BPW approves demolition at Pimlico amid skepticism of horse racing’s future in MD

ANNAPOLIS — As they approved a contract for demolition work at Pimlico Race Course after this month’s Preakness Stakes, two members of the powerful Board of Public Works were supportive but still skeptical about plans for the future of thoroughbred horse racing in Maryland.

Revamping the historic Baltimore race track is at the center of plans for an era of state-run racing that proponents have said will inject new life into the declining industry and revitalize the Park Heights community surrounding the track.

Gov. Wes Moore on Wednesday touted the plan as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine thoroughbred racing in the entire state” and boost investment in Park Heights.

But skepticism has remained among some top officials, including those have seen decades of temporary fixes and failed plans to prop up the declining industry.

“Is this just a pipedream, quite frankly, that we can revive racing?” state Treasurer Dereck Davis, who serves on the Board of Public Works with Moore and Comptroller Brooke Lierman, said during Wednesday’s meeting. “Or is it just sort of a niche thing that we enjoy every third weekend in May and then it’s just sort of out there waiting for the next May to come?”

For the state’s vision of year-round racing at Pimlico and the associated “evolution and revolution” in Park Heights to succeed, there must be participation in and publicity for events and economic development at and around the refurbished facility, especially outside the Preakness weekend and on non-race days, said Craig Thompson, a Venable attorney who chairs the Maryland Stadium Authority.

“Each and every one of us is an ambassador, not only for the area of Park Heights but for the state, and for the economic development of the state,” Thompson said during the meeting.

With the board’s approval, the Maryland Stadium Authority can move forward with a $14.3 million contract with Clark Construction Group to complete demolition work at Pimlico to prepare the facility for upgrades. The state also contracted with Clark for pre-construction work.

As part of the redevelopment plans, the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes next weekend will be at Pimlico, but the race will leave Baltimore in 2026 while the track is upgraded. It will instead be at Laurel Park in Anne Arundel County.

The board also approved the $4.5 million purchase of land at Shamrock Farm in Carroll County to build new training facilities for the thoroughbred racing industry. The purchase is part of the state’s expected $110 million investment in the facility, Moore said Wednesday.

Under the latest plan, responsibilities for owning, developing and operating Pimlico and other developments in the area will be divided among the Maryland Stadium Authority, the Maryland Economic Development Corp. and the new Maryland Jockey Club, a nonprofit entity that doesn’t yet have a board of directors.

“That’s a lot of cooks in the kitchen,” Lierman said during the meeting. “Sometimes when there are multiple cooks in the kitchen, it’s hard to determine where the buck stops, besides at this table.”

Lierman questioned whether the arrangement could lead to oversight issues, including accounting for exactly how the state’s $400 million in bonds are spent.

“There is a limited amount of dollars, and I think the General Assembly has been pretty clear that there’s not going to be any more,” she said.

The comptroller’s comments came one day after Maryland Stadium Authority board member William Cole threw into question the level of spending and transparency at the state’s operating authority for thoroughbred horse racing.

Lawmakers unexpectedly eliminated the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority four years early as part of their final budget negotiations in April. They said the decision arose from a need for more oversight and transparency about coming changes in the horse racing industry and at Pimlico.

Cole’s concerns seemed to center on exactly how the operating authority spent its multimillion-dollar budget. He said that “every single dollar” the authority spends takes away from what the Maryland Stadium Authority can spend on development plans for a new thoroughbred training facility in Carroll County and for redevelopment at Pimlico.

Among other questions, Cole said, was whether operating authority board members granted approval for staff members to travel to the Kentucky Derby last weekend.

A Moore administration official, who provided information on the condition of anonymity, said two operating authority staff members went to the Kentucky Derby, which is in an area that shares similarities with Pimlico and the Park Heights community, to learn about the event.

The staff members’ travel expenses were less than $3,000, though they haven’t been submitted for reimbursement, the official said.

Venable attorney Greg Cross, who as chair of the operating authority led the state’s efforts to reshape and reimagine the industry in Maryland, including the transition from private to public ownership and positioning Pimlico at the center of year-round racing, said the operating authority has operated below its budget and been transparent with lawmakers and with the Maryland Stadium Authority.

The operating authority will be dissolved June 30, at the end of the current fiscal year.