RACE TO GET READY
NYRA breaks ground on track building with the hopes of opening next summer
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » A fast-track Saratoga Race Course project broke out of the starting gate Tuesday with hopes of reaching the finishing line by next Opening Day.
A ceremonial groundbreaking was held for the 1863 Club, a three-story luxury dining and seating facility that will replace the current At The Rail pavilion and temporary luxury boxes near the clubhouse turn.
The 36,000-square-foot structure, named for the inaugural Saratoga race meet in August 1863, will be connected to the historic clubhouse by a second-story walkway.
“We have nine months to build this building,” said Jim Dawsey, president of Malta-based MLB Construction Services, the project’s general contractor. “What are our odds to get this done on time? Our team’s coming out as a 4-to-5 favorite.
“The biggest challenge is going to be the winter weather. That’s always a problem here in New York,
but we have a pretty good plan in place. We’re working seven days a week on the front end of the project to try to get everything up and enclosed.”
A busy Capital Region construction season has created a labor shortage as well.
“But we picked all the right subcontractors so we shouldn’t have a problem with that,” Dawsey said.
The job, scheduled to begin Thursday, is expected to employ more than 200 people.
New York Racing Association, which is now privately-run after more than four years of state control, has declined comment about the project’s cost.
NYRA has spent more than $30 million on track upgrades since 2013 including this year’s addition of The Stretch, a luxury grandstand dining-seating area and a new copper roof and timber ceiling over the clubhouse terrace.
Matt Hurff, of Saratoga Springs-based Frost Hurff Architects, said the new building will reflect the track’s historic character.
“It will be the embodiment of Saratoga — always reaching forward, never forgetting where it came from,” he said.
Nory Hazaveh, founder of New York City-based SOSH Architects, said the facility will be designed to host special events at all times of year.
Plans call for a first-floor banquet area, and a secondfloor bar and dining club for hosting large groups such as college alumni gatherings and members of syndicated racehorse ownerships.
The third floor will have luxury boxes, while a fullservice kitchen will be located in the basement.
But NYRA President and CEO Chris Kay declined comment about the possibility of hosting events before and after the meet.
“Our focus right now is making sure it’s ready to go on Opening Day and to make sure we’ve got enough people that are going to be in the building to enjoy it,” he said.
Albany-based Gilbane Building Company is the project’s construction manager. “We have 325 days till Opening Day, so there’s quite a bit of pressure on people in this room to deliver,” said William Gilbane, the firm’s senior vice president.