Warren County's Racino

Today's Journal....

Commissioners OK racino plans

Warren County commissioner Dave Young said that even though he felt like he was sitting down at a poker table opposite experienced gamblers, both taxpayers and racetrack owners have come out ahead on plans for the new Warren County racino.

County Commissioners approved plans for the $175 million new racetrack facility that will include video lottery terminals, to be built at Ohio 63 and Union Road next to Trader’s World and near Interstate 75. The racino is owned by Miami Valley Gaming and Racing, LLC, a joint venture of Delaware North Companies Gaming and Entertainment and Churchill Downs, Inc.

“We are very excited by this development,” Young said. “We try to do things right, we try to do things big and we try to do things that are for the benefit of Warren County taxpayers. This is a very significant investment in the county.”

Officials said the racino will add 750 jobs, including 450 full time jobs. The racino facility will include a 5/8 mile harness racing track with an attached, enclosed grandstand that seats 400; 2,500 VLTs inside a 186,000 square foot building; several eating facilities inside the building and a horse paddock for between 85 and 125 horses.

NOW, WE WILL ALL GET TO SEE JUST HOW SUCCESSFUL A VENTURE OF THIS TYPE WILL BE AROUND HERE. WE WILL ALSO GET TO SEE WHAT EVIL THINGS COME OUT OF HAVING A GAMBLING ESTABLISHMENT IN THE AREA.

LOOKS LIKE THE VENTURE WILL CREATE SOME MUCH NEEDED JOBS FOR THE AREA TOO AS WELL AS PROVIDE SOME ENTERTAINMENT VALUE.

WILL TAKE SEVERAL YEARS TO KNOW, BUT I'LL PREDICT NOW THAT IN THE FUTURE, MIDDLETOWN WOULD HAVE WISHED IT HAD THIS IDEA RATHER THAN AN ARTZY/COMMUTER COLLEGE/FRU FRU THEME FOR THE DOWNTOWN. SEEMS TO ME, ON THE SURFACE, THIS RACINO OFFERS MORE AND AT A FASTER PACE OF DEVELOPMENT THAN THE CURRENT PLANS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA. HOW MUCH TAX MONEY WILL COME OUT OF THIS RACINO VERSUS WHAT IS SITTING DOWNTOWN NOW FOR THE CITY? HOW MANY JOBS? WE SHALL SEE THE DIFFERENCES. PRIVATE MONEY USED HERE RATHER THAN CITY TAXPAYER MONEY TO DEVELOP THIS IDEA? JMO

John Beagle wrote: WE WILL ALSO GET TO SEE WHAT EVIL THINGS COME OUT OF HAVING A GAMBLING ESTABLISHMENT IN THE AREA.

Today's Journal.....

Cincinnati casino helps transform neighborhood

CINCINNATI —
With three weeks still to go before the last of four Ohio casinos opens in Cincinnati, the $400 million facility already has helped transform the surrounding neighborhood and contributed to a decrease in crime.

The two-story, 400,000-square-foot casino sits on what used to be a shabby parking lot on the edge of downtown Cincinnati in the small but artsy neighborhood known as Pendleton

HEY, SITS IN AN ARTZY AREA KNOWN AS PENDLETON.

Almost two years to the day since the casino broke ground, more than $22.9 million has gone toward widening streets, replacing busted sidewalks, planting trees, improving lighting, installing public art and creating a large, grassy plaza for live events.

“This isn’t just an investment in a building, but an investment in a neighborhood and an entire community,” said Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls at a news conference Tuesday in a new mini park that sits between Pendleton and the casino

HMM, NOT JUST AN INVESTMENT IN A BUILDING, BUT AN INVESTMENT IN A NEIGHBORHOOD AND AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY SAYS THE VICE MAYOR OF CINCI. IMAGINE THAT, MIDDLETOWN LEADERS.

Statistics from Cincinnati police show that crime in the 900-person neighborhood decreased from 212 incidents in 2011 to 141 last year, a 34 percent decrease and the largest year-to-year drop Pendleton has ever seen. Rapes fell from three in 2011 to one in 2012 while burglaries fell from 19 in 2011 to five in 2012, a 74 percent decrease

SO MUCH FOR THE DETRACTORS STATEMENTS THAT BUILDING A CASINO INCREASES CRIME. APPARENTLY NOT.

