Wonderland owners pay back taxes, bills to Revere
By Katheleen Conti, Globe Staff
REVERE -- Owners of Wonderland Greyhound Park wired a lump sum payment today of $752,301 to the city of Revere to cover two years worth of back taxes and utility bills, as well as the first two quarters of the current tax year, including interest, city officials said.
The payment makes the track current on its debts to the city through Dec. 30, takes it out of foreclosure, and comes just in time for an operating license reapplication hearing Thursday afternoon with the State Racing Commission.
"I would assume that that had something to do with it," Mayor Thomas G. Ambrosino said of the timing of the payment. "I'm very happy that they made the payment. It allows them to continue operating."
Track owners, who have also been in the middle of revocation hearings on their liquor and parking licenses with the Revere License Commission, made the payment on the heels of a collections suit filed against them by the city last Friday at Suffolk Superior Court. But James J. Cipoletta, the track's attorney, said the payment wasn't made in response to the latest suit, but that it had been in the works prior to that.
"The track had expected to pay, from the proceeds of refinancing and restructuring debt, a sizeable amount of money to the city a couple of weeks ago," Cipoletta said. "But the closing on the refinancing agreement was delayed by the lenders until this week."
City officials moved to foreclose on the track in July for failure to pay $789,293 in taxes and $16,674 in water and sewer bills dating back to 2006. Despite its delinquency and a lien that had been placed on the property in June 2007, the track continued to receive annual liquor and parking license renewals from the License Commission, in violation of a local ordinance. Ambrosino asked the License Commission last July to move forward with the revocation hearings, which he said are now moot.
Before today's payment, the struggling racetrack and the commission were in the middle of discussing a payment plan. The track paid the city $175,000 last month and $20,000 this month, said George M. Anzuoni, Revere's director of finance.
The future of the racetrack, which opened in 1935, is threatened by a proposed ban on dog racing in the state, scheduled for a vote Tuesday. In August, Wonderland and neighboring Suffolk Downs agreed to a partnership that would aid them in a possible bid for a casino.
"They're looking forward to putting this behind them," Cipoletta said. "It creates a better climate for their business."
Katheleen Conti can be reached at kconti@globe.com
Comment
Permalink
Email
Hopefully question 3 passes and they are forced to close anyway.
They should have kept the money and set up a retirement fund for their employees that wont have jobs in 2010.
Vote NO on Question 3! If you don't like dog races, stay home! Stop interfering with other peoples entertainment and business.
Please, let us enjoy the abuse of dogs... just stay home if you don't like it. Stop interfering with other people's entertainment.
Doesn't sound so good anymore, huh?
Prohibit dog racing and you will end countless cases of animal abuse.
PROTECT DOGS and vote YES on Question 3!!!!
I am sure the Animal Rights crowd will chime in on this sometime soon. One of the things I find amusing is that the more that they talk, the more their true colors come shining through. It's not that they love dogs, they just hate people.
It's unfortunate that people who are voting yes to question three don't realize how many people will lose their jobs or how unfortunate that there will be so many dogs that will lose the opportunity of good homes. If Wonderland closes who will hold the adoption for the greyhounds. We have found many great homes for them in the past and would like to continue. Also, don't forget the patrons that have practically lived at Wonderland day after day this is the home away from home and keeps them going. As much as people don't realize Wonderland Dog Track is a landmark and it will be very much missed. It 's unfortunate if the place gets closed down.
Hey Archimedes,
Stop interfering with a dogs right to be a dog. Those workers choose to work there, the dogs do not.
Vote YES on Question 3 !!!
I am not going to stay home knowing how dogs are being treated. I am not a lazy degenerate like you may be sir. I am going to get out and vote to have this question passed....and it will pass. The track is failing anyway.
It makes me sick to my stomach to see what a profit driven industry does (abuse of animals). I hear their JOBS what about the animal NOTHING. They don't care about those Greyhounds. Maybe the people/screwballs that enjoy watching the abuse of animals will come back in their next life as a GREYHOUND and die on the track. The Globe and Herald run daily the race tracks results which is a PROFIT for them. They care less about the dog only the money. I am voting YES on Question Three and hope everyone else does. The truth speaks for itself and these animals are ABUSED. STOP IT NOW....
Considering that this organization can't even pay taxes and utility bills, I highly doubt that they invest any money in caring for the poor greyhounds. Hopefully we get a Yes vote on Question 3.
GREYHOUNDS ARE BRED TO RACE.WHY NOT MODIFY THE RULES AND FORCE PROPER CARE OF THESE DOGS.IF SOMEONE WANTS TO GET INVOLVED IN REGULATING WE COULD MAKE PROVISIONS FOR THAT AS WELL.I DON'T THINK IT'S FAIR FOR PEOPLE TO WANT TO ELIMINATE ANYTHING THEY DON'T AGREE WITH.FIND SOME MIDDLE GROUND.
No one with a brain could possibly be in favor of dog racing once they find out how these dogs are being treated. You need to talk to some of the people who actually work with the dogs at the track to learn the real story. To make them win races, dogs get drugged, and to make them lose, they get kicked in the balls. (That's just the tip of the iceberg).
It's too bad that people will lose jobs and that some people lose entertainment - but if that's our only criteria for public regulation we might as well legalize selling drugs on the street and resume gladiator fights to the death. Both would create lots of jobs and what the heck - those who suffer from the effects aren't people we care about.
Felicia
Nothing in your article makes sense. A 'landmark', Gee any input on the care of the dogs. Adoption and where would they go. Who do you think has been a major home finder for those dogs GREY2K adoption not you. Adoption would not be such a big issue if you did not have the tracks breeding these dogs for profit and when they had there fill of them off they go and last stopping the track would stop the needless injuries. So eliminating them solves the problems that arise from the tracks being around.. And your comment about the patrons leads me to believe that you are one yourself since you care so much, get your head checked... And Maurice regarding the greyhound bred to run so are pitbulls bred to fight and tear each other apart-same point..... I just wish people like you two would listen to yourself before you speak stupidness.
wonderland is pretty much washed up anyway..I think it is a matter of time before they would start losing money.. There are only a couple hundred real dejenerates that go there now..I remember years back when there was 5,000 people there on a friday night..The casinos and poker have taken over. If I was young getting into gambling I know I wouldn't go to that toilet wonderland. There are much better options out there.. Wonderlands time has come..It's a dinosaur....
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
INside Boston.com
LOCAL BLOGS
Universal Hub
The Chinatown Blog
CommonWealth Magazine
Red Mass Group
Blue Mass Group
Boston 1775
The Berkeley Beacon
The Daily Collegian
The Daily Free Press
The Harvard Crimson
The Heights
The Huntington News
The Suffolk Voice
The Tech
The Tufts Daily