Apparently, many of the town folk in bucolic Middleborough continue to cling to the belief that the $1 billion casino planned for their town will have little or no impact on the quality of town life. Recently, however, Wampanoag Nation and its developer-partners submitted a business plan to the U.S. Department of the Interior which wields regulatory approval under the 1988 Federal Indian Gaming Act. Some of the details contained in the submission provide some interesting food for thought.
The total project is expected to comprise 850,000 square feet and will include as many as 1,500 hotel rooms and eight to ten restaurants. But the focal point, of course, will be the 400,000 square foot gambling floor. Nine acres! Initial plans call for 4,000 slot machines, which would provide at least 1.67 machines for each of the 2,387 citizens who voted for the casino in the special Town meeting on July 28 th. And those who voted against the casino and are now feeling left out will be pleased to learn that this space can easily accommodate up to 8,000 slot machines, according to gambling experts. Parking? Not to worry. There will be 10,500 parking spaces which roughly translates into a half space for each town resident. But here again, since the casino will occupy 550 acres, there is probably a little room for expansion.
The seven million dollars a year that the developers have promised to the town, in lieu of taxes, may seem like a lot of money. Frankly, it does to me when I check out my IRA balance. But in 2006, Middleborough’s annual budget was $62 million. I suspect it won’t take many years for the “casino windfall” to be absorbed into the budget and the upward pressure on property taxes to start anew. But by then, Rte 44 will have been transformed into "The Strip" of Southeastern Mass.
Reportedly, Governor Patrick is ready to one-up the Wamps and call for the approval of not one, but three full-blown casinos in Massachusetts. The tribe can either bid for one of the state deals, or continue to pursue federal approval for a fourth. So we are now looking at the possibility of four casinos for the Olde Bay State! Think of how a Vegas-style structure (see photo) would liven up those dull, wooded landscapes on the Mass. Pike. Those who worry about the effect on our culture will be pleased to know that the croupiers will all wear tricorn hats and knee breaches. And when a customer hits a big jackpot, the Minutemen could fire off a flintlock volley just like after a Patriot score. The Gov, of course, is quick to note the massive amounts of new revenues this plan will provide and all the marvelous ways the government can spend it. There is also the vision of the thousands of new jobs to be created. After all, think of the numbers of busboys and wait staff that would be needed for just the eight to ten new restaurants at Middleborough. And how about all those chamber maids that will be needed to change the sheets in those 1,500 hotel rooms? Is this opportunity or what?
This rush to a Gambling solution for the state’s spending addiction is starting to smack of the Tulip Bulb mania of 1636. The only responsible adult in sight would appear to be House Speaker, Sal Di Masi with his lonely finger in the dyke.
The total project is expected to comprise 850,000 square feet and will include as many as 1,500 hotel rooms and eight to ten restaurants. But the focal point, of course, will be the 400,000 square foot gambling floor. Nine acres! Initial plans call for 4,000 slot machines, which would provide at least 1.67 machines for each of the 2,387 citizens who voted for the casino in the special Town meeting on July 28 th. And those who voted against the casino and are now feeling left out will be pleased to learn that this space can easily accommodate up to 8,000 slot machines, according to gambling experts. Parking? Not to worry. There will be 10,500 parking spaces which roughly translates into a half space for each town resident. But here again, since the casino will occupy 550 acres, there is probably a little room for expansion.
The seven million dollars a year that the developers have promised to the town, in lieu of taxes, may seem like a lot of money. Frankly, it does to me when I check out my IRA balance. But in 2006, Middleborough’s annual budget was $62 million. I suspect it won’t take many years for the “casino windfall” to be absorbed into the budget and the upward pressure on property taxes to start anew. But by then, Rte 44 will have been transformed into "The Strip" of Southeastern Mass.
Reportedly, Governor Patrick is ready to one-up the Wamps and call for the approval of not one, but three full-blown casinos in Massachusetts. The tribe can either bid for one of the state deals, or continue to pursue federal approval for a fourth. So we are now looking at the possibility of four casinos for the Olde Bay State! Think of how a Vegas-style structure (see photo) would liven up those dull, wooded landscapes on the Mass. Pike. Those who worry about the effect on our culture will be pleased to know that the croupiers will all wear tricorn hats and knee breaches. And when a customer hits a big jackpot, the Minutemen could fire off a flintlock volley just like after a Patriot score. The Gov, of course, is quick to note the massive amounts of new revenues this plan will provide and all the marvelous ways the government can spend it. There is also the vision of the thousands of new jobs to be created. After all, think of the numbers of busboys and wait staff that would be needed for just the eight to ten new restaurants at Middleborough. And how about all those chamber maids that will be needed to change the sheets in those 1,500 hotel rooms? Is this opportunity or what?
This rush to a Gambling solution for the state’s spending addiction is starting to smack of the Tulip Bulb mania of 1636. The only responsible adult in sight would appear to be House Speaker, Sal Di Masi with his lonely finger in the dyke.
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