As you know, keeping the Preakness where it belongs – at Pimlico Race Track, is one of my priorities.
This summer, I’ve been broadening support for that effort and discussing how the track’s neighbors can benefit from a public-private investment in a modernized Pimlico.
An op-ed in support of moving the Preakness to Laurel was published in the Baltimore Sun earlier this month.
My response was co-signed by six business and community leaders.
Dear Editors:
Since we attended our first race at Pimlico, we have learned that the horse in the lead on the backstretch is often not the horse who gets his nose in front at the finish.
That maxim also applies to the policy-making process.
Both state and city governments funded a study by the Maryland Stadium Authority to “determine the extent of [their]…potential support to renovate or rebuild Pimlico Race Course to remain the long-term home for the Preakness Stakes.” (http://www.mdstad.com/sites/default/files/2017-06/PimlicoStudyPhase1.pdf, 3)
The first phase of that study has been completed. It concludes, “[T]here do not appear to be any situational factors that cannot be overcome with regard to continue hosting the Preakness at Pimlico.” (http://www.mdstad.com/sites/default/files/2017-06/PimlicoStudyPhase1.pdf, 63)
The potential price tag for a public-private partnership is $250 – $325 million. That has prompted both the business and the philanthropic community to come forward with proposals that would enhance the public’s use of the site, benefit the surrounding Park Heights community, and lower the public’s share of the cost to build a 21st Century facility.
Closing Pimlico would mean the loss of a major economic asset for the surrounding neighborhoods, the City, and the Baltimore region. In his op-ed, Kevin O’Keefe fails to mention that crucial factor.
This past May, yet another record breaking crowd came to Pimlico to watch the 142nd running there of the Preakness Stakes.
It’s premature to call Laurel the winner and Pimlico the loser when it comes to the future of the second jewel of the Triple Crown.
Delegate Sandy Rosenberg
William H. Cole IV, Baltimore Development Corporation, President and CEO
Mark Fetting, Camp Brightside Fund
Kirby Fowler, Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, President
Cheo Hurley, Park Heights Renaissance, Executive Director
Howard Libit, Baltimore Jewish Council, Executive Director
Neil Meltzer, Lifebridge Health, President and CEO
When I read the letter after it was published, I realized that I failed to include the Maryland Jockey Club among the funders of the Stadium Authority study. I’ve asked the Sun if there is a way to correct that.
