Contractors currently working on the expansion project at Tioga Downs banded together over the last month to collect 70 pounds of food and $1,700 that they donated to the Food Bank of the Southern Tier yesterday. LPCiminelli Project Manager Carl York spearheaded the effort, asking for food or monetary donations from each of the 23 contractors and 21 union groups currently working on the expansion project. Food Bank President and CEO Natasha Thompson says the donations will provide 4,200 meals for people in need across the Southern Tier. Tioga Downs Owner Jeff Gural also personally donated to the cause, saying that Americans should never go hungry. There are about 175 workers on the site of the expansion, which includes a 161-room hotel at Tioga Downs and a new clubhouse at the Tioga Golf Club. Gural says the construction is on schedule and the hotel should open Nov. 1.
