Foxwoods Massachusetts Casino
Signs For and Against Casino Spread across Milford
On some streets, signs posted by next-door neighbors show they have different opinions about the proposed Foxwoods Massachusetts casino.
Back in March, Joe Cosentino was the first in his neighborhood to put a "CasiNo" sign in his front yard, facing busy West Fountain Street.
Within weeks, six of his immediate neighbors had followed suit. Stuck in traffic, waiting to turn on to Purchase Street? You are looking at their signs, and getting a message that on this street, the casino has few friends.
How widespread is that feeling? Now that the pro-casino signs have arrived at the Foxwoods Massachusetts office on Main Street, people who support the development are starting to put their opinions in public places too.
The little signs are conversation-starters on many blocks, opening the door for people to sway opinion. And when grouped into masses, they send a political message.
Foxwoods started distributing its signs, at no charge, on request to people last week. So far, about 80 have been distributed in Milford, and to some extent in surrounding towns, said Allan Kronberg, who will be the general manager of the proposed $1billion casino if it secures a license from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.
The pro-casino effort has four types of signs, emphasizing selling-points of the casino: more jobs, more revenues, a simple 'Yes' message, and Kronberg's suggestion: 'For a Better Future.'
The signs are an important part of the casino marketing effort. "People want to see how much support you have," Kronberg said. "If they see 10 signs on one block," that gives them a sense that the casino has support. "It helps you get your message out."
The anti-casino signs are distributed by Casino Free Milford, a community group fighting the Milford casino proposal. The group asks for a $6 fee per sign, which covers the production costs. Since early April, 400 have been distributed, said Amie Sanborn of Milford, who oversees the sign effort.
The signs are in every neighborhood, she said. "I have been all over Milford," she said, including areas she never knew were developed. "My GPS is getting a lot of work."
The signs, for her, are intended to send a message to the town's leaders that many people do not want the casino here. "We're trying to get the message out that we don't want this."
The competing messages are starting to appear on individual blocks.
On West Fountain Street, right next to Cosentino, a property owner has planted two pro-casino signs. The same competition is happening on Water Street, and on Main Street, where businesses are starting to reveal their leanings. Even near the proposed site, off Route 16 heading into Holliston, two homes have pro-casino signs.
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One of those pro-casino signs will soon be outside the apartment of Justin Coburn, 27, a Milford restaurant employee. Coburn stopped into the Foxwoods Massachusetts offices last week, to pick up a few signs. He planned to put some in front of his apartment, and also give a few to his father, who works in construction and lives in Upton.
"I want the casino," Coburn said. "I want to work at the casino." A lot of people in town are worried about it, that "it will bring in the riff-raff," he said. But Coburn said he thinks long-term, it will improve the town by adding jobs.
In his circle of friends, he said, "we all want it. I want it for the jobs."
[Wait until they figure out they're LOW WAGE JOBS! Never let the FACTS intrude on a BAD decision.]
Foxwoods employment by sector
The data provided to us by casino management showed average
annual salaries for the following employee sectors at Foxwoods:
14 senior management, $262,893
66 directors, $114,327
247 managers $70,391
1,510 supervisors, $45,966
3,207 dealers and floor persons, $20,536
946 games support, $26,185
830 non-games floor support, $19,816
4,198 non-gambling support, $28,930
283 general support, $36,464
(note: this totals 11,301 jobs; 9181 (81%) of which pay at or below $28,930; 4037 (36%) of which pay at or below $20,536)
– page 124
Spectrum Gaming Group (SGG) “Gambling in Connecticut” 2009
Over on West Fountain Street, Cosentino said the casino will change the entire town, for the worse.
At 83, he said he can't recall another development this substantial for his hometown. "This, to me, changes the whole environment of the town. If I thought this was good for Milford, I'd be the first to say so."
About this column: These stories will relate to the Foxwoods Massachusetts casino application for Milford.
http://holliston-hopkinton.patch.com/articles/signs-for-and-against-casino-spread-across-milford
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