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Progress reported on new development in Fort Erie

Mike Desmond/wbfo news

The Fort Erie Race Track might become the centerpiece of a major tourist attraction.

With developer Carl Paladino the most visible of the track owners since taking over last year, the owners are working with the regional government on a $284 million project on land which is part of the track. The Regional Council has now started the process for some incentives to go forward.

Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop says this might bring back the slot machines which were at the race track.

"This is an opportunity for us to say to the province, we've got the motor speedway, we've got the race track, we've got the marina. We've got a lot of activity in Fort Erie now," Redekop said.

"We've got the potential to attract a lot of people and we should have the slots back. There's no reason why they were taken out and there is every reason why they should be returned."

When the slot machines were running at the race track, they were spinning off millions of dollars into the town treasury. There was a bitter fight with the Ontario government when the slots were closed. Redekop says with the development plan including two-hotels, an indoor water park and a large apartment building, they would bring more people to the town, the race track and the slot machines.

Mike Desmond is one of Western New York’s most experienced reporters, having spent nearly a half-century covering the region for newspapers, television stations and public radio. He has been with WBFO and its predecessor, WNED-AM, since 1988. As a reporter for WBFO, he has covered literally thousands of stories involving education, science, business, the environment and many other issues. Mike has been a long-time theater reviewer for a variety of publications and was formerly a part-time reporter for The New York Times.