Plainville: Ignoring the Experiences of Others

Massachusetts is blessed with the opportunity to consider the community destruction that accompanies Predatory Gambling in other states.

It's always sad when a small community, like Plainville ignores the evidence.

Posted: Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Plainville gambling vote stakes high
BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
The Sun Chronicle

PLAINVILLE - The stakes in today's referendum election could hardly be higher, so both sides of the gambling issue were campaigning hard to get out the vote that will determine whether Plainville will allow slot machines at Plainridge Racecourse.

Signs were scattered throughout town urging both yes and no votes on whether to approve the Route 1 harness track as a site for 1,250 slot machines.

Opponents, who say slot machines prey on the vulnerable, went door-to-door handing out leaflets to make their case.

Supporters, who tout the financial benefits of slots, held signs at intersections and took out advertisements in The Sun Chronicle to inform voters.

Both sides agreed that the vote will be one of the most important in town history.

The pro-slot machine supporters said they were confident of Tuesday's vote, but wanted to score an overwhelming victory to send a message to the state Gaming Commission that Plainville is the best place for the only slots license the panel will hand out.

Polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

Town Clerk Ellen Robertson said she was unsure how large the turnout will be.

She said the number of absentee ballots she has received is about normal for the town election. It is unknown whether recent confusion over the process will effect the vote.

The possibility of slot machines coming to Plainville seemed all but dead a few weeks ago when the Gaming Commission ruled the owners of Plainridge were unsuitable for a gambling license.

The commission made the decision after investigators found that former track President Gary Piontkowski had taken more than $1 million in cash from Plainridge over a number of years.

But just last week, Penn National Gaming, a large track and casino firm, obtained an option to buy the track and its 89 acres if it wins the slots license.

Then Friday, the commission cleared the way for the referendum by approving the transfer of a host community agreement from Plainridge to Penn National.

The agreement requires the slot parlor to pay more than $4 million a year in taxes and fees to the town. A consultant has estimated the town would have to spend $1.1 million a year providing additional police and fire services because of the slots.

Now, it is up to voters to decide the issue. If the town votes yes, Penn National will file a formal application with the commission by Oct. 4. If it votes no, Penn National will not buy the track.

Opponents calling themselves 'No Plainville Racino' held an anti-gambling forum Sunday, but have spent little money on their campaign.

Records at Town Hall show they have spent $583.33, with the money coming from two donors.

Mary-Ann Greanier donated $333.33 and Jennifer Keen chipped in $250. They have spent the money on a Facebook page, renting the senior center for the forum and for lawn signs.

The latest filing deadline for campaign finances ended eight days before the election, and supporters reported receiving and spending no money during that time.

However, the group called 'People for Plainville,' have since bought signs and taken out the newspaper ads, so they will have to report recipients and expenditures after the election.

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/plainville-gambling-vote-stakes-high/article_59caf0b1-9e36-5a30-9f15-105ab46e25c9.html

Penn National: Misjudges Everything

Penn National was rejected by Tewksbury because residents didn't want a Slot Barn sucking discretionary income out of their community, creating Gambling Addiction, increasing CRIME and reducing property values.

Penn National is Out-Of-Touch and Deaf is they believe the 'Hollywood' name was the cause.

Support for Plainridge was justified, however flawed, because they were 'local' and supported the community. What has Penn National done for Bangor, Maine besides increase CRIME?

What has 'suitability' got to do with the legitimacy of HCAC transfer?
This is LAW, not public relations.  

NoPlainvilleRacino

"Suitable"? "...never been rejected for a license based on suitability"? My they're setting the bar high, aren't they?

Posted: Thursday, September 5, 2013 2:38 pm

Penn National says it's 'suitable' for slots license
BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

PLAINVILLE — Penn National Gaming executives said today that their company has never been rejected for a gambling license based on suitability.

Executives of the Pennsylvania-based firm said they have been outbid for licenses and had a rezoning request rejected by the Town of Tewksbury, but authorities in 18 states have determined they are suitable applicants for gambling licenses.

The company owns 27 gambling properties, including race tracks, casinos, riverboats and racinos, across the country and Canada.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is expected to rule on Penn National’s suitability for a slot-machine license later this month.

The owners of Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville were rejected as a slot-machine applicant by the commission last month based on suitability. A commission investigation had discovered former Plainridge President Gary Piontkowski had taken $1.4 million in cash from the track’s money room.

Since that rejection, Penn National has obtained an option to buy the track on Route 1 and are applying for the same slot-machine license.

The option is conditional on Penn National winning the license from the state.

Meeting with The Sun Chronicle editorial board today, company officials said they have always been found by authorities to be suitable applicants, although they have not always won the bid for a license.

Senior Vice President Steven Snyder also said the company has never lost a license because of suitability.

The question of suitability is a critical one in Penn National’s application for slot machines because Plainville voters go to the polls Tuesday to decide on whether to approve expanded gambling at the track not knowing where the Gaming Commission’s background check stands.

The commission is sending out a letter to voters explaining that the suitability question will not be decided until after the town election.

Company executives covered the suitability issue and several others pertaining to the option to buy the track during the session with the newspaper editorial board, including the future name of the track.

Vice President of Public Affairs Eric Schippers said Penn National will maintain the Plainridge name for the track rather than go with the corporate title of Hollywood that it uses at many other properties.

He said the firm learned during its Tewksbury experience that local people do not like the Hollywood label.

Tewksbury residents had the sense to oppose a SLOT BARN!


Snyder also said the company would stick with most of the physical plans Plainridge owners had for building a slot machine parlor.

He said voters can rest assure that the plan presented to them by Plainridge over recent months will be the same one Penn National will go with.

There may be some minor interior changes, such as the type of restaurants and entrance ways, but the location and height of the building, a parking garage and traffic improvements will remain the same, he said.

Snyder also said the election Tuesday is a question on whether Plainville wants slot machines at the track and whether it approves of a host community agreement selectmen have signed on to.

The agreement calls for the owner of the track to pay the town about $4 million a year in fees and taxes if it gets a slots license.

Synder said the election is not a referendum on the company that owns the track.

Oh? It should be!

Plainville's leaders show willful blindness

You can't gamble your way out of fiscal problems

To the editor: One favorite trick of Karl Rove - master of the media slight of hand - is to call the opposition "a small minority" and their claims "inflammatory rhetoric." This has been done to the Plainville opposition to slots at Plainridge from the very beginning. The problem is, we've been right so often, can you afford not to at least investigate the points we make?
 

On our Facebook page and website, we cite study after study, newspaper article after newspaper article. Our "rhetoric" is one long list of scholarly articles and investigated stories from around the country. We didn't make it up. We've shared verifiable information about the economic impact to small business, the loss to the consumer economy, the repercussions of increased gambling addiction on families and businesses, the lie that harness racing will end if we don't get slots at Plainridge, and the experiences of the towns in Connecticut that border the casino towns. And so much more.
 

