Sixteen casino development teams, all of which submitted proposals for lavish gaming resorts in upstate New York, are still waiting for the government’s casino siting board to announce the winners. The licensees were expected to be announced sometime in October. “But there is no actual deadline in the statute,” commission spokesman Lee Park said. “They want to get it done, but get it done right.”
The developers?which include big players including Genting, Caesars Entertainment, Mohegan Sun and Hard Rock International?have promised economic rebound and thousands of new jobs for communities chosen to host a casino. In Sullivan County, two casinos have been proposed by different development partners in the same vicinity. Two casinos at the site of the old Concord Hotel will “pump life into Sullivan county’s struggling economy,” proclaims a radio ad funded by the Sullivan County Industrial Development Agency and other local business groups.
“The IDA believes it would be in the best interest of our area if two casinos were located in our county,” lawyer Walter Garigliano told the Lower Hudson Journal News.
The board will pick up to four casino plans for three regions of the state: the Catskills/Hudson Valley area; the Albany area; and the Southern Tier/Finger Lakes region. There are nine proposals for the Catskills/Hudson Valley region, including six in Orange County. Orange County is closer to New York City and arguably could steal all the thunder due to the massive population base around the metropolis.
In a letter to the board, Seneca County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bob Hayssen voiced his support for the Lago Resort & Casino, proposed by Wilmorite for the town of Tyre. “The purpose of this letter is to remind you how closely your deliberations and decision-making process is being watched by interested New Yorkers,” he wrote. “You have made it clear that you are following the scoring mechanism laid out in the law. I truly hope you will publicly demonstrate that the scoring mechanism was followed and how each applicant scored under that formula. You owe it to the public to have that process be as transparent as possible.”
According to that formula, 70 percent of the board’s decision will be based on “economic activity and business development factors”; 20 percent on “local impact and siting factors”; and 10 percent on “workforce factors.”
“The need to demonstrate to winners and losers, and, most importantly, the citizens of New York, that a fair, honest, open and transparent process was adhered to should not be underestimated,” Hayssen wrote. “The transparency of your process in laying out the scores of all applicants will be as closely watched as will the actual decision itself.”
