Lone Star building new offices

Lone Star Park is constructing a new racing administration building on its backstretch. The project cost is $1.4 million, with $500,000 of that amount funded by the city of Grand Prairie. The building is scheduled to be occupied before the start of the Thoroughbred season April 10.

In addition to racing operations, the new building will house the track kitchen and offices for the stewards, the track chaplain, the Texas Racing Commission, and the Texas Horsemen's Partnership.

The new building is being constructed on the site of the old one, which had been in place since Lone Star opened in April 1997.

"The temporary modular units from when the racetrack was built finally reached a tipping point," said Drew Shubeck, president and general manager of Lone Star. "There was some mold, a faulty roof, and some air-conditioning problems."

Shubeck added that the original building was never meant to be a permanent structure.

"When it was first constructed, there was no slab," he said. "As maintenance issues and repair costs escalated, it made more sense to build a permanent structure."

* Terry Brendel, a former jockey and a valet at Lone Star, died in his sleep on Jan. 4, according to Lone Star chaplain Sam Spence. He was 47. Services for Brendel were held at Lone Star on Wednesday. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Race Track Chaplaincy Benevolence Fund.