Plainville: Little noticed

During the March 26th Plainville Selectmen's meeting, little noticed was the statement by Mr. Piontowski that a traffic survey was currently underway.

It should be noted that this seems to be a light travel period, surely not considering the Patriots' games in Foxborough. Hmm.....

When the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe conducted a traffic survey on Route 44, it was done during a winter vacation, a period during which the road was close to deserted, not during the summer vacation gridlock.



Months to go for Plainridge negotiations
BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
March 27, 2012

PLAINVILLE - It could be months before the town is ready to start negotiating with Plainridge Racecourse over the track's proposal to bring 1,250 slot machines to the Route 1 facility.

Selectmen told track officials Monday a slot-machine agreement has never been negotiated in state history, so there is no blueprint for them to follow.

Board Chairman Robert Rose said he's so concerned about the issue that he got out of bed at 3 a.m. Saturday and started emailing questions to the new state gaming commission.

The commission has just formed and does not have a staff yet. Rose said the commissioners told him they have not yet written regulations for issuing slot machine or casino licenses.

Rose told track officials selectmen will need to know a lot more about the issue before getting into the thick of negotiations. "It's going to be some time before we can kick this off," he said.

Applicants for gaming licenses are required by a new state law to negotiate an agreement with the city or town where they intend to locate. The community must then approve of the agreement in a referendum before the applicant can apply for a state license.

Plainridge President Gary Piontkowski said the track intends to be transparent in the application process and will provide any information the town requests.

He said the track has opened a public information office and has offered office space to the opposition. He said he just hopes the debate stays focused on facts because he's seen some comments get personal.

Several residents attended the selectmen's meeting to express opposition to the slot machine proposal and to ask that the board hold public hearings so they can make their views known.

"I guarantee you there will be public hearings," Selectmen Robert Fennessy said. One of the organizers of the opposition, Mary-Ann Greaner, said a group has formed called "NoPlainvilleRacino.com."

She said the group has about 10 members so far from both Plainville and nearby towns.

Resident TJ Keen noted that Plainridge has lost money the past several years and asked what would happen to the property if it failed to get a slot machine license.

Piontkowski said the track has about 100 acres of land and it can be developed for other purposes if it does not get the license.

The residents also asked how much tax revenue the town could expect from the development of a slot machine parlor at Plainridge.

Town Administrator Joseph Fernandes said the state law requires the track to spend $125 million in improvements to its facility, so that would amount to $1.5 million to $2 million in property taxes for Plainville.

Not quite true as this article highlights: Caesars, Atlantic City settle tax appeal

He also said the process of negotiating an agreement with Plainridge will be a complicated one, and repeated that he believes the town should hire a consultant who has expertise to help with the process.

He said he wants to put out a request for proposals from potential consultants so the town can find the best one.

Piontkowski said state law requires the applicant to pay for the town consultant.