On the other hand, the proponents of slots seem only to be able to come up with "Because we say so! Plainville needs money!" to back up their assurances that all will be right with Plainville when the slots come to town.

Any recovering gambling addict will tell you that you can't gamble your way out of fiscal problems. Plainville needs a better plan for prosperity than expanded gambling. Please join me in voting no on slots on Sept. 10.

Mary-Ann Greanier, Plainville

Keep Plainville a friendly town

To the editor: I just finished reading the letter from Dale Bergevine ("A 'yes' vote Sept. 10 could mean a brighter future for Plainville," Sept. 3). To be opposed to drinking and driving, crime, burdening our resources, traffic, and gambling in general is called "a caterwauling clutch of high minded Democrats"?

I am opposed to gambling. I believe that even one fatality due to drinking and driving is not worth any amount of money. I don't see any brighter future and progress in minimum wage jobs, pawn shops, pay day lenders and crime.

We know nothing about Penn National's intentions and have not had a chance to vet them. Shouldn't we have the opportunity to make a decision based on their intentions?

Because I have a dissenting opinion and am asking questions doesn't make me worthy of negative assumptions.

I find Mr. Bergevine doing the same thing he is accusing those opposed to slots - inflammatory rhetoric. There are facts in the gaming consultants' reports which make me opposed to this venture. Facts.

Let's talk in town and work together to decide what is best. We are a small town. Let's keep our town friendly and nice for everyone, even if we disagree.

Robin Chandler, Plainville

Plainville's leaders show willful blindness

To the editor: The expressions of shock and betrayal from town hall regarding Plainridge former president Gary Piontkowski are hard to swallow.
 

Our former police chief's wife worked for the track and selectmen saw no potential conflicts of interest. The chief was an aggressive advocate for track interests, which had a chilling effect.

When the ACLU successfully defended a neighbor against a lawsuit initiated by Piontkowski, no Plainville officials stood up to the outrageous attempt to suppress freedom of speech. Requests for mitigation regarding traffic and pedestrian safety were countered by official worries about costing "Gary" too much.

Piontkowski attempted frightening Harness Path homeowners into silence over blasting literally in their back yards, claiming a deed restriction prevented residents from lodging complaints against the track. He delivered the warning to the workplace of at least one of these local homeowners.

Our town administrator raises the specter of horse farms converted to housing. Why didn't he object to expansion of sewers to the rural west side of town - benefiting developers at the expense of neighborhoods with failed septic systems in dire need of limited treatment capacity.
 

The Lions Club, which performs many public services, meets monthly at Plainridge and supports the slot barn. Their president is our former police chief. Does the Plainville Lions promote diversity of opinion among members?

The Attorney General's Office found Plainridge ran an illegal raffle in conjunction with the Plainville Athletic League, which told parents questioning the practice that they had to participate in the raffle if their kids participated in sports. Better judgment from PAL instead of boosterism would have benefited the town.

Now we are being asked by the selectmen who were deaf to complaints about Piontkowski's intimidation tactics and violations of gambling laws to blindly vote for a gambling facility.

Harness racing may or may not survive Piontkowski's misdeeds, but Plainville has already lost something more precious; neighbors leaving because civic leaders failed to protect our rights and interests. We will survive the loss of the track, but can we survive the willful blindness of our local government?

Marcia Benes, Plainvillle

Playing chicken, getting a turkey

To the editor: What do you get when you cross a chicken with a turkey?

Plainridge, the Plainville selectmen and town administrator are all being chicken. They've put all their eggs in one basket, counted their chickens before they hatched, and now they are crying wolf.

Everyone knows that it is poor financial advice to put all your investments in one stock - diversification is key to any prudent financial plan. Yet the leaders of Plainville have done just that, anchoring their economic plan on the fate of one company.
 

Your elected officials also got greedy, like a chicken whose feed includes those nasty growth hormones no one wants to eat - it needs more, more, more. They saw revenues from the "garage to nowhere" and started baking the glorious slot revenues into the town's financial forecasts. Now that those forecasts are at risk, the town could have sold eggs that may never be hatched.
 

Today Plainville town officials are crying wolf, chirping if Plainridge doesn't get the slots, Plainville will be in dire financial straits. That is not a plan, that's playing chicken and is no way to run a town.

Plainridge is so desperate they are willing to bring a strange and unknown animal from Pennsylvania into the coop, still looking for a home after it was already labeled a turkey by Springfield and Tewksbury, saying it wasn't good enough for their towns. Why is this cold and slightly congealed leftover Penn National soup good enough for Plainville when it didn't meet the standards of two other towns?

So what do you get when you cross a chicken with a turkey? A fowl? I don't know, but my guess is that it's a surprise mystery meat that no one would want to bring home for dinner at any of the thousands of Plainville homes that will be affected by this chicken pox of a plan.
 

So please vote in the best interest of Plainville, vote no. And while you're at it, tell those turkeys running the town it's time to fly to coop.
 

Thomas Keen, Foxboro

The author is co-founder of NoPlainvilleRacino.org and was sued by Plainridge Racecourse for defamation of character. Plainridge lost the suit and was ordered by the court to pay almost $25,000 to cover his legal costs.

Installing slot parlor the wrong path

To the editor: I have lived in Plainville for many years and I have often marveled at its dichotomy: good geographic location next to so many highways with a rural, small town character. I now am raising my family in town because the schools are good and I think that the town has the potential to develop and grow in positive ways. Installing a slot parlor in town is not the right path for Plainville.

Plainville is a family community now, but if expanded gambling is approved, it will forever have its reputation associated with gambling, which the National Realtors Association has reported has an "unambiguously negative impact" on property values for residents. Many, many families in town will lose on their home values.
 

Plainville does not need the problems that accompany casinos, alcohol-related crimes, drug-related crimes, thefts and break-ins, prostitution, increased problem gambling for residents. The promised revenue for the community is a red herring when measured against the costs of these problems.
 

The associated industries that accompany gambling parlors are often pawn shops, check cashing joints, and "massage parlors." Is this how we want our little stretch of Route 1 to be developed? I urge citizens of Plainville to stand up for Plainville. We may be small, but this is not the development direction we need to take. We can do better Plainville.
 

Vote "no" on the host community agreement on Sept. 10.

Leo Brehm, Plainville

 

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/vip/opinion/letters_to_editor/vote-to-bring-business-jobs-and-revenue-to-plainville/article_34b609f3-dca1-59a3-ad74-332267b0028a.html

 

Officials ignored warnings, enabled track president

Officials ignored warnings, enabled track president

To the editor:

"Driving 'irony' in Plainville" (Aug. 12) [ Defining Plainville's Incompetence ] lists many of the reasons a handful of residents have had trepidation about an expanded gambling license at Plainridge from the very beginning. Unfortunately, the board of selectmen always dismissed our concerns.

In response to the Attorney General's Office seizing records from Plainridge about the so-called "Plainridge Raffle," Andrea Soucy invited Plainridge official Steve O'Toole to extol the virtues of Plainridge at the next selectmen's meeting.

