Saratoga Casino and Raceway held a
“topping out” ceremony on Sept. 1 for its hotel
construction project.
Officials said the ceremony marked the
project reaching its peak height, as the final
piece of steel was erected to the top of the
structure.
A group of over 75 attended the ceremony,
including construction workers, casino
employees and union officials. Owners and
executives of Saratoga Casino and Raceway,
Kirchhoff-Consigli Construction Management
and Tishman Construction, an AECOM
company, joined dozens of ironworkers in
signing the final piece of steel with their well
wishes for the project.
In accordance with tradition, a Douglas fir
and American flag were also hoisted up on the
final piece of steel.
“The impressive rate at which this project is
being built is testament to the hard work of our entire construction team,” said Tom Wiedmayer,
executive vice president and general manager
of Saratoga Casino and Raceway. “We are
particularly thankful for our long and
successful partnership with the Greater Capital
Region Building and Trades Council, whose
members have done a tremendous job in
reaching this important milestone.”
According to casino officials, since breaking
ground on May 27, the expansion of the facility
and construction of a new hotel has generated
more than $100,000 in sales tax revenue. Some
12,000 cubic yards of backfill have been used to
bring the site up to grade, 1,500 cubic yards of
concrete have been placed for the foundations,
and 650 tons of steel have been hoisted into
place. The work has been accomplished with
nearly 12,000 logged man hours.
Set to open for the summer of 2016, the
$34 million, 123,000-square-foot hotel project is being managed by a joint venture between
Kirchoff-Consigli Construction Management
and Tishman Construction, an AECOM
company. The hotel was designed by JCJ
Architecture, the same firm that designed the
casino’s original gaming floor, as well as the
2007 expansion featuring additional gaming
space, the Garden Buffet and Vapor nightclub.
Since its initial design, minor modifications
have been made to the Saratoga Casino Hotel,
bringing the room count to 117, including nine
suites. Amenities in the hotel will include an
indoor pool, fitness center, lobby bar, meeting and banquet rooms, and signature fine dining
restaurant.
Saratoga Casino and Raceway, on Crescent
Avenue in Saratoga Springs, features over
1,700 slots, electronic table games, Vapor, two
full-service restaurants with buffets, a casual
dining restaurant, three full-service bars, deli
and a variety of guest services including valet
parking and coat check. Operating hours for
the gaming facility are 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. every
day. Simulcast races can be viewed seven days
a week and live harness racing runs March
through mid-December.
Photo Courtesy Saratoga Casino & Raceway