By John Burton
OCEANPORT – The dirt began to fly on a portion of Monmouth Park’s property Wednesday morning with high hopes for the future.
A line of racetrack representatives joined elected officials and others involved for the ceremonial groundbreaking for the construction of a project its proponents say is a major step forward toward establishing the racetrack as year-round destination.
The project will include the construction of an amphitheater that, when completed, will be capable of seating up to 7,500 spectators; plus a full-service restaurant; and an approximately 1,200-foot boardwalk that is expected to contain concessions and other attractions.
“This will be another opportunity to showcase the racetrack to another segment of the community,” said Dennis Drazin, the Red Bank lawyer who is an advisor to the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and Darby Developers, the firm the association selected to operate Monmouth Park.
This project is estimated to cost in total approximately $16 million and is expected to be completed by Memorial Day 2015, according to track representatives.
Jerry Bakal of Thoroughbred Management, Inc. said he is working with AEG Live, a worldwide sporting and music presenter, to use the location for as many as 25 to 40 concerts during the season, which would likely run from May to late September.
The seating capacity is about half of what the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel holds. The number, according to Bakal, is the sweet spot for successful venues with larger forums confronting the challenge of filling seats. “We’re building it for the need,” not to compete with larger venues, he said.
The amphitheater will accommodate as many as 7,500, with 3,500 seats being placed under a canvas-like covering planned for the site and the remainder using a grassy, open-air area, Bakal said.
Bakal declined to name acts that may eventually perform at the location at this time.
“We really wanted to get started sooner” on this project, said Drazin, noting it was delayed in part because of Super Storm Sandy nearly two years ago.
The delay has allowed designers to draft “something a little bit more sophisticated,” he said.
The project will be constructed in the area of the existing miniature golf course.
Like that attraction, constructed two years ago, the new venue is part of the strategy to introduce family friendly attractions as draws to the racetrack. Monmouth Park, like other racetracks, has had a tough time over the years, with horseracing no longer the popular spectator sport it was in decades past.
This summer, Monmouth Park increased the amount of its winning purses to attract top-tier horses, trainers and their fans to be more competitive among tracks.
Along with these attractions, Drazin has said in recent months that the hopeful arrival of sports betting at the track will bring with it an infusion of cash that will support other future plans.
The state Senate is expected to vote on the latest bill allowing sports betting on Oct. 14. The Assembly is scheduled to take the measure up on Oct. 16.
“I expect them to pass overwhelmingly” as had previous legislation, Drazin said.
Drazin anticipates Gov. Chris Christie will sign the legislation. Christie vetoed the previous measure, fearing it conflicted with federal law.
Drazin said a federal court hearing is slated for Oct. 31 for proponents of sports betting to argue that it would meet the requirements established by a federal Court of Appeals to permit sports gaming.
Monmouth Park has been operating at its Oceanport Avenue site since 1946 and it remains Oceanport’s largest taxpayer, contributing about $1.8 million annually.
The new project, Mayor Michael Mahon said, “We believe it’s a recipe for success,” given “Monmouth Park’s health is so important” for the community.
The project ties in nicely with two other projects in the works: The construction of a restaurant at the former Fort Monmouth marina and a mixed residential and commercial development just west of the track on Oceanport Avenue. That second project will include at least two new restaurants that will likely benefit from the traffic attending concerts at the track, Mahon said.
