Groundbreaking ceremony for a North Florida Quarter Horse track

It's a new day for the citizens of Gretna, said Mayor Helen Franks on a cold Tuesday afternoon during the groundbreaking ceremony for a Quarter Horse racing track and gaming facility.

The site is an 140-acre cotton field off State Road 12 at Interstate 10. Attorney and developer David Romanik said getting the track had been almost a four-year project and it wasn't easy.

Though the state granted Gretna Racing LLC a permit in September 2008 to build the track, Romanik and business partner Paul Micucci went through eight lawsuit victories, including challenges from dog track owners, and three legislative sessions to get the plan approved.

Once the quarter horse track is built, it will be visible from I-10, luring valuable customers, Romanik explained.

"The future is bright," he told nearly 50 people who attended the ceremony. "We're just going to keep going on from here."

For now, Romanik said there will be a race track, poker room and equine arena with a horse barn. But as the facility grows in popularity, hotel sites will be built.

Partnering on the project is the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, who own 70 percent of the land, Romanik added.

Gretna City Manager Antonio Jefferson said he was grateful for the partnership and overall opportunity for change.

"The Poarch community in Alabama is just like ours," he said. "They are a minority community and they understand what it takes."

"One of the things that we are committed to in Gretna is creating opportunity for the people in our community," he added. "This project has the potential to change the economics for Gretna, Gadsden County and the region."

Mayor Franks agreed.

"We are so excited about what is about to happen for us in Gretna," she said. "We're ready to get Gretna back to where it was."