They never even responded to correspondence telling them that abutters on Harness Path were being threatened by Gary Piontkowski with an "Agreement of Non-Interference" that could have prevented them from speaking at any public meetings or hearings about expanded gambling at the track. And the response from Rob Rose to abutters' worries about slots at the track was, "It's almost not even Plainville."

Gary Piontkowski didn't act on his own. There have been plenty of enablers and collaborators who looked away or did not do due diligence; from the racing commissioners who originally voted to allow the track to go forward without proper vetting of investors to the current scandal of sticky fingers in the money room, there have been people along the way who made excuses and greased the skids for Gary's shenanigans.

The Plainville selectmen have always been dazzled by Piontkowski: all hail fellow well met, slick and full of promises, he never hesitated to remind the board that, even though Plainridge hadn't made a profit in more than a decade, he stayed because he "cared about Plainville." He said this, straight-faced, with his hand in the cookie jar. And the selectmen would scrape and bow in adulation.
 

Isn't it time for law enforcement to get involved? Where is the much-touted Gaming Enforcement arm of the AGO? At the very least, can't Plainville sue the track for not negotiating in good faith? The selectmen owe it to us to take this as far as it can go and recoup whatever we can. It's really the least they can do after ignoring the warnings - and us - for so long.
 

Mary-Ann Greanier, Plainville

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/vip/opinion/letters_to_editor/area-lost-an-angel-with-the-passing-of-dot-embree/article_dcf7d453-7731-5d90-b926-2d72aae49eab.html



1`
  

Plainville.....running a Town on 'hope' ? Another BAD Decision!

Plainville gets in bed with a CROOK, a common Con Man whose been raiding the till for years.......

after endorsing and supporting an ILLEGAL RAFFLE and much else.

Instead of protecting the future interests of the Town, making an informed decision, they propose

 

HOPE?

While surrendering the FUTURE! Residents have an opportunity to watch BAD government up close.

Plainville to go through with slots referendum, even with Plainridge disqualified
Posted: Monday, August 12, 2013 9:45 pm

BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

The Sun Chronicle

PLAINVILLE - Jesse Jackson might have coined the phrase "keep hope alive," but it's Plainville selectmen who are putting those words into practice.
 

Selectmen decided Monday to go ahead with a referendum election to approve slot machine gambling at Plainridge Racecourse, even though the state Gaming Commission has disqualified the track's owners.

Town Administrator Joseph Fernandes recommended the town hold the Sept. 10 election on the hope that a new company will buy Plainridge from the current owners and apply for the slot machine license.

After Plainridge owners were disqualified because of financial mismanagement, they said they were open to selling the harness track off Route 1 and Interstate 495.

Selectmen went along with Fernandes' suggestion, although they admitted Plainridge is a longshot for a gambling license.

"It's a remote chance at this point," Selectman Rob Rose said.

However, he said more than $4 million annually in taxes and fees to the town will be lost if the racetrack cannot get a slot machine license. [Where did he get that calculation?]

"As long as there is a sliver of a hope, and there is $4 million riding on this, we can't kill it," he said.

"I think it's just as well we keep to the schedule, rather than slam the door shut," Selectwoman Andrea Soucy said.

Selectmen Chairman Robert Fennessy agreed the town should proceed with the election "even though it may be a moot point."

Both Soucy and Fennessy said they wanted to give residents the chance to weigh in on the issue through the election.

The election would be to determine whether voters approve of a host community agreement that spells out the benefits the town would receive in exchange for allowing 1,250 slot machines at the track.

Fernandes said the agreement, signed by selectmen last month, is transferable to new owners.

The decision to proceed with the election dumbfounded opponents of gambling.


 

Mary-Ann Greanier, a leader of the opposition, said Plainridge has lied to the town repeatedly throughout the process, but selectmen keep willingly going along with their hopes for gambling.

She said town officials believed former Plainridge President Gary Piontkowski had the best interests of the town and the track at heart until the gaming commission discovered he had been taking money from the track for years.

When Piontkowski was bought out in April over the discovery, other Plainridge officials falsely told the town he was retiring due to health problems, rather than financial issues, she said.

She said she has no confidence in the integrity of the host community agreement and cannot believe the town would vote on it before the gaming commission could vet the new owners.

No one even knows if there will be new owners, or if they would be allowed to apply for a license at Plainridge.

The four other firms competing for the slots license said they have found sites for their facilities already and are not interested in Plainridge.

The deadline has past for filing an application fee for new firms, so it is unclear how a new owner could take over the Plainridge bid.

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/plainville/plainville-to-go-through-with-slots-referendum-even-with-plainridge/article_1533129f-7f20-539d-89cf-147aeed867d0.html?_dc=461806898238.1374



UPDATE about September 10th Plainville Referendum:

According to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, there doesn't even have to be an applicant in place for the September 10th referendum vote to happen. If there is no applicant in place, and Plainville voters say 'yes' to slots at Plainridge, an applicant can buy Plainridge after the vote, assume the existing Host Community Agreement, and be considered for a slots license as long as they get their application to the MGC by October 4th. In that case, Plainville might well get stuck with an applicant we don't know anything about, except that they have enough money to buy Plainridge.

No Plainville Racino will hold an educational forum on slots gambling before the vote. We will also be conducting other Get Out The No Vote activities like leafletting, sign holding, "visibilities" around town, etc. We'll also have a presence at the polls on Septmeber 10th. Please respond to this email or send an email to <info@noplainvilleracino.com> to find out how you can help.

Martha: Too busy running for Governor to do your job?

Attorney General Coakley:

While I realize that you're pre-occupied with running for Governor....I know! I know! It's just so time-consuming!

But maybe you could do your job?

The disqualification of Plainridge from holding a Slot Barn License raises FAR MORE QUESTIONS than were answered.

Your office ignored, then buried the ILLEGAL RAFFLE conducted by Plainridge for many years in clear violation of Massachusetts clearly written laws.

To allow

'we promise we won't continue to break the clearly written statute as we have for MANY, MANY years....'

is NOT ACCEPTABLE.....unless you want to soft-peddle BREAKING THE LAW.

Don't want to make waves in your run for Governor by upholding the law?

Don't want to put it in writing?

Let's just sweep this little puppy under the carpet!

Too many unanswered questions remain about the PLAINRIDGE CORRUPTION SCANDAL!

 

WHO IS ASKING? 

Just a few.....

1. What duties does the person in the 'MONEY ROOM' bear as far as disbursing Piotkowski's Piggy Bank?

2. If records were kept, who had access and was privy to those records?

3.Were taxes paid on Mr. Piontowski's CASH WITHDRAWALS?

4. Isn't the RACING COMMISSION supposed to audit the financial records of a race track? Who is?

5. If the CASH WITHDRAWALS were disclosed, who knew? who questioned? What's the governing statute?

6. If the Commonwealth is supposed to receive the FUNDS from Plainridge for disbursal, how was that accounted for? Who got short-changed? Was it the Commonwealth who was supposed be paid based on the 'HANDLE'? Was Plainville short-changed?

