Easton mulls slots impacts
Easton —
Easton will likely be named a surrounding community when the state measures the impact of a gaming facility nears its borders.
Planning Director Gary Anderson said the Massachusetts Gaming Commission had entered the first phase of reviewing four proposals for slot parlors in the state, including a bid from Raynham Park owner George Carney.
The single slot license could be awarded by the year’s end.
In the next phase, the commission will be designating the communities that will be impacted by the slots facility and become eligible for funding to mitigate the negative affects.
“The best way we can respond to those things is to be a surrounding community in the process,” Anderson told selectmen Monday night.
The former greyhound racetrack on Rte. 138 lies less than a mile from the Easton border and used to draw many gamblers and employees from areas north of town.
Selectmen Chairman Colleen Corona said local officials were concerned about the impact of a nearby gaming facility on local roads, especially on the busy Rtes. 106 and 138 intersection located just north of the park.
The state has indicated the slated improvements to the corner would be completed before work starts on a nearby Route 106 bridge early next year.
Town Administrator David Colton said the intersection had been “overdesigned” to accommodate future growth.
Anderson said he would be meeting with the Police Chief Allen Krajcik, Fire Chief Kevin Partridge and Department of Public Works Director David Field to discuss the potential impacts of the slots on local traffic and infrastructure.
Raynham Park has partnered with the Philadelphia based-Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment in its quest for the slots permit.
Mass Way/Anchor Partners is backing the license application of Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville.
Neil Bluhm’s Rush Street Gaming out of Chicago and the Maryland-based The Cordish Company have also applied for slots licenses. Both have several more months to decide on sites.
The town may also reap the negative impacts of a proposed resort casino in Taunton without gaining any financial benefits. Local officials are concerned that casino-bound vehicles will clog Easton’s auxiliary roadways when Rte. 24 is backed up. A casino could generate an increase of 20,000 new vehicles trips a day.
The town expressed its concerns last year in letter submitted to a draft environmental impact report on the project.
Under a state licensed casino, neighboring communities could receive funds to alleviate the impacts. In an agreement with the Mashpee Wampanoags, those funds are not guaranteed.
Planning Director Gary Anderson said the Massachusetts Gaming Commission had entered the first phase of reviewing four proposals for slot parlors in the state, including a bid from Raynham Park owner George Carney.
The single slot license could be awarded by the year’s end.
In the next phase, the commission will be designating the communities that will be impacted by the slots facility and become eligible for funding to mitigate the negative affects.
“The best way we can respond to those things is to be a surrounding community in the process,” Anderson told selectmen Monday night.
The former greyhound racetrack on Rte. 138 lies less than a mile from the Easton border and used to draw many gamblers and employees from areas north of town.
Selectmen Chairman Colleen Corona said local officials were concerned about the impact of a nearby gaming facility on local roads, especially on the busy Rtes. 106 and 138 intersection located just north of the park.
The state has indicated the slated improvements to the corner would be completed before work starts on a nearby Route 106 bridge early next year.
Town Administrator David Colton said the intersection had been “overdesigned” to accommodate future growth.
Anderson said he would be meeting with the Police Chief Allen Krajcik, Fire Chief Kevin Partridge and Department of Public Works Director David Field to discuss the potential impacts of the slots on local traffic and infrastructure.
Raynham Park has partnered with the Philadelphia based-Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment in its quest for the slots permit.
Mass Way/Anchor Partners is backing the license application of Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville.
Neil Bluhm’s Rush Street Gaming out of Chicago and the Maryland-based The Cordish Company have also applied for slots licenses. Both have several more months to decide on sites.
The town may also reap the negative impacts of a proposed resort casino in Taunton without gaining any financial benefits. Local officials are concerned that casino-bound vehicles will clog Easton’s auxiliary roadways when Rte. 24 is backed up. A casino could generate an increase of 20,000 new vehicles trips a day.
The town expressed its concerns last year in letter submitted to a draft environmental impact report on the project.
Under a state licensed casino, neighboring communities could receive funds to alleviate the impacts. In an agreement with the Mashpee Wampanoags, those funds are not guaranteed.
Read more: http://www.wickedlocal.com/easton/news/x846063573/Easton-mulls-slots-impacts#ixzz2MI8hVJWC - See more at: http://www.enterprisenews.com/news/x846063573/Easton-mulls-slots-impacts#sthash.VEytlzi9.dpuf
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