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Prairie Meadows Gets Approval For $8 million Renovation Project
Prairie Meadows renovations will include improvements to its racing clubhouse.

© Coady Photography
Prairie Meadows Gets Approval For $8 million Renovation Project

ALTOONA, IA—JANUARY 10, 2017— The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has approved more than $8 million in renovations for two projects at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino.

Prairie Meadows chief executive officer Gary Palmer said that $6 million of the renovations are for the convention center area adjacent to the casino.

"It’s going to be all new carpet, lighting, wallpaper, it will have a whole new look to it when we are done with it," Palmer said. "We opened this in 2006, so it’s time to remodel before it looks like it needs (to be) remodeled."

Palmer said the new lighting system will allow Prairie Meadows to specialize the color of the rooms. "We have so many different people who want different things for conventions, weddings," Palmer said. "This new lighting system we are putting in, if we are having a wedding or anniversary and yellow are their colors are say yellow — we can make that whole room yellow for you — it will accent because of our lighting."

Palmer said they are working on the board room and break out rooms and will work until June when they have a lot of bookings. He said they should be able to finish the rest of the renovations there by August.

Prairie Meadows also plans to spend $2.7 million to renovate the clubhouse on the fourth floor that is used for racing.

"We are going to completely redo it in colors, carpet, wall coverings, monitors — just completely redo the clubhouse on the east and west side," Palmer said. "We are going to do the east side now before racing season."

Horse racing starts in April, and Prairie Meadows will do the renovations the west side of the clubhouse after the season is over.

The Racing and Gaming Commission approved the project at its meeting last week at Prairie Meadows.