7. If this is CRIMINAL, can we count on more than 'we promise not to do it again' from the Attorney General's Office?

8. If Gary Piontkowski resigned in APRIL and the Town of PLainville negotiated and accepted a "Host Community Agreement" subsequent to that time, does that invalidate the Agreement? Doesn't that constitute 'NEGOTIATING IN BAD FAITH'?

9. Who is going to raise questions about the BLIND FAITH, LOYALTY and DEDICATION Plainville Town Officials seem to have placed in a bunch of CROOKS?

10. Plainville abutters were forced to endure MONTHS of endless BLASTING while Plainville Town Officials turned a deaf ear.....

The PEACEFUL ENJOYMENT of their property was superseded by Town Officials genuflecting to Plainridge as a PARKING GARAGE was erected in their backyards.

 11. Plainville lackS WATER, yet Joe Fernandes has dedicated himself to silencing questions and FACTS about WATER.  Doesn't he seem OVERLY DEDICATED to cramming ANY flawed deal through, surrendering any pretense of PROFESSIONALISM.

Where is the protection of Plainville's FUTURE?


Many more questions come to mind.....maybe you can interrupt your campaigning.....



 CROSS POSTED: Martha: Too busy running for Governor to do your job?

Defining Plainville's Incompetence

Plainville officials silenced questions, refused to consider public comments, ignored the evidence and even now, have failed to ask appropriate questions.....and there are MANY!  

Plainville willingly got in bed with a CROOK, nothing more than a SLICK CON MAN [much as Middleboro got in bed with a CONVICTED RAPIST].

Plainville officials IGNORED AND DEFENDED an ILLEGAL RAFFLE! and much else.



The only place the Horse Poop is flying is Plainville's Town Hall!

Joe Fernandes will be retired on an 80% TAXPAYER FUNDED RETIREMENT when the Tsunami of his BAD decisions hits!

Driving 'irony' in Plainville

Hailed as savior of harness racing, Piontkowski may have killed it

Former Plainridge Racecourse President Gary Piontkowski discusses plans related to the track in August 2011.

Posted: Monday, August 12, 2013

Driving 'irony' in Plainville

BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
The Sun Chronicle
PLAINVILLE - Just a few months ago, horsemen were praising Gary Piontkowski as the savior of harness racing in Massachusetts.

Piontkowski was the driving force behind efforts to build Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville 15 years ago and bring back harness racing after the state's only track closed in Foxboro.

More recently, he was spearheading the campaign to win a state license to add slot machines to Plainridge so the track could win the added revenue needed to keep racing viable.

"First, there would be no racetrack in Massachusetts if not for the efforts of Mr. Piontkowski," one supporter, Peter Richardson Blood, said on Facebook.

But, from social media to the paddocks of his former track, Piontkowski's name has been sullied by the revelation that he was taking money from the track for years.

A state Gaming Commission uncovered the practice and, as a result, the commission disqualified Plainridge from competition for the slot machine license.

The commission said it was also unhappy investors did not try to get the $1.4 million back, and instead bought out Piontkowski's share of the track for $1.8 million and agreed to pay him $180,000 a year for two years.

Piontkowski did not return phone calls or answer the door at his Rhode Island home, so he could not be reached for comment.

But, the former savior is now being viewed as the killer of harness racing.

"Gary single-handedly nailed the coffin shut on Massachusetts racing," critic Jaymes McAssey said on a Facebook page dedicated to the racing community.

Those who had public dealings with Piontkowski, but did not know the inner workings of Plainridge, say they are stunned by the turn of events.

"I think he is the guy who saved racing, and I think it is somewhat ironic the tables have turned and he is the guy who might have destroyed it," said state Sen. Richard Ross, R-Wrentham.

Ross has been supportive of the track over the years because so many workers, horsemen and farms derived their incomes from it.

He said he never imagined there was something financially wrong at the track, but quickly added he does not know what standard business practices are in the gambling industry.

The Gaming Commission obviously believed Piontkowski's practice of taking up to $1.4 million from the track's "money room" was beyond the pale.

It was critical of Piontkowski and the track owners, and found Plainridge unsuitable for a gaming license.

But, even in the best of times, Piontkowski and the track were controversial.

Piontkowski was the former manager of another track that used to operate in Foxboro. Always politically well connected, he also served for a time as chairman of the state Racing Commission.

The man who replaced him as chairman, Robert Hutchinson, voted against Plainridge getting a state license for racing in 1998. He noted, among other things, that all of its investors had not been vetted by state police at the time of the vote.

He was overruled by two other commissioners.

State police alleged that the two commissioners had been holding improper communications with the administration of then Gov. Paul Cellucci in "an extensive web of behind the scenes connections between the racetrack backers and the Cellucci administration," according to press reports at the time.

But, that was just the beginning of the controversies.
 
Piontkowski and partner Lou Giuliano, who financed the track project, had a falling out and ended up in a legal battle. Giuliano even claimed his signature had been forged on some documents.

Piontkowski got control of the track and Giuliano tried to open a competing operation in Foxboro, but never got the project going.

In 2004, state police were again at odds with Piontkowski, accusing him of taking illegal telephone bets. At the time, betting over the phone in Massachusetts was not allowed. It is now.

Piontkowski countered that the state police were corrupt and were retaliating against him for complaints he had filed against them.

The racing commission dropped the matter.

Even when it appeared Piontkowski and the track were trying to do something good, it got caught up in controversy.

Resident Mary-Ann Greanier filed a complaint with the state Attorney General's Office about a charity raffle the track had conducted. The Attorney General's Office closed the case after the track agreed not to conduct the raffle in the future.

One of the strangest episodes at Plainridge came in 2002, when a man posing as a Brinks security guard stole more than $100,000 from the track.

The man timed the crime when the sun was shining into security cameras.

The suspect police later said committed the crime was found shot to death in Rhode Island and the case was never solved.

Last year, during the quest for the slot machine license, Piontkowski stirred up more controversy when he sued a gambling opponent because someone had posted derogatory comments about the track on the man's website. [SLAPP suit: Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation - intended to BULLY and INTIMIDATE!]

The suit was dismissed and the track was ordered to pay legal fees.

Yet, until recently, Piontkowski was always held in high regard by Plainville town officials.

They said Piontkowski was cooperative, civic minded, supportive of local charities and youth sports clubs, and was running an outfit that provided jobs and much-needed tax revenue to the town.

Former Police Chief Ned Merrick, whose wife worked at the track, said there was never any trouble at Plainridge while he was chief.

So, officials said they were blindsided when Piontkowski resigned last April and more recently when the investigative report came out detailing his practice of taking money from the track.

They were hoping Plainridge would get the slots license because it had promised to pay the town $1.5 million a year in property taxes, along with $2.7 million in fees.

Slot machines were also supposed to generate 400 new jobs.

Town Administrator Joseph Fernandes said he is troubled by several aspects of the Piontkowski case, but perhaps what bothers him the most is that investors and Piontkowski lied when they said he was retiring for health reasons.

