Palmer town manager to hold informational sessions on casino host community agreement with Mohegan Sun
By
on September 10, 2013
PALMER — Town Manager Charles T. Blanchard will hold three informational sessions next month for residents who have questions about the town's host community agreement with Mohegan Sun.
Charles T. Blanchard The sessions were discussed at Monday's meeting on the request of at-large Councilor Jason Polonsky. They will be held on Oct. 1, 15 and 29 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the meeting room at the Town Building on Main Street.
Polonsky said he feels it is important that people have an opportunity to ask questions about the host community agreement prior to the referendum on Nov. 5. The agreement was recently unveiled, and features annual payments by Connecticut-based Mohegan to the town of $15.2 million, plus revenue sharing. The first total payment to the town is expected to be $20 million.
"We owe it to residents to be able to ask questions during non-work hours," Polonsky said, adding that way voters will feel the council gave them "ample opportunity" to ask questions in person.
Councilor Barbara A. Barry said, "The more information that can be clarified for people, the better."
District 4 Councilor Donald Blais Jr. said he felt it was the council's duty to present the agreement, noting that Millbury did something similar, when it was involved in the casino process.
At-large Councilor Paul E. Burns expressed some reservations about the sessions. While Burns said he is not opposed to the town sponsoring one forum to answer host community agreement questions, he said "at this point it is a ballot question. We have to be careful about how involved the town gets." Burns noted that Mohegan also will be holding its own forums as the referendum date nears.
Mohegan representatives will be at the Senior Center on Sept. 23 and Oct. 9 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. to discuss the project; a meeting at the Senior Center scheduled for Sept. 11 was canceled.
Blanchard said some people have already visited him in his office to get clarification on certain aspects of the 50-plus page agreement, which is posted on the town's website, www.townofpalmer.com. In addition to the annual payments of $15.2 million, the agreement calls for more than $40 million in improvements to the town's infrastructure system.
Voters rejected Hard Rock's casino proposal in West Springfield on Tuesday, leaving
Mohegan to compete with MGM Resorts International in Springfield for the lone Western Massachusetts casino license.
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/09/palmer_town_manager_to_hold_informational_sessions_mohegan_sun_host_agreement.html
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