Group rallies against Freedom Park racetrack

From The Morning Call -- October 9, 2005

Group rallies against Freedom Park racetrack

Proposal calls for slot machines and horse racing on 240 acres in Palmer Township.

By Tracy Jordan Of The Morning Call

''No Freedom'' was the chant Nancy Werkheiser elicited from about 40 people who gathered inside a Tatamy church to rally against the proposed Freedom Park thoroughbred racetrack and slot-machine parlor to be built on 240 acres less than a mile away in Palmer Township.

Werkheiser's daughter, Deanne, and People Against the Race Track, organized the event to inspire area residents to attend a 1 p.m. hearing Monday to testify before the state Horse Racing Commission on the application for the racetrack.

If built, Nancy Werkheiser said, area residents will have no freedom from congestion, the odors from 1,000 horses producing 50,000 pounds of manure and 10,000 gallons of urine a day, and the crime and social problems known to follow gambling operations.

''The one freedom they can't take away, is our freedom of speech,'' Werkheiser said, encouraging the group to attend the hearing in the Hampton Inn on Route 248 in Lower Nazareth Township.

The rally inside Hope Lutheran Church featured several speakers, including Tatamy Mayor Luke Duignam, who decried the complacency of the people who believe the proposal is dead because of the focus on the slots casino proposed for south Bethlehem.

''Because it's going to happen in Bethlehem, they think they won't put another casino near Easton,'' Duignam said. ''This is the complacency that can hurt you.''

Duignam and others said the location is inappropriate because it is next to the Nazareth Area Middle School and near churches.

Deanne Werkheiser said the rain kept some people from attending the rally, which featured a donated performance from the musical group UUU because its leader lives in Palmer Township.

If heavy rain didn't flood out and close Tatamy Road near the proposed entrance to the racetrack and casino combination, called a ''racino'' by the gambling industry, more people may have attended, Werkheiser said.

The group has been collecting signatures on a petition and letters of protest to present to the commission because the hearing is being held in the middle of the work day, when many people cannot attend.

So far, about 2,000 people have signed the petition. Deanne Werkheiser said it's rare someone declines to sign, indicating widespread opposition to the gambling operation.

tracy.jordan@mcall.com 610-559-2148 ==============================================================

Residents protest against horse track About 50 dodged flooded streets to attend rally opposing a racetrack. Sunday, October 09, 2005 By SARAH MAUSOLF The Express-Times

TATAMY -- Although flooding blocked several main roads into Tatamy on Saturday, more than 50 people showed up at Hope Lutheran Church for a rally against a proposed racetrack in Palmer Township.

"I was hoping to have more," said Deanne Werkheiser, co-founder of citizens' group People Against the Racetrack, which formed in 2003 to protest the project. "I got phone calls from people saying, 'We're trapped. The roads are flooded. We can't get through.'"

Still, she was pleased some people were able to make it to the rally, which featured music, speakers and information tables.

The rally was intended to draw attention to a public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, Werkheiser said.

100% Purses Inc. proposes a racetrack, hotel, entertainment complex and upscale restaurants on about 485 acres in the township's northern tier.

The state Horse Racing Commission is weighing three competitors for the state's sole remaining thoroughbred license. During the hearing, the commission will gauge the impact Freedom Park would have on the local community as it considers the project for the thoroughbred license.

In the future, 100% purses also plans to apply for a gaming license for slot machines.

Werkheiser, a church secretary from Tatamy, said her main concern is the racetrack's proximity to Nazareth Area Middle School.

"Here is a drug-free zone, an alcohol-free zone, a gun-free zone, a destructive behavior free zone," she said. "We're going to have it all on display right next door."

Several residents from Palmer and Tatamy said they fear the project would change a community they find quiet and peaceful.

People are going to be coming through my development. It's going to be smelly. It's going to be chaotic. It's going to bring all types of addicts," said Karrie Rushing, 31, who recently moved to Palmer Township to escape congestion.

When 30-something guitarist Doug Mackie bought his first home in Palmer Township last year, no one mentioned the proposed racetrack.

Mackie and his band, UUU, a party cover band with no political affiliations, performed at Saturday's rally against the Freedom Park racetrack.

"There must be a million ways to make money in this world," he said. "Horseracing is probably the worst way to make money in this world."

These days, he said an Internet gambling setup would rake in more money than horseracing.

"It's archaic," he said. "I understand there are people who do horse racing that's really cool. I'm all about that. But when it comes down to it, most people gamble on the internet. They gamble on vacation. No one vacations in Palmer, Pa."

Tatamy Mayor Luke Duignam was among the speakers at the event. He said people should not become complacent by assuming the slots license will go to Bethlehem rather than Palmer Township. He said the proposal would bring major traffic problems to the area.

No plans have been submitted to Palmer Township for the racetrack.

Recently, Santanna has said the project is a unique proposal that would bring a world class racetrack to the community.

In 2002, he said Freedom Park would bring $500 million worth of construction, more than 1,000 jobs and upwards of $50 million to the local economy, a proposal he thought the Horse Racing Commission would embrace.

He has said the project would allow the township to preserve numerous acres of farmland used to grow food for the horses.

Santanna could not be reached Saturday for comment about the rally.

( Reporter Sarah Mausolf can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at smausolf@express-times.com.

Source: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b1_3rallyoct09,0,7190576.story

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