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The shovels are really in the ground.
No — I mean, that’s not a metaphor — they are in the ground. As we speak.
See photos at Horse Racing Insider, where a typically banal work environment suddenly feels like a reverie:
Heavy equipment tore up the tarmac in the parking lot where the arena will be built and trees were felled in part of Belmont’s former backyard, which now belongs to the Isles.
Belmont was abuzz with workers. Offices are setup both inside the grandstand and outside in trailers.
This is all happening one day after the hockey team got the final approval from the Franchise Oversight Board.
While not an official ground-breaking, ground is breaking nonetheless at Belmont Park where an arena will be built. pic.twitter.com/Ghsh24jyQY
— David Grening (@DRFGrening) August 14, 2019
Boy, the team owners and land developers weren’t kidding: Once they got the final yes, they were ready to go. As previously announced, a more formal “groundbreaking” event — think suits wearing hardhats and holding unblemished shovels — will be held for fans and dignitaries after Labor Day.
Objective: Fall 2021.