Gee, Joe, Do you think that constitutes 'NEGOTIATING IN BAD FAITH'?

And yet you continue to negotiate under the circumstances?

Do you think in Plainville's BEST INTERESTS, maybe the Town should sue Plainridge?

Joe, Didn't you think it was puzzling that those HEALTH REASONS necessitated a financial buyout?

It's difficult to know if we can blame incompetence or stupidity!

The windfall town officials were hoping for is lost, and now they are worried the track will close, people will lose their jobs, farms that support horse racing will be sold and Plainville will lose the $279,000 a year the track is currently paying in taxes.

"I think it is a shame one person could ruin it for all those people," Town Assessor Mary Jo LaFreniere said.


http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/driving-irony-in-plainville/article_076d86f6-173b-593f-a513-8c6a09a7fb87.html

Plainville officials press ahead with slots parlor planning

 

By John Swinconeck and Jose Martinez

| Globe Correspondents July 28, 2013

Plainridge Racecourse

 

The future of Plainridge Racecourse hinges on plans to add a slot machine operation. However. state investigators vetting the track for the state’s sole slots-only license discovered that Gary T. Piontkowski (above left) had made personal cash withdrawals from Plainridge’s money room for years. He resigned as president of the track in April.

Plainville officials say local planning for a slots parlor at Plainridge Racecourse will go forward, despite revelations over cash withdrawals by the struggling track’s former president.

“We’ve come too far to alter course,” Town Administrator Joseph Fernandes said Thursday in an interview.



State investigators vetting the track for Massachusetts’ sole slot parlor license discovered that Gary T. Piontkowski made personal cash withdrawals from the track’s money room for years, and that apparently led to Piontkowski’s resignation in April. At the time, Plainridge officials cited health reasons for the resignation.

Details of Plainridge’s finances were the subject of a daylong hearing conducted Thursday by the state gambling commission, less than three weeks after Plainville selectmen signed a host community agreement with the track.

Fernandes said in an interview that negotiations were held chiefly with Plainridge managers such as John Grogan, Piontkowski’s replacement. The real victims, Fernandes said, are the track’s principal investors.

‘We’ve come too far to alter course. . . . What’s important is the remaining players have been found by the investigative board to be suitable.’

“What’s important is the remaining players have been found by the investigative board to be suitable,” Fernandes said.

The cash withdrawals, while a problem for Plainridge, won’t stop the town’s planning or approval process for the racino, Fernandes said.

Chris Yarworth, Plainville’s planning and permitting coordinator, said he expects the Planning Board to approve the slot parlor when it meets Aug. 5, regardless of the allegations surrounding Piontkowski.

“That shouldn’t impact neighbors, or the site,” Yarworth said. “We are looking at it from a land-planning point of view.”

As part of the state’s application process, Plainridge must gain the Planning Board’s approval for its change-of-use request before the harness racetrack operator can be considered for the slots-only license to be awarded by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

This week, the gambling commission is expected to privately debate Plainridge’s suitability to run a slot parlor before issuing a written decision on whether the track will be deemed qualified to compete for the license.

Michael Perpall, president of the Harness Horseman’s Association of New England, attended the commission’s hearing Thursday and said he would be alerting the 200-plus trainers, owners, and drivers in the organization of recent developments.

“Unlike thoroughbred racing, we are not centrally located at a track. Our membership is spread out across 72 horse farms in Massachusetts and more in New Hampshire and Maine,” Perpall said in an interview. “But there is nothing for the horsemen’s association to do. It’s up to the gaming commission and the track. It’s really not a racing matter.

“But it will have a major impact on us,” Perpall said. “If the gaming commission says they are not suitable, that means no slot license. And based on past statements, that would mean the end of Plainridge Racecourse.”

Jim Hardy, leading driver at the ⅝-mile harness track, tried to put a positive spin on the uncertain future. “We have had a great season so far. We are all excited we are so close to getting the license,” he said. “It’s been a long, painful wait.”

In addition to a recently completed 1,080-space parking garage on the track’s property near Route 1 and Interstate 495, Plainridge officials envision renovating the 50,000-square-foot building and adding a 106,000-square-foot facility with 1,250 slot machines, a restaurant, a food court, and bars.

Even if the gaming commission green-lights Plainridge’s application, Plainville voters must still approve the host agreement at a Sept. 10 ballot election.

Under the host agreement, Plainridge would pay the town $1.5 million in taxes on full commencement of gaming, and that payment would increase 2½ percent per year. Plainridge would also pay the town an annual $100,000 community impact fee.

In addition, Plainridge would pay the town $2.7 million annually as a host community payment in the first five years of slot operation. After that, Plainridge would pay a percentage of gross gaming revenue to the town.  [A TOTAL OF $2.7 million OVER 5 years.]

Selectmen signed off on the agreement July 8.

John Swinconeck can be reached at johnswinc@gmail.
com. Jose Martinez can be reached at martinezjose1@me.
com.


http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2013/07/27/local-officials-say-planning-for-slots-plainridge-will-continue/T7RQ0XUqC9eymcWMEUJ9FN/story.html

 

Plainridge horsemen 'dumbfounded' by money room revelations

Posted by Leslie Anderson July 25, 2013 06:11 PM

 

By Jose Martinez, Globe Correspondent

 

Talk of what had been going on in the money room at Plainridge Racecourse and what it might mean to the harness track’s bid to land the first slot machine license in Massachusetts percolated across the backside Thursday morning.

“We are all dumbfounded, you know?” said Jim Hardy, leading driver at the five-eighths-of-a-mile harness track. “A lot of people are just starting to find out about it.”

“It” is the revelation by state investigators that Gary Piontkowski, the longtime charismatic leader of the struggling racetrack, had been regularly making cash withdrawals from the Plainridge money room. The takings raised such a red flag with investigators vetting the Plainridge application for the slots license, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission convened a special hearing in Boston to sort the matter out.

Piontkowski resigned suddenly in April, citing unspecified health concerns, but Plainridge owners and officials revealed he instead had been forced out over the almost daily withdrawals.

“Right now we are just trying to take it all in,” Hardy said. “I don’t know the facts whether he [Piontkowski] was authorized doing it or not. I just read what was in the paper this morning.”

An additional wrinkle came Thursday morning when it was revealed Timothy Petersen, the chief financial officer at Plainridge who first questioned Piontkowski’s actions, had resigned and would not appear before the Gaming Commission.

“We don’t know what to think,” trainer Barry Farrar said. “All we know is what we read in the paper and this is stuff they wouldn’t have shared with us anyway.”

Farrar, who keeps the Gaming Commission’s website bookmarked on his home computer, said the horsemen had a representative attending the hearing while most of them focused on getting their horses ready for Thursday evening’s races.

Bill Abdelnour, a retired school teacher turned harness driver, spent the morning jogging horses around the banked oval track in Plainville and talking with fellow horsemen who, like him, see slot machines as the only way to keep their horses racing in Plainville.

