Middleboro upping casino tab to tribe to $1 million.
MIDDLEBORO —
The meter is still running on mitigation payments the town claims it’s owed for the Mashpee Wampanoag casino that was never built – a tab that will rise soon to $1 million, according to a selectman.
On July 1, Middleboro will send another bill to the tribe for an annual payment of $250,000, which will bring to $1 million the amount the town says it’s entitled to under the casino agreement signed with the tribe in 2007.
The $1 million, according to selectmen Vice Chair Allin Frawley, is part of a contract dispute – a dispute he says was never settled.
“We want the tribe to know that we are not going away and that this is not settled in any way, shape or form,” Frawley said.
The tribe’s counsel declined to speak with The Enterprise about the contract dispute. Instead, the tribe provided a copy of a three-page letter sent to the town in March 2012, which says: “The tribe has long made it clear to the town that it has no legal obligation to go forward with a casino in Middleboro.”
In July 2007, residents of the town voted for an $11 million a year host agreement that would have provided $250 million in infrastructure improvements for a tribal casino.
The IGA provided for $7 MILLION annually and then 'promises' that were overestimated.
According to Frawley, the 2007 agreement stated the $250,000 annual payment to the town would be in effect until the casino opened or until the agreement was terminated by both parties. Frawley said the last mitigation payment the town received was in 2008.
The plan for the resort casino off Route 44 fell apart amid the nation’s economic downturn in 2008 and other issues.
The problem with reporters who fail to conduct their due diligence is comic!
In 2010, the tribe announced they were eyeing a casino site in Fall River. That plan was later nixed and the Mashpee Wampanoags now are looking to seal a deal with the state for a casino in Taunton.
The lost mitigation payments have forced Middleboro to delay some projects, said Frawley.
“There are so many things that the town put off, like the wastewater treatment facility, updating ambulance services and the new police station,” said Frawley.
When asked if the town would take the tribe to court over the mitigation money, Frawley said he’s hopeful a settlement can be reached without going to court.
The state gaming law allows there casinos in Massachusetts, one in the southeastern part of the state and the other two in greater Boston and western Mass. The law also permits one slots parlor license in the state.
Jennifer Bray may be reached at jbray@enterprisenews.com.
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