HUDSON, Wis. - Governor Scott Walker was in Hudson on Tuesday to announce a state grant for the redevelopment project involving the former St. Croix Meadows dog track.
The building and land has sat empty for 17 years and soon the land will be transformed into offices, a brewery, a baseball stadium for a Northwoods League team and more. Right now, the building is being demolished.
This site has a turbulent history. The track opened in 1991 and was used to race greyhound dogs. The owners quickly ran out of money and people took issue with the treatment of the dogs and gambling in their community. The track closed in 2001 and sat empty ever since. Attempts at trying to create the space into something usable failed over the years.
The governor spoke on Tuesday, and the media received a tour of the site and got an update on the project.