“I think there’s some general concern about what’s going on,” Abdelnour said from home in Worcester, where he was following the daylong hearing online. “I think the majority of us feel if there were mistakes made in the past, they have been corrected and they are moving forward.”

Abdelnour also praised Piontkowski as the savior of harness racing in Massachusetts. Piontkowski had led the team that built Plainridge just up Route 1 from the former Foxboro Raceway, which closed to harness racing in 1997. Plainridge opened with Piontkowski as the helm in 1999 and continued to race despite losing money.

“We just feel privileged to be here and there is not a person down here who does not believe Gary Piontkowski got us here,” said Abdelnour, president of the New England Amateur Harness Drivers Club. “What went wrong, I don’t know. I hope the commission understands that the people who are up there now are righting the ship. We are a country of second chances.”

Hardy, a member of the board for the Harness Horseman’s Association of New England, said the horse owners, trainers and drivers likely would be meeting soon to discuss the recent turn of events.

Plainville voters are scheduled to weigh in on the town’s host community agreement with Plainridge on Sept. 10. Without the voters’ approval, the application cannot go forward, and without the license, Plainridge would not be able to expand to install 1,250 slot machines. Instead, the track would close.

Hardy tried to put a positive face on the uncertain future.

“We have had a great season so far. We are all excited we are so close to getting the license,” Hardy said. “It’s been a long painful wait.”

Jose Martinez can be reached at martinezjose1@me.com.

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/foxborough/2013/07/plainridges_horsemen_worry_about_slots_bid_after_management.html

Plainville Selectmen's Meeting: Monday, August 12th 6:30 PM

Plainridge was disqualified from holding a Slot Barn license by the Massachusetts Gam[bl]ing Commission, due to .....

Plainridge: “a culture of fear and concealment pervasive in the operations” 

‘‘Little to none’’ of Grogan’s experience is in the gambling arena and improvements he’s claimed to have made to Plainridge ‘‘serve neither to entirely neutralize the past transgressions,’’ the commission said.

“ 'We’ve come too far to alter course,' Town Administrator Joseph Fernandes said Thursday in an interview..." — as Plainville drove off the cliff and into the abyss.


Future EXPANSION is known!

It was openly discussed at an Educational Forum conducted by the Gam[bl]ing Commission in 2012 - NO SECRET!

The justification will be the need to COMPETE, just as it was for Twin River in Rhode Island.

Whoever or Wherever the Slot Barn license is awarded needs to be prepared and the Agreement needs to include provisions for that FUTURE EXPANSION which will include Table Games and additional Slot Machines.

In other words, a Casino with no amenities!


“This is, potentially in two years, a full-blown casino, which scares the hell out of me,”.....

Please don't short-change Plainville and surrounding communities and plan to attend this meeting.

The Plainville selectmen's agenda for tomorrow night (Monday, August 12th) includes this item:

"Special Election - Approval of Warrant and Workers."

We assume the selectmen will cancel the September 10th election on the Host Community Agreement, but anyone who can be there might want to show up, just in case...

Plainville Selectmen's Meeting
August 12th, 6:30 PM
Plainville Town Hall
142 South Street
Plainville, MA

Agenda:
http://www.plainville.ma.us/Pages/PlainvilleMA_Calendar/S0400CF77-04182662.1/Selectmen%20agenda%208-12.pdf

Future EXPANSION is known!

It was openly discussed at an Educational Forum conducted by the Gam[bl]ing Commission in 2012 - NO SECRET!

The justification will be the need to COMPETE, just as it was for Twin River in Rhode Island.

Whoever or Wherever the Slot Barn license is awarded needs to be prepared and the Agreement needs to include provisions for that FUTURE EXPANSION which will include Table Games and additional Slot Machines.

In other words, a Casino with no amenities!



“This is, potentially in two years, a full-blown casino, which scares the hell out of me,”

Tewksbury

Slots plan riles Andover next door

By Kathy McCabe

| Globe Staff August 11, 2013

Penn National

A plan for a slot machine parlor in Tewksbury (artist’s rendering).

The $200 million Merrimack Valley Casino proposed for 30 acres of woods in Tewksbury has the look of a New England ski lodge.

A rendering released last week by Penn National Gaming shows the stone building softly lit and topped with a cupola, standing amid towering trees. It would include 1,250 slot machines, a sports bar named for former Boston College and NFL star Doug Flutie, and other amenities.

“We are extremely proud of the design and feel it is a great fit for the town of Tewksbury and the Merrimack Valley,” said Jeff Morris, director of public affairs at Penn National, who is heading the company’s outreach in Tewksbury.

But just a few hundred feet across the border in Andover, a slots parlor is the last thing resident Holly Gilmartin wants to see built behind her home on Jordyn Lane, which abuts the Tewksbury property.

“It’s my house,” Gilmartin said at a public forum with state gambling officials that drew about 100 Andover residents to the town library on Tuesday.

Gilmartin said she thinks the host agreement signed recently between Penn National and the town of Tewksbury contains a “back door clause” for the project to expand.

“This is, potentially in two years, a full-blown casino, which scares the hell out of me,” she said.

Scott Wilson, chairman of the Tewksbury Board of Selectmen, disputed Gilmartin’s assertion that the host community agreement includes language to allow a future expansion.

“There is no back door clause,” Wilson said in an interview Thursday. “Our agreement addresses only a slot parlor. Any license for a casino would have to be decided by the gaming commission.”

Wilson said he has reached out to Andover officials to discuss areas of common concern, such as traffic on Route 133.

“We are not going to just dump this on Andover,” Wilson said. “We are building a relationship with Penn National, and I certainly hope they would listen when we say to them ‘What are you going to do to address traffic and Andover’s other concerns.’ ”

Sue Westaway, another Andover resident, questioned the tight timeline.

“I find it quite strange that this process is so abbreviated,” said Westaway, whose home on Larchmont Circle is about a mile from the site. “It seems like it’s been timed for summertime, when no one is around.”

As Tewksbury gears up for two crucial votes on the slots proposal, many in Andover are plotting to stop the project. Residents vow to write letters, carry signs, and take other steps to influence their neighbors.

“We have to get a little committee here going to march across the border,” said John Pasquale, a longtime Andover resident.

A casino development’s effect on a surrounding community will be considered by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission as it evaluates proposals for the state’s sole slots license.

“It is a competition,” said John Ziemba, ombudsman for the five-member commission. “How each of these applicants deals with the surrounding communities is something that we take into consideration.”

Penn National is competing against proposals in Leominster, Millbury, and Raynham for the slots license. A proposal for a slot parlor at Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville was disqualified last week, after the gaming commission found former track president Gary T. Piontkowski withdrew $1.4 million in track revenues over several years. Owners of the harness-racing track are attempting to sell the property so a new applicant could seek the slots license prior to the Oct. 4 deadline.

Andover and Lowell have been identified by Penn National as the two surrounding communities that would most be affected by its development proposed for the Ames Pond Corporate Center in Tewksbury, located just south of the Route 133 and Interstate 495 interchange.

