NY Regulators Seek to Add Fire Station at Saratoga

New York state regulators, raising concerns about major fires over the decades at racetracks around the United States, have advanced a plan to locate a fire station on the grounds of the Saratoga Race Course.

The New York State Franchise Oversight Board approved a measure Aug. 18 granting an easement to the city of Saratoga Springs as part of a decades-old state and local government process to locate a fire station near the training track of the facility run by the New York Racing Association.

The plan already faces a lawsuit by area residents concerned that the effort, among other issues, is violating local zoning laws.

Robert Williams, the chairman of the state oversight board and executive director of the state gaming commission, told the state panel Tuesday that the firehouse and EMS station plan "furthers the interest" of the NYRA franchise.

Williams recounted a number of racetrack fires dating as far back as 1959 as he cited the need for the firehouse plan. Some nearby residents living on the east side of Saratoga Springs, citing the distance away from other fire stations, have pushed for the need of additional fire department protection for their homes. There have also been complaints about potential noise problems the firehouse would bring, including disruptions to horses temporarily residing and training in and around the Saratoga facility's training track.

Williams noted the wood-constructed buildings spread across the grounds of the historic Saratoga racetrack.

"While fire suppression systems are in a state of constant upgrade, response times to the racetrack could be critical, especially if the day is windy as what occurred in Arlington in 1985,'' Williams said of the massive Arlington Park fire.

Williams said the new fire station—a project estimated to cost nearly $7 million and built on 2.36 acres—also could serve as an emergency response command facility during the annual summer meet at Saratoga.

The action, approved unanimously Tuesday by the state panel that monitors NYRA's finances, finalizes a key transfer process permitting the fire station project to proceed. However, there are a number of other environmental and other reviews that still need to be completed, and a legal challenge could further delay development of the station.

Williams noted the effort has the backing of groups representing Thoroughbred horsemen and breeders groups.

"Today we are only considering the grant of an easement to the city, nothing else,'' Williams told the oversight board members.

NYRA noted that the new location would work for the community and the track.

"This fire/EMS station will provide residents of Saratoga Springs with year-round emergency service from a location that will reduce response times and contribute to the health and safety of the community," said NYRA spokesman Patrick McKenna. "In addition, the station as proposed will provide an extra layer of safety and security for historic Saratoga Race Course itself and its fans. We are pleased that this important project continues to move forward."