Race Track news source: Fairgrounds Race Course - http://www.fairgroundsracecourse.com/
On Katrina Anniversary, Fair Grounds Progressing
NEW ORLEANS, LA. (August 29, 2006) --
On the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s destruction of the Gulf Coast, the restoration project at Fair Grounds Race Course continues, as does the countdown to the return of racing to the nation’s third-oldest Thoroughbred racing facility.
Fair Grounds lost half of its grandstand roof and stucco walls to Katrina’s winds, and the breaches of nearby levees flooded the racing surfaces, infield and backstretch.
Fair Grounds president Randall E. Soth said last week the grandstand restoration is “about 80 percent complete,” while the backstretch is “about 60 percent.” The grandstand will be completed in time for the start of Fair Grounds’ 135th racing season on Thanksgiving Day, while the backstretch work is scheduled for completion in time for the opening of the barn area on Nov. 1.
In the grandstand, crews were installing new counters in the box seat areas Tuesday; above in the clubhouse, work on new flooring continued.
The grandstand did not flood, but had significant water damage, particularly in the clubhouse area, because the roof and walls were peeled away.
The exterior walls were restored by February, and replacement of the roof, which required an upgrade to withstand winds provided by a Category 4 storm, was completed in late March. Power was restored to the facility a week later, and by late April, the plant was repaired sufficiently to play host to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
The backstretch was soaked by water as high as chest deep. Backstretch repairs include replacement of roofs on eight barns and repair of 20 others, the removal and replacement of thousands of sheets of plywood that line the individual horse stalls, and replacement of nearly 300 doors. Additionally, the dirt in the barn area is being scraped and replaced because it was likely contaminated with salt water from the flooding, and the backstretch fire protection system has been upgraded.
The dirt track and turf course, along with the infield, sat under water for several days. To remove any salt from these surfaces, crews put down 90,000 pounds of granulated gypsum, and the drainage pond on the east end of the infield, which is also used for irrigation, was completely drained and dredged.
Fair Grounds administration returned to its offices in early July after spending the months after the storm in suburban Harahan. On August 16, Fair Grounds re-opened its off-track betting (OTB) facility adjacent to the grandstand.
Brice Building Company Inc. – coincidentally, the contractor for the original construction of the grandstand from 1994-97 – is handling the restoration project. Many of the same sub-contractors used by Brice 10 years ago are back again as well.
Katrina forced Fair Grounds to shift its 2005-06 season from New Orleans to Harrah’s Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La., where it conducted an abbreviated 37-day meet from Nov. 19 through Jan. 22. It marked the first time since 1915, when the Locke Law was repealed, that winter racing was not conducted in the Crescent City.
To Fair Grounds, challenge is nothing new. Over the years, the track has endured two destructive fires to the grandstand, wars, a ban of racing for seven years and, most recently, increased gaming competition regionally.
Fair Grounds Race Course has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, Fair Grounds is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN) and also operates off-track betting parlors throughout southeast Louisiana. Fair Grounds’ 135th season, the first live racing in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, begins Nov. 23, 2006, and is headlined by the 94th running of the $600,000 Grade II Louisiana Derby on March 10, 2007. Information about Fair Grounds can be found on the Internet at www.fairgroundsracecourse.com. |
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