By Gillian Graham and Dan Aceto

Staff Writers

Voters should know soon where a proposed $250 million harness racing track and racino could be located in Biddeford.  

The Biddeford City Council voted Aug. 17 to let residents decide in November whether they want Scarborough Downs to relocate its harness racing track and build a racino in Biddeford. City officials say a racino could bring nearly 1,000 jobs and millions of dollars to Biddeford. 

While Scarborough Downs and city officials have provided few details of the plan, Biddeford Mayor Joanne Twomey said she is confident all questions from voters will be answered before the November referendum. A location for the facility should be announced by mid-September, according to Daniel Stevenson, Biddeford’s director of economic development. 

Even if Biddeford voters back the plan, a change in state law is required to allow a racino to be built outside Scarborough. State law requires racinos be built within five miles of the track’s current location. Hollywood Slots was built in Bangor within the five-mile range, but Biddeford is more than five miles from Scarborough Downs’ current location. 

Scarborough voters in 2008 rejected a proposal for Scarborough Downs’ $1 billion proposal to transform more than 200 acres of undeveloped land into a new “Scarborough Village” with senior housing, community center, retail and commercial space and a Main Street atmosphere. The measure failed by a vote of 5,100 to 5,400.

Since then, Scarborough Downs has looked for another community that will welcome a racino. Edward MacColl, a spokesman and lawyer for Scarborough Downs, told the city council that racinos are needed to preserve the harness racing industry in Maine by providing more revenue. 

“It’s a great and a proud industry that’s been an important part of Maine for more than a century,” he said. 

Twomey said she was first approached about moving a racino to Biddeford several months ago, but didn’t start more detailed talks until recently. Though she repeatedly opposed the expansion of gambling while in the Legislature, she said she could not turn her back on the prospect of 900 new jobs in the city.

“I didn’t want to turn Maine into the gambling capital of the world,” she said. “But I just couldn’t turn it away anymore.” 

While some residents at the council meeting criticized the idea for being brought up quickly and with little public input, Twomey said the vote was necessary to ensure the referendum would be on the November ballot. Deputy City Clerk Tricia Neault said the question needed to be approved by the city council no later than a Sept. 7 meeting to allow time for absentee ballots to be printed. 

Although Scarborough Downs has been a fixture along Route 1 for more than 60 years, local business owners and officials remain optimistic the area will be redeveloped if Scarborough Downs moves.

“It’s hard to say what the impact on the community would be if Scarborough Downs was to relocate, although there is great potential,” said Council Chairman Carol Rancourt. 

Harvey Rosenfeld, president of the Scarborough Economic Development Corp. said the area would likely be redeveloped to accommodate a mix of business, commercial and residential buildings and could provide a “boom to the community.”

“The idea is that everyone comes out a winner. The owners, the community, as well as anyone else involved,” he said.

Town Manager Tom Hall agreed and said the Scarborough Downs property is a prime piece of real estate easily accessible from both Route 1 and the Maine Turnpike. 

“The area is essentially a blank canvas,” Hall said, adding the “sheer size is sufficient to support just about anything.”

According to Hall, land surrounding Scarborough Downs, aside from the racetrack, has been listed with real estate broker Andrew Ingalls of C.B Richard Ellis for a couple months and has drawn attention from several parties. 

Ingalls said he was approached by Scarborough Downs Owner Sharon Terry to place the 400-acre property on the market and that sections of the land will most likely be divided into separate parcels ranging from $40,000 to $75,000 an acre. The company will also soon place signs along Route 1, Haigis Parkway, and Payne Road to advertise the property.

Ingalls said the property will still still be sold Scarborough Downs moves.

Tyson Millette, owner of Mac’s Deli on Route 1, said that although he does have a number of regular customers from Scarborough Downs, the prospect of multiple businesses opening in the area could provide an even greater influx of customers to his store. 

Millette said the recent addition of a health complex down the street has been great for business and he said he thinks similar business ventures could prove beneficial.

Hall said he was surprised the issue to build a racino was not brought up again in Scarborough, where it was defeated by a small margin.

Steve Cobbett, director of operations for Scarborough Downs said the racetrack is “part of the fabric of the community” and that while leaving would be difficult he said the move to Biddeford and the addition of a racino would “open up a whole new avenue” for the industry. 

Rosenfeld agreed and said he would “hate to see the place disappear.”

“Unfortunately the horse racing business has been in decline over the years, and compared to some of the larger casinos, is economically not the best idea,” Rosenfeld said.

Scarborough Downs, which currently pays $117,824 in annual real estate taxes annually, is not one of the town’s top 10 revenue sources, Hall said.

Kevin Spitzer, who has 40 horses at Scarborough Downs, said he thinks opening a racino is a great idea. 

“Everyone benefits from the racino. The racino generates a lot of tax money,” he said. “If you want to keep Maine with farms and agriculture, you have to have a way to support it.”

Spitzer travels to race at racinos in other states, including Delaware, and said they are busy despite the economy. 

“It’s been a plus to the economy in small towns,” he said. 

Mark Harris agrees. He and his wife, Gayle, worked in their stable at Scarborough Downs Wednesday morning and said they fully support a move to Biddeford. They were disappointed Scarborough voters didn’t back a racino, which they said is needed to support the horse industry. 

“The majority of us in the horse business want to race for more money,” Mark Harris said. “Thank God we’ve got Bangor up there with Hollywood Slots. I don’t think we’d be racing today if Bangor hadn’t approved the slots.” 

Opening a racino will generate tax revenue at a time when people complain about tax increases, Gayle Harris said. She and her husband feel the entire community benefits from a racino.

“If it passes, that’s going to bring Biddeford millions of dollars in revenue,” Mark Harris said. “Biddeford is going to have a gold mine.” 

“Ultimately this is a business decision,” Rosenfeld said of a possible move. If redevelopment of the land happens, Rosenfeld  said he will work to develop a plan, “that is well fit to the view of the community.”

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213. Staff Writer Dan Aceto can be reached at ext. 237.