Tewksbury says NO!
Scott Consaul, a lawyer and former school committee member, called the zoning proposal "fools gold" that would open the door for the entire Ames Pond Corporate Center to be rezoned for expansion of a casino.
Resident Mark Johnson cited crime FBI crime statistics, which he said showed a 29 percent increase in crime in Bangor, Me., where Penn National operates a slots parlor. "Do we want to have more robberies in our town?" he asked.
Plainville Selectmen don't want to hear the FACTS and they never have.
They have failed to conduct their due diligence from the beginning.
They have ignored the KNOWN FUTURE EXPANSION.
Selectman: Tewksbury's rejection of slots parlor could be Plainville's gain
Posted: Wednesday, August 21, 2013
BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
PLAINVILLE —A move by the Town of Tewksbury to reject a proposed slot-machine parlor illustrates why Plainville selectmen want to keep the gaming issue alive in their town, board Chairman Robert Fennessy said today.
Fennessy said there is always a chance that Penn National Gaming, which was proposing the Tewksbury slots parlor, or some other company, will want to acquire Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville as a gambling site.
Tewksbury residents on Tuesday night voted 1,568-995 against zoning changes that would have allowed a proposal by Penn National Gaming to build a $200 million gambling facility on a 30-acre plot off Route 133 near the Andover town line to move forward. The measure required a two-thirds majority to be adopted.
Plainville selectmen want to hold a town referendum on the issue Sept. 10, even though the owners of Plainridge have been disqualified as applicants by the state Gaming Commission. The thinking is that if a new company came in, it could apply for the slots license and locate it at Plainridge.
Plainridge owners said they would consider selling the 90-acre site off Route 1 and Interstate 495.
They would not comment on the Penn National situation.
Will Keyser, a spokesman for the gaming outfit, would only say: “At this point, Penn National is going to step back and take some time to determine what, if any, options they want to consider in Massachusetts.”
But, Fennessy said, with Plainridge looking for a buyer, slot machines are still a possibility for Plainville.
“Obviously this cracks the door open for a possible relocation to Plainville,” he said of the Tewksbury vote to reject the rezoning Penn National needed.
“This is exactly one of the reasons we decided to keep the election open,” he said.
Opponents of gambling have said the rejection of Plainridge owners by the state commission should end the matter and the election should be cancelled.
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/selectman-tewksbury-s-rejection-of-slots-parlor-could-be-plainville/article_1bd075bc-0a93-11e3-bff0-001a4bcf887a.html
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