Among those efforts included stepped-up enforcement of housing codes, cleaning up graffiti and litter, installing security cameras, and repairing streets

STEPPED UP HOUSING CODES......BOY, WOULD MIDDLETOWN CITY LEADERS LIKE THIS PROGRAM!!

Pendleton also has attracted new residential development, with an Indianapolis developer planning to put 170 luxury apartments in an old school; 86 affordable-housing units also are planned.

IMAGINE THAT, WITH A NEW CASINO COMES MORE DEVELOPEMENT. ISN'T THAT WHAT THE MIDDLETOWN CITY LEADERS HAVE IN MIND FOR THE DOWNTOWN AREA? HOW MUCH QUICKER WOULD THIS NEW DEVELOPMENT HAPPEN WITH A CASINO THAN WITH THE OLD "CINCINNATI STATE" IDEA?

Andrew Salzbrun, a Cincinnati native who has lived in Pendleton for the past year and a half and is vice president of the neighborhood council, said he’s noticed the area “drastically improve” in a short period of time.

A "DRASTIC IMPROVEMENT IN A SHORT TIME". ISN'T THIS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA SINCE THE 70'S?

Salzbrun, 27, said he’s heard other neighbors worrying about increased vehicle traffic because of the casino but that he’s not concerned about it.

"INCREASED VEHICLE TRAFFIC BECAUSE OF THE CASINO". HMM, ISN'T THAT WHAT THE CITY LEADERS ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH DOWNTOWN?

“I don’t think there’s a lot of downfall for activating a vacant parking lot and turning it into a usable space,” said Salzbrun, co-owner of a 4-year-old Cincinnati-based marketing firm called AGAR

"NO DOWNFALL FOR ACTIVATING A VACANT PARKING LOT AND TURNING IT INTO A USABLE SPACE". SEEMS RIGHT UP OUR ALLEY, DOESN'T IT? WE CERTAINLY HAVE AN ABUNDANCE OF VACANT PARKING LOTS DOWNTOWN DON'T WE?

“It was all blacktop and not a very well-kept place, there was little to no lighting,” he said of the space the casino now occupies. “It was more of an eyesore than anything else

"IT WAS MORE OF AN EYESORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE"......KINDA LIKE OUR DOWNTOWN, EHH?

JUST POINTING OUT SOME SIMILARITIES DESPITE THE DISCUSSION THAT MIDDLETOWN IS NOT IN LINE FOR A CASINO........BUT SHOULD WE ACCEPT THAT WITHOUT ATTEMPTING TO TALK TO THE STATE ABOUT OBTAINING A CASINO HERE? HAVEN'T EVEN APPROACHED THEM AS YET, HAVE WE?

JOHN, SHOW ME THE "EVIL".

Police prepare for the opening of Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati, increase in DUIs.. good chance that might happen, with all those cops thats gonna be stickin around that place, waiting on the wobbles to get in their car ...been to ind. a few times, don't drink a heck of alot but have allways gotten a room, the race casino will have all kinds of cops also stickin around this place, state cops, monroe cops, and the warren county cops, so for the ones that are to cheap to get a room, and want to drive out of this place after a few to many, their chances of gettin very far are not good..have been to the track in lebanon many times over the years and have never seen prostitutes, pimps, drug pushers, thugs waitin around the cornner to hit ya on your head, unlike mid town that ain't got nothin but a UDF with free coffee on mondays  and all kinds of prostitutes, pimps, drug pushers, thugs, and theifs hangin around... ooo yeah i have a brand new ccw Weapon  glock 30sf 45 cal, its sweeeeet, it has a bigger bang than my glock23 40 cal, if i ever have any need to come to mid town for any unknown reason, for sure i will be carrying the one with the bigger bang.

Over the years the City of Middletown has done numerous studies concerning the revitalization of the downtown and the surrounding area and they have all said the same thing ”Middletown needs businesses with major draw potential.”
The Beach, Kings Island, Lebanon Race Track attract thousands of people each year from miles away to visit Warren County and the Lebanon area.

And Middletown has………………………?????