NICHOLS, N.Y. (WENY) -- Back on November 9th, 2023, a man burned down a horse barn at Tioga Downs, killing 30 racehorses inside. Fast forward to today, there seems to be a little good that has come from the tragedy.
Construction for a new barn is nearing completion, to replace the one that burned down.
“Home Construction Inc. Took a chance on me to help them,” Caleb Goodrich, owner of Goodrich Custom Contracting, said.
Goodrich said this is his first, big job since he started his company about a year ago. He added being asked to be head of construction for the rebuild means a lot to him because what happened last year had an impact on him.
“I grew up on a small farm out in Owego and we had horses,” he said. “It was a really terrible thing to hear about all of the horses that died in the accident.”
Goodrich said the new barn will be similar to the old one, with a few changes.
“There are a couple of walkways that we had to put in... per code...that aren’t in other barns,” he said. “53 stalls in this barn...other barns have upwards of 60 stalls.”
The barn will also have new, freshly paved flooring to give the horses a level ground to trot on. Goodrich said a lot of work went into building the 180-foot-by-72-foot-wide barn from the ground up, with work starting in February. Everything from framing and interior work to gates and hardware was considered, he added.
“All the people that own the horses are really excited to have a new barn,” he said. “All the barns at Tioga Downs are older...most of them were built 40 or 50 years ago.”
Construction will be wrapped up in about a week, and racehorses will soon be able to enjoy their home away from home at Tioga Downs.