The local newspaper, Revere News, a local Casino Cheerleader genuflecting to the Mayor, Suffolk Downs and other politicians, made a pretty significant error in their reporting.
It's difficult to know if future ad revenues have blinded them or the desire to ingratiate themsselves to politicians - stroking egos for access, but this article betrays responsible journalistic standards.
Where is it reported that the cost to Massachusetts taxpayers will be + $500 million according to the report Senator Petrucelli either doesn't remember or refuses to produce?
Suffolk Downs release plans to address casino traffic issue
Suffolk Downs released plans last Friday to address regional transportation improvements as part of its proposal to build a resort-style casino adjacent to the 77 year-old horse track.
Only three days prior to the release of the plans, Suffolk Downs and Caesars Entertainment, its partner in the casino project, announced the $1-billion gaming, entertainment, and hospitality structure that, if granted a license from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission and pending votes in Revere and East Boston, will combine with the racing establishment there.
Critics of the proposed casino resort have repeatedly raised concerns over the impact a casino will have on the existing infrastructure and traffic coming through East Boston and Revere since talks began on the project in 2009.
But Councillor-at-Large Anthony Zambuto, who has worked closely with other city officials on the mitigation plans, said that "this is the best chance we'll ever have to mitigate the traffic situation on 1A and the Route 16 interchange."
"Any improvement is good," he added. "It's to (Suffolk Downs') benefit."
Indeed, Suffolk Downs has committed $40 million to improve the roads and intersections that will be paramount to the business should the casino be built at the track.
In preparation, Suffolk Downs has been working with the Boston-based transportation consulting firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) since 2009 to address the development.
“We’re committed to improving transportation conditions for residents, neighbors and regional commuters who have long experienced local traffic delays . . . And those improvements go far beyond the potential impacts of resort patrons,” said David Black, Senior Project Manager at VHB in a press release.
In Revere, plans include local roadway improvements designed to enhance safety and operation issues in some of the city's busiest areas. Reconfigured ramp connections will ease traffic from Rte. 60 and Bell Circle to improve the flow and provide greater access to route 1A, a press release from Suffolk Downs states.
Other improvements include:
Route16/Harris Street: Geometric modifications to improve operations and safety, and provide missing pedestrian phases; Route 145/Tomasello Drive: Enhanced intersection to improve Suffolk Downs Resort access and safety; Winthrop Avenue/Bennington Street: Curb relocations and lane reconfigurations to improve safety and traffic operations; Route 1A/Tomasello Drive: Signal and turning lanes to enhance primary Suffolk Downs Resort access and safety; Route 1A/Boardman Street: Flyover and Boardman intersection redesign to address deficient conditions and improve local access.
In addition, some of the money for the improvements will be spent to enhance connections to the Suffolk Downs MBTA station, local bus routes, a shuttle service to water transportation and Boston hotels, as well as access for bikers and pedestrians on Suffolk Downs property, along 1A, and in Orient Heights.
The press release further states that the transportation improvement will "eliminate the need for resort patrons to use neighborhood roads by enhancing connections to the site through the MBTA, private coaches and shuttles, and an aggressive Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan."
Results from a study conducted by Suffolk Downs and VHB, which are posted on the Suffolk Downs website, found that most people travel to and from Suffolk Downs along 1A from the north and south and through Revere via route 60.
In addition, the study found that 55 percent of visitation to the resort will occur from Friday through Sunday. During weekdays, most patrons are projected to come to the casino in the late afternoon and early evening hours.
The study also projects that nearly 12,500 vehicles will visit the resort on a weekly basis, slightly less than those at Foxwoods Casino and only a quarter of that of Logan Airport.
Fifteen percent of visitors will travel to Suffolk Downs using public transportation and private coaches and shuttles, the study also stated.
Energetic Leader Of East Boston Casino Fight Is Lifelong Resident
In East Boston, residents will vote on the proposal at a later date that’s not yet set. But already opposition is building, and it’s being led by Celeste Myers. Myers is powered by coffee. It’s 1 p.m. and that’s all she’s had to eat or drink this day. But it doesn’t slow her down, because she’s on a mission to tell as many people who will listen what a casino will do to East Boston.
“If we walk Maverick Square up until Central Square, we’ll see a lot of the small businesses that will be impacted,” Myers said. “That’s an important piece to see.”
Myers radiates energy as we walk around the square filled with small bakeries, restaurants and dry cleaners. She tells me she’s lived in East Boston for all of her 40 years. She works full-time in health care. She does a lot of community organizing on the side, usually around Eastie Pride day, political campaigns and festivals. She started No Eastie Casino with her brother late last year when the state legalized casinos.
“No one was really looking at this critically and really doing the work that the community was informed and making sure the impacted folks had a say,” she said. “I just felt the need to step up anything that’s going to threaten the way to life, I feel like that’s my responsibility to get involved.”
She and her brother, John Ribeiro, who lives in neighboring Winthrop, run the all-volunteer group. Recently they hosted a community meeting in a church basement. Ribeiro kicked it off with his vision.
“I believe East Boston’s best days are still ahead of it, not behind it,” Ribiero said. “And once this casino comes in, if it comes in, which is the plan of all of our elected officials, our best days will have been behind us.”
His sister tells the group she’s most worried about traffic.
“Studies show that we stand to see an increased traffic or visitor amount,” Myers said. “We don’t know how many cars that’s going to translate to, but 20,000 to 40,000 additional visitors in East Boston on [Route] 1A going to Suffolk Downs on a daily basis.
“Those of you live in the Orient Heights area or live in Winthrop. They ain’t going to make it there right, right because I can’t get home from work. We can’t get home as it is now.”
To ease the impact on traffic, Suffolk Downs and their casino partner say they’ll spend $40 million to improve local roads, including a flyover northbound on Route 1A. Myers said that’s not enough. Suffolk said the resort would create more than 4,000 jobs for residents. Myers said there’s no guarantee those jobs will actually go to locals. And Suffolk Downs said the casino would generate $200 million in new tax revenue. Myers said until the host community agreement is worked out and the casino is up and running, it’s unclear how much money East Boston could get.
The community has a history of activism. Residents have protested the extension of Logan Airport and the storage of hazardous materials. The one big difference in this fight, said Myers, is that residents will get to vote.
On the streets of East Boston, Myers guesses if the referendum were tomorrow, 60 percent of residents would vote against a casino.
“Pretty much every person I talk to has a concern, if they are not completely sold one way or the other they have a concern,” said Myers.
Myers said she spends anywhere from two to 10 hours a day talking about or working on opposition to the casino. It’s put her in the spotlight, which means media interviews and calls from her mother reminding her to style her long brown hair. In her fight against the casino, Myers enlists whoever she can, friends, family and even former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn. She has a 21-year-old daughter, a husband and lots of lifelong friends. And she admits her activism has frayed some of her relationships.
“Look, Boston is very politically charged. I have had relationships that might be a little chafed right now, because of my position on the casino,” Myers said. “But this is our way of life, this is our quality of life, this is the bounty of our life’s work that we’re talking about here.”
Her friends respect her, even if they don’t agree with her on this.
“I am on the fence, but I have no problem with Celeste looking out for East Boston at all, I think someone has to,” said Damien Margato. “Someone has to make sure we’re doing this right, if it’s going to be done or not going to be done.”
And Myers said that’s what she’s doing — looking out for East Boston.
http://www.wbur.org/2012/06/14/east-boston-casino
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