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Health & Fitness

Dixon Downs, Back on Track

What benefits have been missed by not having Dixon Downs.

Seeing as how I, and the potential revival of the Dixon Downs racetrack plan, have become a bright red target on the horizon of the Dixon Ridge of late – I will readdress many of my points in hopes of shedding new light or making better sense for those of you willing to read my dyslexic ramblings.

Pull out the talcum powder and get ready because I’m sure that I’ll be chapping someone’s britches.

1947       Golden Gate Fields opens and is in continuous operation to this day.

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2001       Dixon Downs 260 acre site purchased for $6.3 million.

2006       Dixon City Council approves Dixon Downs.

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2007       Dixon Downs voted down by voters with a 9 percent margin.

2008       Possible opening of Dixon Downs if it had proceeded.

2009       MEC files for Chapter 11, during the U.S. recession’s worst year.  Golden Gate Fields continues to operate, pay its employees and taxes.

2011       Golden Gate Fields site is considered (one of six sites) for the development of the new Lawrence Berkeley Labs.  The site decision will be announced shortly after 2012.

In the four years since the loss of Dixon Downs, Golden Gate Fields has contributed more than $1 million each year to the city of Albany and its school district.  This year, notably a bad year economically, Golden Gate Fields paid $1.7 million to the City of Albany and its school district.  In addition to the tax revenue GGF has donated to the local Chamber of Commerce, Toys for Tots, local food banks, clothing for the poor etc. 

If Dixon Downs had been opened in 2008 the track could have generated a potential $4 million or more for the City of Dixon and its schools.  Let us not forget that the proposal also contained a hotel, convention center and horse-training center that Golden Gate Fields does not have and therefore the tax revenue could have been higher. 

Dixon Downs was to have been the gateway to the infrastructure build-out in the North East quadrant of the city.  Minus the track or some other large development it is doubtful that others will build there because the financial burden is too great to go at it alone.  I’ve written and asked Crystal Magglet of Flying J/ Crystal Inn’s if they are still going to build in the NW quad and their answer was that they have no plans to do so.

Golden Gate Fields has been in operation since 1947 all the while contributing tax revenue and jobs to the local communities. After much research I have not found a single instance where the City of Albany or Berkeley has asked the track to discontinue its operation because of any adverse effects on their communities.

Golden Gate Fields has approximately 250 front of track employees and 400-500 back of track employees. These numbers do not include employees for the hotel, convention center and training facility.  The 250 front of track jobs include management, food service, engineers, broadcast professionals, ticket sellers, wager staff and many, many more that can come from our community. Yes some will come from the current GGF staff but as time goes on attrition will take place and Dixonites can fill in.   

There has been some debate about potential traffic issues on Highway 80.  I drive by GGF each working day and I have not had any problems with traffic created by GGF.  I do encounter problems when the Raiders, Giants or 49ers have a home game. I suspect that Highway 80 (Dixon/ Davis area) needs some modification if the track is built or not.

Some members of our community have amplified and distorted the potential effects of Pathological Gambling Disorder on our community painting a gloom and doom image in the minds of our emotion-based voters.  The incidence of PGD in the community has a lifetime average of 1 or 2 percent and these people have, are currently or will some day gamble regardless of having a racetrack in Dixon. PGD is not limited to race track betting; other activities that they participate in are bingo, trading on the stock market, playing cards and buying Lotto tickets.  Stop using PGD as a reason not to have a track in Dixon.  If PGD was that big of an issue a treatment center should have been established many years ago.

 Does it sound like I’m working for The Stronach Group?  I’m not and they have not asked, nor I of them.

What I am excited about is the potential of many jobs coming to our community, added tax revenue so that we don’t have to continue the layoffs of City employees (many of my friends) and hopefully start to restore some of the lost positions.  I’m excited at the potential of seeing the town succeed and prosper.  Business like the , , and will all benefit and be able to hopefully hire more staff and pay more… taxes.

Do I think it will all be a bed of roses? Well no I do not. 

I think that we are going to have challenges and that we need to meet these challenges and make the best of the situation.  The Stronach Group and Dixon will have to work together so that we can both move forward together and have a long successful relationship together.

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