The Foxborough Effect: Holyoke Says NO!

"Lashinger said he was surprised that Morse's only question was whether the group could develop a casino elsewhere, after Lashinger had first said that Hard Rock had other options but believed Holyoke was the best choice."




Casino executives plot courses for Western Massachusetts, following meetings with municipal leaders in Holyoke and Springfield
By Dan Ring, The Republican

A casino plan is slowly advancing in Springfield, but a similar proposal for Holyoke could be in trouble, following separate meetings in both communities with municipal leaders and casino executives who want to build in the cities.

During a meeting on Monday, Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse said he let a top executive for Hard Rock International, a giant entertainment company, know that he is opposed to a casino for Holyoke. Hard Rock and a local development group want to build a gambling resort on the 100-acre Wyckoff Country Club off Interstate 91 in Holyoke.

In Springfield, a proposed casino received a better reception. Kevin E. Kennedy, the chief development officer for the city, said he is working with other city officials on a plan to assure that Springfield gets the best deal from any possible casino operator. Kennedy and other city officials met for the first time last week with leaders of a Nevada company proposing a gambling resort on Page Boulevard in the city.

In Holyoke, Morse, who was sworn into office Jan. 3, and other leaders in his administration met for about 45 minutes on Monday with James F. Allen, CEO of gaming operations for Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida; Anthony L. Cignoli, a partner in Paper City Development, which is a local development group teamed up with Allen, and Joseph Lashinger Jr., a former Pennsylvania state lawmaker and managing partner in the local group.

Morse said he listened to their presentation and let them know he was opposed. Morse said Allen and the others didn't tell him anything that he didn't already know.

Morse said the meeting was straightforward and that he is staying true to his anti-casino platform during his campaign. Morse said he will soon spell out his position on casinos in a letter that will be made public and will be applicable to anyone interested in a casino for Holyoke.

"As I said throughout the campaign, I do not want a casino in the city of Holyoke," said Morse, who said he wants to build the city's economy around technology, innovation, the arts, a revitalized downtown and a high-performance computing center now under construction.

Morse said a casino proposal can't move forward in Holyoke without the support of his administration and the City Council.

Cignoli and Lashinger said they didn't think they heard anything definitive from Morse about the future of the proposed Holyoke casino, which they said would create about 2,000 permanent jobs and 2,000 construction jobs. [The jobs figures are overstated and differ from previous figures offered.]

Lashinger said he was surprised that Morse's only question was whether the group could develop a casino elsewhere, after Lashinger had first said that Hard Rock had other options but believed Holyoke was the best choice.

Lashinger said the planned $500 million to $600 million casino resort is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Holyoke. The project is a "win-win" that would create tourism, jobs and revenues for city government, he said. "I don't know how you can take a pass other than the emotionalism of anti-casino," he said.

Last Thursday in Springfield, Kennedy said he and other city officials, including City Solicitor Edward M. Pikula and Lee C. Erdmann, chief administration and finance officer for Springfield, met with a couple of leaders of Ameristar Casinos Inc. of Las Vegas.


Kevin Kennedy
Kennedy said city officials were obligated to listen to Ameristar, but it's difficult to plan because the rules and regulations for siting a casino still need to be approved and released by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, a regulatory agency created in a new casino law.

Kennedy said a group of city officials will begin putting together a document that could serve as a general agreement with any possible casino company that wants to locate in the city and could lay out possible benefits for Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and the City Council to help them decide on casinos. Kennedy said the document could be a starting point for negotiations with any casino developer in Springfield, not just Ameristar. Kennedy said the city may need to hire expert advice to help in the process.

Under a new state law that legalized casinos, developers need to sign comprehensive deals with officials of communities where they want to locate and then place the details before the community's voters for an up or down vote.

The law authorizes up to three casino resorts in the state including one for anywhere in the four counties of Western Massachusetts.

An agreement could include road or other infrastructure improvements, taxes, fees, guarantees for local jobs and local vendors, assurances to help existing venues such as Symphony Hall, City Stage and the Mass Mutual Center and other provisions.

Kennedy said there will be "a community-wide discussion" on a possible casino for Springfield.

"This has to be good for the community," Kennedy said. "Otherwise, the community won't vote for it."

Kennedy said it's possible another casino company could make a proposal for Springfield, though Ameristar is offering the only formal proposal at this point. He said he would work with casino companies in drafting an agreement.

"We anticipate having to negotiate a host community agreement," Kennedy said. "We have to get it in place."

Troy A. Stremming, senior vice president of government relations for Ameristar, said the meeting last week went well and served as "a great introduction" for the company.

Ameristar should close this month on the purchase of 41 acres off Page Boulevard and Interstate 291 for a casino resort, he said. Ameristar plans to pay $16 million for the land of the former Westinghouse plant.

Stremming said he would encourage the city to work on a host agreement that could apply to any casino applicant.

Stremming said Ameristar plans to establish a local office in Springfield and hire an employee to represent the company in the city. The company aired its plans during a meeting on Dec. 6 in Springfield attended by about 500 people.