Tuxedo residents speak out against casino plan
Town Board is set to vote on Monday
Tuxedo residents gather at Sterling Forest Firehouse on Wednesday to sign petitions in protest to the proposed Sterling Forest Resort.JOHN MEORE/For the Times Herald-Record
TUXEDO — Residents of the Town of Tuxedo called an emergency meeting Wednesday night to make their voices heard before a scheduled Town Board vote Monday on whether to support a proposed casino in Sterling Forest.
About 100 people packed into the firehouse on Long Meadow Road, speaking passionately both for and against the project — a resort and casino on a 238-acre parcel at the site of Tuxedo Ridge Ski Center and the Renaissance Faire — and a new Thruway interchange to feed it.
Genting Americas, the casino's developer, estimates the multibillion-dollar project would draw three million to five million visitors a year and would create more than 2,000 permanent jobs, and at least as many construction jobs.
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Many who spoke Wednesday night said they objected not only to the casino, but to the short, two-year timetable imposed by the state and the even hastier window imposed by Genting for the town's support.
If the board approves a resolution on Monday to back the project, "I fear we've been sacrificed on an altar of gold," said resident Tony Davidson, one of the moderators of the meeting.
At issue is whether such a resolution by the board would constitute a binding agreement. Several people spoke about this point, with no clear consensus.
"Home rule rules just don't apply in this process," Davidson said.
Kristy Apostolides said she was "a little nervous about how quickly this is moving. They (Genting) don't want us to talk to each other and they don't want us to think." Rather than building a casino, she said, "let's encourage smart tourism" that capitalizes on the state forest that was so hard-won.
Others spoke of the loss of neighborhood character, fearing their kids would no longer be able to play freely at Tichy Field if crime, traffic and drunk drivers were to overtake the area.
Some offered seemingly contradictory opinions.
Wayne Reuvers, owner of LiveTechnologies in Tuxedo, said, "Personally, I don't gamble; I don't like casinos." Still, he said, "I personally would like it to go through," touting benefits to the economy.
"I'm very nervous about something this big," Reuvers said after the meeting. "But we should be guided by the facts, and not by our emotions."
Also speaking in favor of the project were Tuxedo Ridge CEO Jim Mezzetti and General Manager Rob Cannillo, who described the ski center as "a tired old place."
"This is an opportunity, and just an opportunity," Mezzetti said. "If we say no and we don't explore it, it's forever done."
The majority who spoke acknowledged that while the town needs ratables, they could not support the project.
"If they were telling me they were going to build everything but the casino, I'm all for it," said John Haase.
The Town Board will meet Monday night at the high school. The board has said it will accept public comment on the proposal until Friday. Comments may be submitted at resort@tuxedogov.org.
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