The state’s gambling law requires casino operators to identify surrounding communities and to negotiate agreements with them to address any potential negative effects, such as traffic.

“We look forward to constructive discussions,” Morris said.

Lowell City Manager Bernard Lynch said traffic, transportation, and competition for the city’s cultural attractions top his list of concerns.

“This type of facility could have an impact upon our existing restaurants and entertainment venues,” he said.

Alex Vispoli, chairman of the Andover Board of Selectmen, said his town wants to see studies on traffic and other issues, such as the environment, before negotiations start.

“We need to make sure the traffic studies are done right,” Vispoli said at last week’s forum. “We need to make sure that Andover’s interest, especially on that [Route 133] corridor, on all of those streets, all the way around are accounted for.”

Tewksbury faces two upcoming votes. On Aug. 20, a Special Town Meeting will be held to consider a zoning change to allow a casino, and other entertainment, in an area now zoned for business.

Penn National’s aggressive push to win support includes an online campaign called www.voteyesfortewksbury.com.

The company signed a host agreement, another key requirement of the state’s casino law, with Tewksbury last month.

It would make at least $3 million in annual payments to the town, and give town residents first crack at an estimated 1,000 temporary and 500 permanent jobs.

The plan has broad support in Tewksbury, where selectmen last month voted, 5 to 0, to approve the agreement.

On Sept. 21, Tewksbury will hold a special election, where voters will be asked to approve a ballot question to allow a casino to be located in the town. The vote is required by the state’s casino law.

Voter approval is necessary for Penn National’s application to advance before the Gaming Commission.

The commission could award the slots license by the end of this year.

Susan Tucker, a former state senator who was not in the Legislature when the gambling legislation was passed last November — urged her fellow Andover residents to reach out to Tewksbury residents.

“If you have any friends in Tewksbury, make your phone calls,” said Tucker, an ardent critic of the state’s gambling law.

Tucker last week joined a statewide effort to repeal the state’s casino law through a ballot referendum in 2014.

“I just want you to know, we’re going to try very hard to get this law repealed,” Tucker said, to loud applause.

Kathy McCabe can be reached at katherine.mccabe@ globe.com.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/north/2013/08/10/andover-residents-line-against-tewksbury-slot-proposal-slots-plan-riles-andover-next-door/JyB69yJddVpcGxpxskAPJK/story.html?s_campaign=email_BG_TodaysHeadline

 

Gaming being done right

Friday, August 9, 2013

By: Boston Herald editorial staff

Just another case of “be careful what you wish for...”

In its bid to be licensed as the state’s one and only slots-only parlor, Plainridge Racecourse got a much needed lesson in how not to do business from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

Earlier this week the commission not only rejected the Plainridge bid but issued a devastating report on what it called “deeply troubling” practices at the raceway — a report that begs to be turned over to law enforcement for further action.

Commission investigators found that longtime head of the track Gary Piontkowski was apparently in the habit of making withdrawals from the track’s money room.

“When the money was not repaid, it was recharacterized at the end of each year as a ‘distribution’ to Piontkowski” in addition to his regular salary.

When investigators made their findings known internally last spring Piontkowski was replaced, but then rewarded by the board with a golden parachute, leading the Gaming Commission to comment in its final report that attempts at corrective action were “way too little, way too late.”

As for Piontkowski’s hastily named replacement, the commission found, “Little to none of his experience is in the gaming arena; nor does he have any relevant experience as a chief operating officer, an organizational change agent or a manager of performance standards and metrics.”

Raynham Park, a former dog track now reduced to being a simulcast parlor, did get a positive finding from the commission but still faces a local referendum and competition from three other bidders for the slots license.  [Raynham did NOT receive a UNANIMOUS VOTE from the Gam[bl]ing Commission because of questions about securities fraud.]

What the Plainridge finding does accomplish — beyond putting a stake in the heart of one track’s ambitions — is to show how thoroughly and competently the Gaming Commission is going about its responsibilities.

And while we have faulted them for the glacial pace at which they seem to be working, this time the effort was impressive. - See more at: http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/opinion/editorials/2013/08/gaming_being_done_right#sthash.pOHvfsRI.dpuf

Bravo, Yvonne Abraham!

But let's not forget that Caesars [previously Harrah's] is a bankruptcy waiting to happen.

Yvonne Abraham

Perilous rolls of the dice

 

By Yvonne Abraham | Globe Columnist August 08, 2013

These are supposed to be the lazy days of summer. But for players with ponies in the race for gaming licenses, this week has been extremely not relaxing.

On Monday, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission bared its teeth and bit, declaring Plainridge Racecourse unsuitable to run a gambling operation, nixing the harness track from the competition for a slots license.

Looking into the track’s finances, the commission’s investigators discovered malfeasance by president Gary Piontkowski so retro it was almost quaint. He had been siphoning cash from the ailing track’s money room for years — to the tune of, oh, $1.4 million.

We’ve seen this movie before, and the ending is always bad. Still, you can’t blame the guy for thinking he’d never get caught. According to the commission, his bosses were blissfully, even willfully, ignorant of his shenanigans. Then, when they could no longer look the other way, they allowed him to quietly resign, citing health concerns. They didn’t even demand the money back. In fact, they gave Piontkowski another $1.8 million for his shares in the company, plus two years’ salary. Gee, I can’t imagine why the commission would question their competence.

 

 

For years, Piontkowski put himself out there as the savior of workers in the state’s fading harness racing industry. In fact, his pilfering was speeding its demise.

No one relishes the workers’ suffering, but still it is heartening to see the commission doing its job so well, and so forcefully. That should make my fellow casino queasies happy — and worry those still in the license hunt.

Plainridge’s exit has put the former dog track at Raynham, its bitter rival for a slots license, in a pretty strong position. But though regulators found Raynham a suitable applicant, the vote on one track partner wasn’t unanimous: A few were hung up on the relationship between Robert Green and a disgraced businessman who did time for fraud — even though the two hadn’t done business since 1995. That squeaky clean standard ought to worry the people at MGM, which has proposed a casino in Springfield: The father of an MGM partner in Macau was linked to organized crime, a connection that might be too rich for regulators to stomach.


Vornado Realty Trust, a 20 percent stakeholder in the group proposing a casino at Suffolk Downs, balked at the prospect of the commission’s scathing scrutiny. Vornado, the company that earned Mayor Tom Menino’s ire by leaving that hole at the old Filene’s site, ensured his enmity would be eternal when it refused to submit to background checks, imperiling the entire Menino-backed casino plan.

Vornado transferred its shares to a blind trust, a move that allowed the application to proceed but left the question of who owns the place murky — murky enough that it should make this commission balk until the confusion is cleared up.

