Artist's rendering of the proposed Foxwoods Massachusetts casino. Image from Foxwoods Massachusetts
Newspaper urges residents of Milford to vote in favor of the Foxwoods Massachusetts, the $1 billion casino being proposed by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut:
The election in Milford on Nov. 19 is not a referendum on gambling. It is about siting a business, assessing its benefits and impacts, and evaluating the contract selectmen have negotiated with the developer. Foxwoods Massachusetts proposes a $1 billion resort casino on 188 wooded acres on Rte. 16 north of I-495. It will include a 500-room, four-star hotel, a modest convention/conference center, restaurants and entertainment venues. Selectmen have negotiated a deal no other business could match. Foxwoods will give the town $33 million up front, and $35 million a year, much more than the cost of additional services town department heads believe will be required. It will pay an additional $120 million for traffic improvements, adding four lanes to I-495 between Milford’s exits and creating easy access to the development. Foxwoods will pay for improvements to the town’s water and sewer infrastructure that will more than compensate for the project’s demands. Our concern is how this development fits in to the region’s economic development strategy, a question largely ignored by business and community leaders wary of the controversy the Foxwoods proposal has generated. We see two major advantages.Get the Story:
Editorial: Casino plan deserves a ‘yes’ (The MetroWest Daily News 11/10) Related Stories:
Mashantucket Tribe faces vote on Massachusetts gaming plan (11/8)
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