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June 8, 2010
Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting
Okemos, Michigan
Present: B. Alexander, A. Bennett, D.
Bolenbaugh, B. Boyd, M. Breuer-Bertera, C. Cary‑Davidson, P. Christou,
B. Gira, M. Sweeney, M. Walker
Absent: T. Barrett, F. Kayden
Guests: T. Stephens, P. Stommen, M.
Bouchard
President Boyd called the meeting to order at 12.25 p.m. A moment of silence was observed in memory of
Marshall Field and Vernon Hess. Motion was made by Christou, supported by Cary-Davidson, to approve the
minutes of the May 12, 2010, board meeting;
motion passed unanimously. Motion was made by Sweeney, supported by Cary-Davidson, to excuse the
absence of Barrett and Kayden; motion passed unanimously.
Legislative: Boyd reported that he will be attending
a dinner with Republican primary gubernatorial candidate Pete Hoekstra on
6/11. He also met with Brian Rooney,
candidate for U.S. Congress from Manchester, who is the son of Tim Rooney,
the owner of Yonkers Raceway. Rooney
said that he would be a proponent for the racing industry, and that he had
witnessed firsthand a mutually beneficial partnership between tracks and
horsemen in New York. Boyd has also made contact with
Governor Grahnholm’s office to request a meeting with the Governor. Boyd has received two communications back from
the Governor's office, and is hopeful that a meeting may be scheduled soon.
Boyd testified before the House Agriculture Appropriations
committee on 5/19 regarding horse racing’s importance to the Ag. industry and
the critical need for new revenue sources.
Richard Kalm, Director of the Michigan Gaming Control Board, also gave
positive testimony on the horse racing industry. Knight stated that the testimony created
interest and was well received by the committee members.
Knight reported that all 2011 budget bills are being sent
to Conference Committee to be finalized.
The total Ag. Equine portion of the Agriculture budget bill—Standardbred and
Thoroughbred--will be dependent upon the simulcast revenue and “outs” money
generated; and is projected to be approximately $5 million. Boyd requested that Knight identify what
portion of this total is attributable to Standardbred programs.
There will be 58 new House members and 29 new state
Senators, following the November election.
Guests: Mike Bouchard, Oakland County Sheriff
and Republican gubernatorial primary candidate,
was a guest at the meeting for approximately 40 minutes. He explained that he is not a supporter of
gambling; but horse racing is different because of its connection to family
farms and the agricultural industry.
Bouchard was a state Senator from 1991-99; Hazel Park was part of his
Senate district, and he was their point person in the Senate. He has always been supportive of the
agricultural industry and small business.
He believes that retaining current family businesses in Michigan is
equally as important as attracting new business to the state.
Boyd introduced Phil Stommen, who has applied for the Web
Content/Horsemen’s Representative position.
Phil met with the Personnel Committee this morning, and has some
exciting ideas regarding the new website.
Upon motion by
Bennett, supported by Alexander, the board adjourned to Executive Session
at 2:30 to discuss two items of
business. Upon motion by Bennett, supported by
Alexander, the board returned to regular session at 2:50.
Colt Stake: There has been a further revision in
the Colt Stake calendar since it was posted on the website. The three weeks of the Platinum series and
the Breeders’ Futurity, to be raced at Hazel Park, will be divided between a
Saturday and Monday, rather than being raced all in one night; in order to
preserve the continuity of the Hazel Park overnight program as much as
possible.
The May 15 Futurity nominations for foals of 2009 showed a
21 percent reduction compared to last year.
There were a total of 321 nominations; 264 Michigan sired and 57
out-of-state sired.
Hazel Park Track
Report: Boyd and Sweeney met
with Ken Marshall on May 17; among the issues discussed was the paddock time. MHHA and Hazel Park have both sent letters
to the MGCB requesting that the paddock time at Hazel Park be changed to one
hour prior to post time. Hazel Park is
currently not interested in a contract extension with MHHA, but will review
the situation again following 2011 date awards in October.
Hazel Park will be participating in the USTA’s “Back to
the Track” promotion scheduled for August 14-15. There will be promotions on Saturday
evening during the live program, and events are also scheduled for Sunday,
which is a dark day. Marshall
forwarded the preliminary schedule of events; details will be posted when
plans are finalized.
After the first 18 days of the meet, average live handle
is $73,827; compared to $78,351 last year.
Average export handle is $91,727; compared to $128,257 last year. Simulcast handle is down approximately 20
percent compared to last year.
Boyd requested that everyone brainstorm about what we can
do to better promote wagering at the tracks on our product. Among the ideas discussed was educating the
public and providing more information to new bettors on how to wager. These ideas will be incorporated into the
new website.
Website: The board has reviewed the home page
design and site map structure of the new website. The launch date for the new website is July
19. Testing will follow, and revisions
will be made where necessary.
Member Benefits: Breuer-Bertera presented a quote
received from Smith-Embry Insurance for a Third Party Liability and Multiple
Perils policy covering the entire membership.
Since members currently have the option of purchasing third party
liability through Harness Horsemen’s International for $100, it was
determined that the association will not purchase a blanket policy at this
time.
Financial: The board reviewed comparative
financial statements from April 2009 and 2010.
New Business: Rakieten presented an agreement which
the Michigan HBPA thoroughbred horsemen’s association made with Pinnacle Race
Course regarding $900,000 which will be contributed to Pinnacle from the
horsemen’s purse pool for payment of overdue bills. After a lengthy discussion, the
agreement was passed forward to our legal counsel for further review.
Fowlerville Colt Training Day is Sunday, June 20. The Fowlerville Horsemen’s group has
installed a flagpole in front of the grandstand, and will hold an “Honor Our
Troops” ceremony during the fair.
Fowlerville Fair received a $1,000 grant from the USTA for fair
promotions. Motion by Bennett, supported by Alexander, that MHHA assist in
sponsoring the t-shirt throw during the races at the Fowlerville Fair in the
amount of $300; motion passed unanimously.
The MHHA sends thoughts and best wishes to the John and
Joanne Putnam family.
There being no further business to come before the board
and upon motion by Breuer-Bertera,
supported by Walker, meeting was adjourned at 4:55 p.m.
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