For Suffolk Downs, this week brought a double dose of stress: Their proposal, which seemed like a shoo-in a few months ago, has become a flashpoint in the mayoral race. Bill Walczak, the only candidate flatly opposed to a casino, has proposed an innovation district on the site instead. Suffolk DA Dan Conley is aggressively (and rightly) pushing for a citywide vote on the casino, rather than one in East Boston alone, which would be more of a sure bet. The rhetoric has taken a turn, with other candidates now careful to describe casinos as inevitable, but not desirable.

It all has the makings of serious agita in Gamble Land. And that’s as it should be. Most bets, especially the big ones, are losers. The guys who make gazillions from games of chance know that better than anyone.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/08/07/agita-gamble-land/ZUYH1g1eMgj6gyfGsMqelL/story.html

 

Plainville Officials Have Lost Their Minds!

In case you missed any portion of the Plainville Soap Opera, the Massachusetts Gam[bl]ing Commission has DISQUALIFIED Plainridge from holding a Slot Barn license because.... 


Plainridge: “a culture of fear and concealment pervasive in the operations”


In other words, Plainridge will NOT be granted a license for the same behavior the Plainville Board of Selectmen ignored, supported and in some cases, also employed - intimidation, instilling fear, silencing opposition, negotiating behind closed doors, ignoring the Town's future. 



"No takers for Plainridge"
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/no-takers-for-plainridge/article_36736899-91f1-5401-a47e-4c1908db064d.html


But then there's this:
"Meanwhile, Plainville town officials said they have not formally determined whether they will cancel a planned Sept. 10 town election to vote on approving Plainridge as a site for expanded gambling."

Looks like we ALL need to email, write, call, or visit the selectmen's office, or attend the selectmen's meeting on Monday, August 12th at 6:30 at Town Hall to tell them NOT to hold an election. Why would we hold an election to agree to a Host Community Agreement that's invalid? What purpose would it serve?

PLEASE CONTACT THE SELECTMEN:

email:
selectmen@plainville.ma.us

mail to:
Board of Selectmen
Plainville Town Hall
142 South Street, PO Box 1717
Plainville, MA 02762

Phone: (508) 695-3010

Visit:
Mon-Thur 8:00am to 4:30pm,
Closed Fridays



"Plainridge looking at quick sale to save slot bid" … all to "save harness racing"

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/08/07/plainridge-looking-quick-sale-save-slot-bid/nVv8dsN8v1gBAqIpC20KSJ/story.html

If they wanted to "save harness racing," they wouldn't have colluded with the thief, Gary Piontkowski, to hide the money room thefts from Plainville (while they were negotiating with us!) and the MGC. If they wanted to "save harness racing," they wouldn't have kept Piontkowski on the payroll after he robbed them blind, to the tune of $186,000 a year for 2 years after he stole from Plainridge, the Commonwealth, and Plainville (taxes and the "handle"). If they wanted to "save harness racing," they would have sued the thief for his shares (instead they paid him almost 2 million dollars), reported him to the authorities, and made him pay back his ill-gotten gains.

But they didn't. Instead, they took the slimiest way out. Even their CFO RESIGNED rather than testify before the Mass Gaming Commission about their shenanigans. (And where is the Attorney General in all this? Asleep at the wheel!?!)

These millionaires are looking out to save their own behinds. They couldn't care less about Plainville, harness racing, anything but their own profit. They're not like you and me, and they don't care about us. Don't let them exploit a dying industry to make a few quick bucks before they take their money and get out of Dodge, without a thought to the kind of mess they leave behind.

Stay tuned for more information about how we can fight this wrinkle…

What does future hold for Plainridge?

An uncertain future, rumors and guessing games necessitate the 'Change of Use Application' being put on hold by the Plainville Planning Board!

Too many, like Town Manager Joe Fernandes seem too emotionally invested.......


What does future hold for Plainridge?
Posted: Wednesday, August 7, 2013

BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
The Sun Chronicle

PLAINVILLE - Hope remains that harness racing can be preserved at Plainridge Racecourse despite the track being disqualified as a bidder for slot machines that would have boosted revenue at the Route 1 facility.Track and town officials said the disqualification was a blow to the track, horsemen and the community because, as one track official put it, "harness racing is an industry that hangs in the balance."

Plainridge has steadily lost money over the years, and the added revenue 1,250 slot machines would have brought to the track was seen as the savior for the only harness track in Massachusetts.

The extra money would have led to bigger purses, which in turn would attract a higher quality of horses and more customers.

Track officials have said they would likely have to shut down if they didn't get permission to operate slot machines.

Now slot machines are out of the question, at least under the current track ownership.

The state Gaming Commission has disqualified Plainridge after uncovering evidence former President Gary Piontkowski was taking money over a number of years from the track "money room."

There was speculation Tuesday that another gaming firm could try to acquire Plainridge and revive it as a possible location for the one slot machine license the state will issue.

However, there was no clear evidence that was a possibility.

Track spokesman Bill Ryan would only say that the track and its property "could always be sold."

Town Administrator Joseph Fernandes said he has only heard speculation about an outside firm, and has not been contacted by anyone.

Three other firms applying for the slot machine license did not respond to requests for comment. They have all reached agreements with other towns to locate a slot parlor if they win the state license.

Ryan said the owners of Plainridge want racing to continue at the track, but they are unsure what the future holds.

Many in Plainville said they expect some type of retail development to replace the 15-year-old track.

Dave Simmons, a local attorney who specializes in real estate development, said a large retail outlet is a natural for the site.

Just south of Plainridge sits large developments that include Lowe's, Target and Stop & Shop stores. Just north, near the Interstate 495 cloverleaf, another shopping plaza is in the works.

Plainridge would sit near the other developments, and close to the I-495 exit ramps, but away from the congestion on Route 1 in Foxboro, he said.

"It's a prime piece of property and a large piece of property," he said of Plainridge.

Fernandes said retail space, possibly a mall, will likely come to the site.

But, he said, if it is a retail development, he hopes the Plainridge land fronting Route 1 could be the location for the stores and the racetrack could be preserved in the back of the property.

"It's a perfect location for retail," Principal Assessor Mary Jo LaFreniere said, but she added she could not predict what will actually happen to the property.

Michael Purpall, president of the Harness Horsemen's Association of New England, said the loss of the track would be devastating to harness racing.

He said about 500 people and 72 farms depend on the track for income.

The track has been struggling for years and a slot operation was its only hope for survival, he said.

Town officials said municipal government is also dependant on the track.

LaFreniere said Plainridge is the town's third or fourth largest taxpayer, depending on how you look at it.

She said its largest parcel is 88 acres and has an assessed value of more than $18 million. The track paid $279,546 in property taxes last year, she said.

Plainridge had promised to pay the town $1.5 million in property taxes and $2.7 million in fees based on a percentage of revenue [OVER 5 YEARS!], if it got the slot machine license and built a $125 million facility.

Fernandes said a large retail development could probably replace the lost property taxes, but no developer is going to pay the town 2 percent of its revenue in fees, as Plainridge had promised to do.


http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/what-does-future-hold-for-plainridge/article_8e7a8aaa-7aa4-576a-9bc5-0a961977dd74.html