Glen Strandberg
Staff Writer

At the Oct. 25 Columbus City Council meeting, representatives from the North Metro Harness Initiative presented council members with a revised plan for the harness track and card room.

The design by KKE Architects had already been reviewed by the cityís planning commission, who then recommended the council accept and approve the modifications because there were no significant changes to what was agreed upon two years ago.

While it will not affect the scope of the project, the main alteration to the original proposal is the overall appearance of the building. According to Tom LaSalle, owner representative and Development coordinator, who led the presentation, NMHI wanted to give the track a specific look, or theme.

ìBecause of the timeframe when harness racing was very popular ó around the Turn of the Century and kind of up through the Depression ó we have looked at kind of going into that timeframe and looking for a ëtheme-ingí from that,î LaSalle said.

He went on to point out some of the details of the design that recall the Roaring 20s with an Art Deco look. The front exterior will be comprised primarily of brick and precast panels and metal.

The track side will feature an abundance of glass and windows.

Another adjustment will be the entire size of the facility, which has been downsized from 64,000 square feet to 58,200 square feet.

Tom Fox, president of Southwest Casino and Hotel Corp., a 50 percent partner with NMHI, spoke briefly during the meeting and noted that these decisions simply made sense for the project.

ìThat (the exterior) is probably the biggest change. The other changes are all just what I call ëprogram changesí to make the facility more efficient. There were areas that we didnít really need and so we didnít need to spend the money,î he said.

ìThis is the building that we want to build. This gives us a chance to do the 1920s and early 1900s, and gives us more of that feel as you walk into the property.î

The motion for acceptance and approval passed and Fox said he hoped to know more about the official ground-breaking sometime this week.

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