Experience elsewhere has proven that Slot Barns attract LOCAL PATRONS, spending discretionary income GAMBLING, such as PARX:
The lifeblood of Parx casino in Bucks is low-roller locals
Parx players tend to live within 20 miles of Street Road, many go even more frequently."We have customers," Jonas boasted, "who give us $25, $30 five times a week."
FROM: The McDonald's of Gambling
Friday, August 23, 2013
Casino supporters say Millbury can't turn down 'gift'
By Susan Spencer, TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
MILLBURY — The owner of at least one local business, Calabria Ristorante at 7 South Main St., thinks a proposed slots parlor would be good for the town. A "Yes" sign stood prominently placed on the wrought-iron fence surrounding the sidewalk dining area.
Inside the busy eatery, about a dozen residents gathered Thursday for the initial meeting of the Yes for Millbury Coalition, a group that believes Mass Gaming & Entertainment's proposed $200 million slots casino would be just what the town needs to lift it from its financial doldrums.
"The status quo is not positive," said coalition spokesman and former Selectman Brian Stowell. "We want to be a town that's in the affirmative. We want to be a town that gets things done."
He added that biotech and other commercial interests aren't knocking on Millbury's door to add to its economic base.
"We can't pass this up," he said. "This is a gift as far as I'm concerned."
Mr. Stowell said the majority of residents support the casino. He asked that coalition members get "Yes" signs out to homeowners, talk to neighbors one-on-one and speak up at Monday night's Planning Board hearing on a special permit for the project.
The Planning Board hearing begins at 7:15 p.m. Monday in the Millbury Junior/Senior High School auditorium.
The group is still working out its communication avenues and developing talking-point sheets, but Mr. Stowell highlighted a few facts to counter comments by casino opponents:
• The proposed casino would bring improvements to McCracken Road, which has been on the town and state's project list for years, much sooner — in two years instead of at least seven to 10 years without the developer's work. It would also hasten construction of a new public safety building.
Mr. Stowell said, "These are needs that are in front of the town right now. The casino would help offset costs."
• He stressed that the benefit to taxpayers of $3.25 million annually "is huge." By comparison, the average single-family homeowner's taxes would be $679 a year higher if Wheelabrator and the Shoppes at Blackstone Valley weren't built in town, which he said bring a combined $3.6 million to town revenue.
• When people question where the $3.25 million in new revenue will go, they need to be reminded that it's up to town meeting voters to act on the annual budget.
• While some have scoffed at a number of the roughly 400 promised casino jobs as paying $25,000 to $40,000 a year, Mr. Stowell, who works part-time at The Home Depot, said, "Guess what: That's good money for many people."
•Concerns about the environment and runoff into the Blackstone River don't take into account the current use of the McCracken Road industrial site, which includes a metal recycling plant and warehouse. "It's going to be better than what's there now. It will be LEED gold standard, which is above and beyond (standard building practices)," he said.
Dennis Leonard, a longtime teacher, coach and former Millbury School Committee member, drew applause from the group when he said, "I'm not a gambler but the more important thing is this town needs a financial lifting. We cannot let this thing go by."
"This is a good thing for the town and surrounding areas. We're going to get a lot of jobs out of this," said Charlie Smith of Millbury.
Mr. Smith said he owned a slots parlor when he lived in South Carolina for a few years and never had any problems.
"The people who are against it haven't really been involved in this," he said. "They haven't done their research."
Some of the most vocal opposition to the proposed casino has come from residents of McCracken Road, who already suffer from heavy mall traffic.
But Scott Miller, who lives at McCracken Road and Greenwood Street, said he supported the casino because it would hasten the much-needed improvements to that treacherous roadway, as well as provide money for other town services.
The new casino would also be an environmental improvement to the junkyard that is on the site now, he said.
"We just don't see the negatives," Mr. Miller said. "I think people are against it morally and not economically."
While he may disagree with several of his neighbors, Mr. Miller said, "I did my own research and made up my own mind. There's no negatives for us."
Mr. Stowell said that people can find out more about the proposed slots parlor and join Yes for Millbury on the developer's website: www.casinomillbury.com .
Inside the busy eatery, about a dozen residents gathered Thursday for the initial meeting of the Yes for Millbury Coalition, a group that believes Mass Gaming & Entertainment's proposed $200 million slots casino would be just what the town needs to lift it from its financial doldrums.
"The status quo is not positive," said coalition spokesman and former Selectman Brian Stowell. "We want to be a town that's in the affirmative. We want to be a town that gets things done."
He added that biotech and other commercial interests aren't knocking on Millbury's door to add to its economic base.
"We can't pass this up," he said. "This is a gift as far as I'm concerned."
Mr. Stowell said the majority of residents support the casino. He asked that coalition members get "Yes" signs out to homeowners, talk to neighbors one-on-one and speak up at Monday night's Planning Board hearing on a special permit for the project.
The Planning Board hearing begins at 7:15 p.m. Monday in the Millbury Junior/Senior High School auditorium.
The group is still working out its communication avenues and developing talking-point sheets, but Mr. Stowell highlighted a few facts to counter comments by casino opponents:
• The proposed casino would bring improvements to McCracken Road, which has been on the town and state's project list for years, much sooner — in two years instead of at least seven to 10 years without the developer's work. It would also hasten construction of a new public safety building.
Mr. Stowell said, "These are needs that are in front of the town right now. The casino would help offset costs."
• He stressed that the benefit to taxpayers of $3.25 million annually "is huge." By comparison, the average single-family homeowner's taxes would be $679 a year higher if Wheelabrator and the Shoppes at Blackstone Valley weren't built in town, which he said bring a combined $3.6 million to town revenue.
• When people question where the $3.25 million in new revenue will go, they need to be reminded that it's up to town meeting voters to act on the annual budget.
• While some have scoffed at a number of the roughly 400 promised casino jobs as paying $25,000 to $40,000 a year, Mr. Stowell, who works part-time at The Home Depot, said, "Guess what: That's good money for many people."
•Concerns about the environment and runoff into the Blackstone River don't take into account the current use of the McCracken Road industrial site, which includes a metal recycling plant and warehouse. "It's going to be better than what's there now. It will be LEED gold standard, which is above and beyond (standard building practices)," he said.
Dennis Leonard, a longtime teacher, coach and former Millbury School Committee member, drew applause from the group when he said, "I'm not a gambler but the more important thing is this town needs a financial lifting. We cannot let this thing go by."
"This is a good thing for the town and surrounding areas. We're going to get a lot of jobs out of this," said Charlie Smith of Millbury.
Mr. Smith said he owned a slots parlor when he lived in South Carolina for a few years and never had any problems.
"The people who are against it haven't really been involved in this," he said. "They haven't done their research."
Some of the most vocal opposition to the proposed casino has come from residents of McCracken Road, who already suffer from heavy mall traffic.
But Scott Miller, who lives at McCracken Road and Greenwood Street, said he supported the casino because it would hasten the much-needed improvements to that treacherous roadway, as well as provide money for other town services.
The new casino would also be an environmental improvement to the junkyard that is on the site now, he said.
"We just don't see the negatives," Mr. Miller said. "I think people are against it morally and not economically."
While he may disagree with several of his neighbors, Mr. Miller said, "I did my own research and made up my own mind. There's no negatives for us."
Mr. Stowell said that people can find out more about the proposed slots parlor and join Yes for Millbury on the developer's website: www.casinomillbury.com .
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