File photo by Howard Owens.
Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. directors passed a pair of resolutions on Thursday advancing their look into a possible expansion of the Hotel at Batavia Downs. WROTB management has been talking about adding more rooms since last March.
Directors voted to contract with Bammel Architects of Orchard Park to provide conceptual design drawings per a request for proposal, at a cost of $76,000, and with Spectrum Gaming Group of Horsham, Pa., to perform a gaming market analysis, at a cost not to exceed $29,750 plus out of pocket expenses.
All directors, except newly appointed Erie County representative Timothy Callan, voted in favor of the resolutions, which could help determine whether adding 42 rooms to the 84-bed hotel is feasible.
Callan said after the meeting that many of his questions about the hotel in his role as Erie County’s deputy comptroller have gone unanswered. In the 17-member municipality board’s weighted voting system, he holds 24 of the 99 votes.
“A large number of our questions vis-à-vis my day job role were not answered by the corporation in the last couple of years,” he said. “So, when these two resolutions were presented yesterday at … the Batavia Downs Operations committee, I spent a great deal of time posing a large number of questions about both resolutions. I didn't feel like management gave me enough information to answer my questions about both of the proposed engagements.”
Callan said he was against paying an architectural or engineering design firm before conducting a market study. He voted against both measures because his questions “weren’t answered to my satisfaction.”
“Some of these questions pertain to the nature in which these vendors were acquired -- the competitive process in which they were pursued,” he said. “And so, and asking management questions about that yesterday, they didn't answer questions in a way that made me feel confident. And so that's why I chose not to vote for both items.”
Previously, Callan’s boss, Kevin Hardwick, called out WROTB’s 2021 decision to sell land to ADK Hospitality LLC of Buffalo to build the hotel and, then, its decision to buy it back from that group and the purchase price of the sale.
“While I wouldn't say that played a role in my decision as a director now, in voting on these two resolutions, it was certainly in the back of my mind, unanswered questions remaining about previous processes with the hotel,” he said.
Corporation President/Chief Executive Officer Henry Wojtaszek, when asked about Callan’s concerns, said that management “provided to board members everything necessary for them to make an intelligent vote.”
Wojtaszek said purchasing department staff explained the bidding process, adding that contracts were awarded to “the most responsible bidders at the best price.”
He also noted that the hotel has been experiencing a “high level of occupancy” in recent months.
“We’re looking forward to getting the results (of the study) and going from there,” he said.
In other action, the board:
-- Heard a report from Chief Financial Officer Jacquelyne Leach, who stated that $39,780 in surcharge from Batavia Downs Gaming wagering in February will be distributed to member municipalities;
-- Passed resolutions to contract with Alterity of Amherst as a insurance consultant for three years at a total cost of $120,000 and with Lawley of Buffalo to provide insurance coverage as “broker of record” for three years through May 31, 2027;
-- Passed a resolution authorizing WROTB to be an “ambassador sponsor: of the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park at a cost of $25,000.
