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Refurbished Fort Erie Tcack Opens on Friday Spend ,500,000 to Modernize And Improve Facilities at Plant FORT ERIE, Ont., June 29. Scheduled to open a 37-day meeting on Friday, the Fort Erie Jockey Club provided turf writers with a preview look at the refurbished plant on Sunday. The Jockey Club set out on a ,000,000 improvement program extending over a three-year period. Opening day will show the public the results of ,500,000 spent in materials and effort designed to modernize and better the facilities of the border plant, bringing it steps ahead of any racing plant in Canada. A face-lifting affecting the entire area is in its final stages. The grandstand boasts an added tier which will seat 900 patrons, who will be able to look across the enlarged track, wager in the same section, and watch the horses in the paddock and walking ring "from- a patio at the rear of the stand. The infield boasts a new "tote" board which is capable of recording the wagers faster, and it is much easier to read than the former board. When landscaping of the infield is complete, banked lawns, two lakes and a waterfall will add to the beauty of the scenery. The infield will also provide a turf course which is being put in this year but will be given a year to settle. It will not be used until the 1955 meeting. The track itself has beenvwidened and resurfaced from the bottom up. There has been added work in the paddock and walking ring and a "tote" board has been added in the area for those who care to watch the walking and saddling before each race. The stewards, placing judges, camera operators and press all have new facilities. Fort Eries old clubhouse has been removed and a modernistic triple-tier bundling built in its place, with the lower two levels open, to patrons who prefer this atmosphere and the top tier is reserved for members of the Fort Erie Turf Club. The shoddy, old-fashioned look at Fort Erie is gone forever. In its place stands a racing plant designed for the comfort and convenience of the public, with provision for the most modern facilities. Fort Erie has come up with another innovation in its Telautograph system a means of notifying each paying window in the pari-mutuel department immediately upon its calculation, of the prices to be paid on each winning ticket.
