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Legislation Delays Highly-Anticipated Massachusetts Casino

Posted on September 13th, 2010

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In Palmer, Massachusetts, many of its citizens have already anticipated having a casino built in their town. Apparently, more and more of Palmer’s residents have already warmed to the idea of a casino, especially if having one means the local economy will be padded with much needed revenues. With the news of the possibility that developer Mohegan Sun will build the casino, advocates of the casino have been getting more excited. Despite the delays in the passing of the expanded gambling bill in the state legislature, the owners of the Mohegan Sun, have assured the officials of the town that they are still committed to their plan of securing a casino license for the company and finally build a casino in an area near Exit 8 of the Massachusetts Turnpike. The executives of the company have also divulged their plans to two groups in the community, Citizens for Jobs & Growth in Palmer and Palmer Businesses for a Palmer Casino. The two organizations have been privy to the project, which has already been considerably scaled down.

These delays have been a cause of frustration in the local community. Last week, the Palmer Town Council President, Paul Burns already expressed impatience, bristling at the delays in approving the expanded casino bill by Governor Deval Patrick and the legislature, when these delays are already costing revenue and jobs. He adds, “At what point do we recapture what we’re losing to other states? If it’s Mohegan Sun, or if another operator came to Palmer, that would be good. We want this type of development here. And it isn’t so much who is here, it’s who can build it.” Burns said that the tribe owned company has already established its presence for more than a year in their town of 12,600 residents, and without the real casino structure in place, everyone feels like they are in limbo.

As of the moment, the real estate firm that owns that site near Exit 8, the Northeast Group, is already in partnership with a planning firm, Shook Kelley, which is based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The whole development of the 152 acre site is already planned with everyone anticipating the the economic gains the development would create. The real estate company, through its spokesman James St Amand said that their group, which has Leon Dragone in the helm, has an option to purchase an additional 360 acres in the area. This additional space is also suitable for development of more gaming facilities. St. Amand also talked about the participation of Shook Kelley. He said, “We think being involved with Shook Kelley puts us in a better position once the legislation is finalized. We’ve had a whole list of people coming to town and kicking the tires, but everyone’s waiting. We’ve had talk of hotels and more hotels and restaurants.”

In a public meeting held to discuss, among other things, the stalled casino plans, Shook Kelley projected that in the two days that they were on the town to survey the area, they have gathered enough information to come up with a plan after a minimum of four and maximum of six months. Among other things that the planning company projects as the benefits that a casino would bring to the city would be an opportunity for the town to have its tax base broadened, make more jobs available to the residents, and revive the entire area’s economy, just like in its heyday as a hub of the railroad industry.

Despite the original plan of the casino being downsized to accommodate the changes in the proposed legislation, as well as conditions in the market, many still peg a lot into the project, especially in its job creation aspect. The town is in need of a more reliable employment generator, especially after the closing of two major companies in the area, the shipping company Quaboag Transfer and Monson Developmental Center which translated into loss of employment for hundreds in the town.