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Leaders clash over park development

Belmont racetrack rumored to be getting slot machines

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Local politicians and community leaders descended on the main entrance to Belmont Park, on Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont, on Dec. 10 to voice their concerns about the possible installation of video slot machines on the grounds of the racetrack.

In late 2012, the New York Empire State Development agency issued a request for proposals for two sections of vacant land at Belmont. Earlier this month the state asked developers to adjust their bids to focus primarily on parcel B, on the south side of Hempstead Turnpike. According to multiple news reports, parcel A, adjacent to the racetrack, has been taken off the table by the administration of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and will be used instead to house video lottery terminals, or VLTs.

Standing in front of protesters, Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages (D-Elmont), joined by Elmont Library Trustee Tammie Williams and several religious leaders, rejected the idea of adding the machines. Solages contended that the safety of the community would be threatened by a casino operation because of its late hours and the patrons it would attract.

“They’re frightened — they feel like they’re living in a state of not knowing what’s going to happen to them next,” Solages said of Elmont residents. “They’re upset that VLTs have to come to this area of Nassau County.”

Last year, Nassau Off Track Betting Corp. proposed a location in Westbury, the vacant Fortunoff building, to house the VLTs. That plan was met with strong opposition from both residents and politicians. As a result, Nassau OTB sought a new location.

Elmont, like Westbury, has becoming increasingly diverse, with blacks and Latinos making up nearly 70 percent of the population, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. Williams said she believed the VLT proposal was directly related to the racial makeup of the community.

“Why is it always in communities of color that you want to drop nonsense?” she said. “If you want to drop it in Garden City, go ahead. Let their kids walk past it, not our kids.”

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