Maine voters made it clear in 2003 that they approved of two commercial racetracks to include slot machines at their facilities. An arbitrary deadline at the end of that year shouldn’t be allowed to overturn that decision.

Though the town of Scarborough voted down the racino there, the city of Biddeford has made it clear that it welcomes the Biddeford Downs project.

Now the Biddeford project is to be subject to yet another statewide referendum, this time in conjunction with a vote on the Washington County Passamaquoddy Indians’ casino proposal.

While the casino’s backers have proposed this vote, it makes no sense whatsoever to have to hold it. It is an insult to Maine voters. Aside from the confusion raised by the decision to clump Biddeford in with the tribal casino in Calais, such a bill is asking Maine voters if they really meant “yes” to the southern Maine racino in 2003.

They did mean “yes,” and I feel they voted that way because of the harness racing component to the bill.

Since 2003, the successful completion of Hollywood Slots has brought none of the evils predicted by the anti-gambling groups. Penn National has proved to be a great asset to Bangor, and the revenues have greatly benefited Maine, Bangor and the harness racing industry.

Biddeford, with its southern location and proximity to the turnpike, stands to be even more successful. The construction project will create 800 jobs, the racino itself 500 full-time jobs. If Biddeford isn’t built, only Oxford will benefit. Scarborough Downs will eventually close, and Bangor may not last long. The horses will be gone.

Harness racing is a Maine tradition as iconic as the potato, blueberry and lobster industries. If harness racing dies in Maine, the state will have lost not only a valuable economic asset, but something else that you can’t put a price tag on — a piece of its heritage.

Cyndie Bowie

Buxton

Please vote in favor of changing the mileage law and help the Biddeford Downs racino become a reality. I think that it will help the community.

It is very important to Standardbred horse owners. It will create jobs. It will help horse owners take better care of their horses and their families.

Standardbreds need hay, which employs farmers. They need shoes, thus employing farriers. They need veterinarians. Standardbred harness racing owners, trainers and drivers are a dedicated group of people trying to make a living doing what they love. They need the racino to have a chance to get good income.

Please support Biddeford Downs.

Brenda S. Bryant

Kennebunk

The legislation regarding the racino is important to race people, and all the citizens of the great state of Maine, because the harness racing industry contributes an enormous amount to our economy. The following are a few of the ways we do this:

1. We buy hay from the farmers, thereby helping them pay their bills.

2. We buy grain bedding and many products relating to the care of the horses from local suppliers.

3. We hire local people to help in the care of our horses.

4. We buy vehicles, gas, repair and maintenance products.

5. Patrons come to the track from Maine and other states to watch us race. They buy food, gas, lodging, etc.

These are only a few of the ways we help the economy.

I have been racing since 1970 and have seen the cost of maintaining a horse skyrocket, while the purses have not increased enough to cover the increases. This industry allows people another way to spend their time on recreation.

The racino will help to increase the purses and help the industry survive.

Bob Nadeau

Saco

I am writing this letter to express my concern for a Maine industry that is in imminent danger. Harness racing isn’t just a career; it’s a way of life with a set of family values and ideals that seamlessly match those aspired to when raising a family in Maine.

A passion for the industry runs in the blood of the families who form the core of the racing industry in Maine. Chances are that if you ask someone how they got involved with harness racing, you’ll hear about their grandfather, who taught their father, who in turn passed the love of it on to them.

But this isn’t just something these families pass on to each other; it’s something that they do together, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

In a day and age where family time means watching a show together after work, these families are working side by side every day to create a legacy.

But whether Biddeford Downs is allowed doesn’t only affect the families you see on the track and in the paddock every weekend; it impacts the agricultural industry in Maine, the veterinarians who treat these horses, and countless local business owners who rely on their tack shops for their income.

Without Biddeford Downs, the racing industry in Maine won’t be able to survive, and countless Mainers will be without work in today’s economy.

The harness racing industry is worth preserving. In a state that prides itself on family values, the harness racing industry brings generations of people together with a common goal.

And in the land of small business, harness racing is countless people’s livelihood. Without Biddeford Downs, all of these things will simply cease to exist. That’s too steep a price to pay, even for 100 miles of separation from another casino.

Brittany Landry

Scarborough

Deer poaching column heart-wrenching expose

I want to send Bill Nemitz a great big “thank you” for his Feb. 27 column on deer poaching here (and in Pennsylviania). How can these hunters live with themselves?

I hope one day they will know that animals feel physical pain as humans do. I still haven’t gotten over the column. It was heart-wrenching.

Florence Berube

Portland

If we won’t drill for oil, don’t complain about cost 

Decrying “Households take the hit from spike in oil prices” (Feb. 27) is like complaining about a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

We can’t drill off the coast of Maine, in Alaska or the Midwest, or off the coast of Florida. Although China is drilling off Cuba, no LNG plants or nuclear plants are allowed. We asked for this. What can we expect?

Lloyd Donnellan

Baldwin

 

Copy the Story Link