re-develop dilapidated structures within the community.

• Identify and develop green spaces

Belmont Park is perhaps the largest area of green space in Western Nassau. This beautiful land should be developed, properly for the health of the environment, and in a safe and fun way for the citizens. VLTs will do the exact opposite.

• Improve Hempstead Turnpike by working with the DOT to improve the Turnpike, which is on the State Department of Transportation’s Calendar for major renovation in 2008?. This includes but is not limited to repaving, traffic lights, bulb-outs, medians, turning lanes and sidewalks.

• Work with Town Council Representatives to introduce legislation that informs the DOT that our community has a Elmont Coalition for Community Revitalization and that we are developing a land use plan.

• Develop a Land Use Plan.

• Pursue the idea of burying or moving to the outer perimeters electric, cable and phone wires.

Traffic, crime, congestion, accidents and littering will all become more severe issues on Hempstead Turnpike with VLTs. Hempstead Turnpike is a State controlled road. Various studies were performed already, and our state representative said that the turnpike was safe. We are all aware of the safety issues of Hempstead Turnpike, but what we need is reform at Albany to ensure that the necessary revitalization and modifications to the turnpike takes place. VLTs will hinder this task even more.

• Foster Economic Development and the future potential of the Elmont district as a business friendly community.

• Create a Business Improvement District (BID)

• Create a business incubator environment including the possibility of a specially designed WiFi network.

• Work collaboratively with the Town and County to market the advantages of the Empire Zone designation to attract businesses to Elmont.

Adding VLTs will prevent the formation of a BID, because individuals going to the VLTs, will congregate in a central area inside. As seen with Yonkers and else where, the effects on the local business is nil and often case, makes matter much worse. The area is an Empire Zone for years, and a WiFi network would be a plausible and forward thinking idea. What we need is stores that attract people, including the residents to shop and browse. An entity like VLTs will increase this separation, and prevent business growth.

• Create “downtown” areas along major corridors in Elmont. The location of these areas specific to Hempstead Turnpike will be determined by the results of the visioning process.

A downtown area, as planed by the former Argo Theater area is a wonderful idea. We must work to retain our suburban lifestyles, while accepting needed modern necessities.

• Build a Process for the Development of the Youth of Our Community by addressing the specific needs of young children and teenagers, and by fostering partnerships with specific organizations throughout the district to help meet these needs.

• Create recreational opportunities for youth as determined by visioning plan.

• Encourage the creation of teen services offered by the schools, youth organization (GYO) and library working in partnership.

• Encourage local business to address the recreational and workforce development needs of youth.

Belmont Park provides a rich environment and potential to provide recreational opportunities. Originally the Southern portion of the Park, was all fields that many of the former residents and old time residents had the opportunity to play in. Adding VLTs will prevent this. Belmont Park should be a family friendly environment.

• Develop a Range of Housing Options and look for places to build affordable housing particularly to support younger workers.

Housing is important for our residential suburban community. We must also protect the residents who are currently living here. Projects like the Golden Age Complex, have experienced problems and delays. Elmont is the gateway to Long Island, to suburbia. We must remember that we should try to preserve this.

• Identify funding options for the implementation of community development projects.

Funding for numerous projects such as the Empire Zone are already available. What we need is individuals willing to invest in Elmont. Funds from VLTs, will not help, and will become limited to the increase need of police safety, traffic control and social issues. Projects of the Sustainable Long Island worked hard in other communities without the introduction of VLTs in those communities. The residents of Elmont, should be treated like 2nd class citizens by being forced to have VLTs, and the infestation and implications that casinos bring to surrounding communities. It is reading the goals and objectives of this organization, that it makes sense that VLTs will not be a good thing for Elmont.

Opposition Voices of VLTs Rising.

The voices of those who oppose the VLTs at Belmont Park are rising.

January 2, 2007, Floral Park mayor Phil Guarnieri in his monthly message found at: http://www.fpvillage.org/ clearly shares the same sentiments of the "western" Elmont civic association.

Here are some quotes to highlight:

"Saratoga Racetrack, however, would be conspicuously exempt from VLT's and racinos because, as one observer put it, Saratoga is a gem that needs no polishing."

Unlike how our "Eastern" Elmont civic member noticed, Saratoga racetrack held by NYRA will not have VLTs thanks to Senatorial leadership.

"At the public hearing, I expressed deep reservations about state sponsored gambling in general and the proposed expansion of gambling at Belmont Park in particular. I do not see an Atlantic City environment as a blueprint for economic success of revitalization."

VLTs goes against everything we're working hard for improving. It goes against the basic objectives of the Sustainable Long Island Project. VLTs will become a disaster for revitalization of the community.

"As for those who think that the expansion of gambling at Belmont is the shortest route to an economic renaissance in western Nassau, I think they will be sadly disillusioned."

We agree.
As the forces in support of VLTs may seem inevitable, even the strongest forces will fall to the will and for the good of the people.