Commissioners discuss 307 Horse Racing

GOSHEN COUNTY – The Goshen County Commissioners convened for its first July meeting on Tuesday, July 11 at the Goshen County Courthouse. This meeting was originally scheduled for July 4; however, it was rescheduled because of the holiday.

Chairman Michael McNamee was present with fellow commissioner Aaron Walsh. Commissioner Justin Burkart was absent from the meeting for training in Laramie.

During the meeting, Wyoming natives Kyle Rideway and Jack Greer with 307 Horse Racing talked to the commissioners about the company, what it is and their plan for a location in Goshen County and answered questions about the facility.

Rideway said 307 Horse Racing is a Wyoming-first business dedicated to the horse industry, in the form of live racing, simulcasting and electronic games. This company provides live horse racing and off-track betting. At this time, they have nine permitted locations around the state, with eight of those facilities in operation.

“We have a location in Gillette, Sheridan, two in Casper, one in Douglas, Riverton, Rawlins and a large one down in Cheyenne,” Rideway told the commissioners. “In each of these communities, we work really hard with the city council, commissioners and local economic development to let them know why we’re there. We try to spend a lot of time educating people on the product and how it works.”

As a Wyoming business, he said they have worked hard to create a premier entertainment product to benefit the state. They also offer all of their full-time employees benefits, including 401K and health insurance.

“[These facilities] generate tax revenue for the cities and the counties, in places that desperately need it,” Rideway said.

At this time, it is estimated that a location in Goshen County could expect to have a tax revenue of $200,000 split between the county and the city. However, that number could be greater depending on the extra tax revenue that could be brought in from Nebraska.

“We have a location spotted out for here in Goshen County, but we are waiting to really firm up a lot of the details because, for us, it’s always does the county want us,” Rideway said. “For us to come to this community, we’re going to spend several million dollars to open this location in terms of machines, liquor license and fixing the facility. It’s a significant financial commitment for us, so we want to make sure we have the approval of the county and city.”

The facility and its security are designed to be a place where all customers, especially the core player which is women over 50-years-old, are going to want to come and will feel safe. All employees are required to be licensed by the state, go through a background check and pass a drug test.

To provide the county and city with an exit strategy if the facility is not the right fit for the community, Rideway proposed doing a term of approval. This would require the company to come in front of the commissioners and provide results after at least a three-year period.

McNamee told the two gentlemen the commissioners would like to refrain from casting a vote at this time. Since this topic also affects the city of Torrington, the commissioners would like a chance to meet with the mayor and councilmen to discuss their opinion.

Moving forward, the commissioners will meet with the council and collaborate with them on what is best for the city and county as a whole. A decision is expected to be made next week.

The commissioners approved the county to continue with Burns Insurance for the county’s insurance coverage.

WYDOT District Engineer Mark Ayen presented WYDOT’s State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for 2024-2029. The presentation gave the commissioners and those present in the audience an overview of the WYDOT, the proposed STIP and a chance to provide input.

WYDOT is made up of five districts total that divide the state. Goshen County is in district two. District two has a total of 1,597 miles of roadway and 664 bridges.

Ayen said WYDOT is facing many of the same inflation issues as other organizations. With this cost escalation, federal funding is not covering the cost of inflation leading to many projects being delayed. During their planning, he said $100 million of projects got pushed out further in the 2024 year.

“We’re still planning on doing those projects, it’s just taking us longer to get there,” Ayen said.

When planning the priority of the upcoming projects, Ayen said they evaluated the areas that needed work and then made their plans in accordance with their importance. On this STIP, Goshen County does have a few projects listed.

After the STIP is posted, it can be found on the WYDOT website.

The commissioners approved the fiscal year 2023-2024 budget. A copy of the county’s preliminary budget can be found at https://goshencounty.org/county-budgets-financial/goshen-county-proposed-budget/.

Both McNamee and Walsh thanked county employees for their hard work and voiced their appreciation for the department head and fiscal planning of previous years.

Goshen County Fire Warden Bill Law told the commissioners that at this time, he is still not recommending a change in fire restrictions.

The commissioners interviewed a library board candidate; however, no decision was made at the meeting.

During the public comment, county resident Linda Butler spoke to the commissioners about her concerns with Grayrocks Road.

According to Butler, a great number of people who drive on the road drive too fast causing bad road conditions and accidents. She asked the county to discuss potential solutions to the problem, including placing speed limit signs, having road and bridge blade the road more often and/or having a sheriff present to stop speeders.

The commissioners and employees with the Goshen County Road and Bridge discussed her concerns. As this topic was not an agenda item, a vote did not take place.

During the chairman’s opening comments, McNamee thanked all of the emergency management personnel who helped with the severe weather that has recently hit the county. He also expressed that his thoughts and prayers are with those who were negatively impacted by these storms.

The next meeting of the Goshen County Commissioners will take place Tuesday, July 18 at 9 a.m. in the Goshen County Courthouse at 2125 East A Street.