Track Closure Latest Blow To Town’s Economy End To Dog Track Follows Closing Of Louisiana-Pacific’s Mill In Post Falls

The decision to cease dog racing at the Coeur d’Alene Greyhound Park and lay off some 200 employees is the latest economic disappointment for Post Falls.

Just a few weeks ago, Louisiana-Pacific announced the closure of its Post Falls mill and the loss of 113 jobs. The mill closes in two weeks.

Earlier in the year, the city lost its bid to attract Micron Technology Inc., with its estimated 1,300 light industrial jobs.

The Micron plant was to have gone on land owned by Watson and Associates, which had proposed the 600 acres as a giant mall development. Since Micron passed on the site, Watson has drastically scaled back plans for its proposed Expo mall and is inching forward with less-ambitious commercial development.

“It hurts the local economy substantially,” said Mayor Jim Hammond about the track’s demise. “We were finally making substantial headway, and here we’re hit with two closings right after another. Those people were making money and contributing to the local economy.”

Hammond attributed part of the track’s decision to the recent controversy over the treatment of dogs at the track.

“People focused on some dog abuse problems that occurred several years ago…and nobody cared about the people” working there, Hammond said.

Employees at the track were reluctant to share their reactions Tuesday afternoon. Those who did said they were unsure whether they’ll still have jobs after December.

“I can’t imagine a track here and no racing,” said one concessionaire who declined to give her name.

In the sparsely populated gambling hall, a few people betting on simulcast horse racing shared their opinions. One man from Spokane said he was “tickled to death” the track was closing because he lost too much money there - $150,000 in six months.

But several gamblers said they were disappointed and thought the track deserved more support from the community.

“It’s a little too early to pull the plug,” said Stan Woodhurst, who has frequented the track since it opened. “I don’t want to go to the reservation to do my gambling. I want to come here.”

The end of dog racing should not have any major impact on the city’s tax revenue.

Assessed at $4.2 million, the track is among the top 10 contributors to the Post Falls tax base. Of that, the city got $21,700 from the track last year.

“The biggest impact will be on tourism promotion agencies and the money they’ll lose,” said Tom Taggart, Kootenai County administrator. Last year, the Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls tourism bureaus collected $136,123 based on the amount of betting done at the track, he said.

“They were already hurting, because every year it was going down,” Taggart said.

Hammond knew the track was not doing as well as expected. He could see it from his freeway commute home from the Spokane Valley.

“You just worry that there aren’t enough cars there to keep the place open,” he said.

, DataTimes