Harness Racing Communications, a division of the USTA

The town of Monroe, just a few miles from Goshen, New York, has received a $250,000 grant from the state Environmental Protection Fund to help buy and preserve the site of an old trotting track.

The site of the old Monroe Racetrack on Maple Avenue sits on more than 20 acres. Races were held there for nearly two decades starting in 1908. The grandstand was demolished in 1964 and the site has now largely returned to high grasses.

The area to be purchased is down a long driveway off Stage Road, just beyond a sign marking the site of the track. The town of Monroe has no specific plans for the property, other than to leave it undeveloped.