"In case you haven't heard of it, Warren is a small town just off the Mass. Pike in central Massachusetts. Like Milford, Warren is being considered as a resort casino site. In early May, the Casino Study Committee held an open forum. Invited speakers were Bill Haase, former Ledyard, Conn., town planner; Michael Finkelstein, Ledyard executive police officer, and Marcia Vlaun, Montville, Conn., planning director.

The forum was moderated by Megan Diprete and Vera Kolias from the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission. The following information comes from a story in the Ware River News, which sent a correspondent to cover the session.

It's no surprise that Haase reported an increase in traffic when Foxwoods opened. What is surprising is the enormity of the increase. Traffic studies predicted traffic that would equal that of a major shopping mall. Instead, according to Haase, "about everybody in southern New England showed up." Traffic was backed up into neighboring towns and the traffic engineer was heard saying "Oh, my God" over and over again.

Traffic on the main route in Ledyard increased by 249 percent between 1988 and 1996. Local roads have also been affected because people who know the area use them to get to the casino.

Haase warned the Warren group about deals done in secrecy. The state of Connecticut dealt with the Mashantucket Tribe in secret and the result was money for the state but none for the host communities. "There are no special monetary rewards that the host communities get just for being host communities," Haase said."

Get the Story:
Glen Ickler: A gambling lesson from Connecticut (Gatehouse News Service 6/6)

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