CHEYENNE — Over the weekend, a survey began circulating throughout the community, gauging local excitement for the proposed horse racing track at Frontier Park.
It consists of seven questions. Some ask how residents feel about the city or county enforcing eminent domain around the park to expand parking, increasing local taxes to fund infrastructure upgrades, using county funds for odor abatement or bringing in out-of-state workers instead of hiring local.
While the survey markets itself as being in support of the project, it’s just a push poll, an attempt to influence the views of prospective voters under the appearance of conducting an opinion poll.
Horse racing at Sweetwater Downs in Rock Springs in 2022.
Tyler Johnson/Rocket Miner
Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins said he received around 40 calls and 20 emails on Monday from residents concerned they could lose their home to eminent domain and other worries related to the contents of the survey.
“To be scaring folks and making them unsure that their local government could do that to them, it’s unconscionable,” Collins said.
This comes just ahead of a Laramie County Board of Commissioners vote on Tuesday to authorize the owner, Accel Entertainment, to apply for a gaming license from the Wyoming Gaming Commission.
While the Laramie County Clerk’s office hasn’t been advised to remove Accel’s application for approval from Tuesday’s agenda, it is possible this issue will mean they postpone their request to the county.
Accel Entertainment is entering into a lease with Cheyenne Frontier Days to host horse racing at Frontier Park as Frontier Racing, LLC. CFD CEO Tom Hirsig said he doesn’t know who made the survey, but it is harmful to community knowledge about the project.
“Why would they tie anything to eminent domain? We’ve never talked about that. Or taxes? Well, there’s no increased taxes for this,” he said. “It’s more likely a competitor, somebody else that has gaming in Cheyenne or wants to build a track here. Somebody competing with us, trying to stir up the community.”
The only competitor in town would be Thunder Plains Park, LLC, a proposed mile-long horse racing track east of town, just north of the Hillsdale exit off Interstate 80.
Ryan Clement, co-owner of Thunder Plains, told the WTE that he knew nothing about the survey and said Thunder Plains was not involved.
Laramie County Commissioner Gunnar Malm made it clear that the claims in this survey are false and harmful to discourse on the issue, while adding that the county doesn’t have the authority to enforce much of what is speculated in the survey.
“I can tell you unequivocally that there have been no discussions regarding eminent domain, or utilizing any Laramie County taxpayer dollars for horse racing at CFD or anywhere else in Laramie County,” Malm said.
“It’s also an unfortunate tactic to be used by somebody that is opposed to this potential project, whether it be a competitor or even a citizen, that would propagate false information that can be quite dangerous and damaging,” he continued. “It’s unfortunate that this kind of rhetoric has shown its head in local business development, something obviously people are accustomed to in political campaigns. But when it comes to businesses, it’s not something we’ve seen in our community before. And so, it’s very unfortunate.”
The survey purports to be from Great Lakes Gaming Research, which is not a real company or organization. The website domain was registered on Dec. 2 of this year.
Last Wednesday, about 40 community members gathered in the Frontier Park Event Center to hear a presentation from Accel about the horse track. Many of them spoke in opposition to the project due to the impact it may have on the surrounding residential areas.
Some worries concerned Accel’s legal history in its home state of Illinois, where it recently paid $1.1 million to the state to end a disciplinary case alleging violations of state law.
While this has alarmed many residents, Malm and Hirsig have both said it is not their duty to pass judgement of the legality of the business. That responsibility falls on the Wyoming Gaming Commission.
If Accel stays on Tuesday’s agenda, and if the county approves the resolution, Accel will then begin the application process for approval from the Wyoming Gaming Commission.
Thunder Plains received approval of a site plan at the last county commissioners meeting and said it will soon apply for approval from the Gaming Commission. Both racetrack projects anticipate opening sometime in 2024.
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Noah Zahn is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle’s local government/business reporter. He can be reached at 307-633-3128 or nzahn@wyomingnews.com. Follow him on X @NoahZahnn.
