Wynn Resorts has removed more than 600,000 tons of contaminated soil from the former Monsanto chemical plant along the Mystic River in its cleanup efforts on the 33-acre site of the .4 billion Wynn Boston Harbor casino, which is looking at a summer 2019 opening.
The soil was distributed to landfills all over the country over the last year in 8,800 truckloads and 4,300 railcars. Now that this $30 million job is complete, the next step is to dredge the shoreline to make way for the casino, hotel and river walk park.
They will plant native plants along the shoreline, which, it is hoped will attract native fish and birds to the area.
Robert DeSalvio, president of Wynn Boston Harbor, hailed the milestone: “To successfully remove this much contaminated dirt without any significant issues or problems was a massive and complex task that will yield benefits for generations to come.”
Meanwhile, Wynn is planning to demolish a three-block section of buildings across the street from the casino, a total of ten properties the company recently purchased. The purchase was a windfall for some commercial, residential and industrial property owners who found themselves offered far more than the assessed valuation.
Last year Wynn spent almost $20 million on the properties. Some residents were forced out of rental homes they had lived in for many years.
The buildings will be razed and Wynn plans to landscape the land to make an attractive approach to the casino—with some possible future development in the works.
DeSalvio commented, “As a prudent developer, we have a responsibility to invest in the overall success of our host community and play a meaningful role in what will be built around our $2.4 billion resort,” adding, “That means, in the short term, we will proceed with demolition and add landscaping to make the entry to our resort spectacular. In the long term, we will work closely with the city of Everett to bring even more vitality and prosperity” to the area.
Most of the property owners were willing sellers, although the city of Everett reserved the right to acquire a few commercial parcels by eminent domain.
Mayor Carlo DeMaria said his office was helping some residents find new homes.
Suffolk Downs Sale
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission last week by a vote of 4-0 approved of the sale of 161-acre Suffolk Downs racetrack in East Boston to a real estate development company. Suffolk Down is the last remaining thoroughbred racetrack still operating in New England.
The purchaser, Boston-based McClellan Highway Development Company, the current owners will be leasing the property to continue offering racing for the minimum allowed six days—and simulcasting, at least through next year. The sale of the property is for an undisclosed price.
Suffolk Downs CEO Chip Tuttle said the owners hope to build a permanent simulcasting site on the property. The owners had been seeking a buyer since the racetrack unsuccessfully campaigned for the Boston metro casino license in 2014. That license eventually went to the Wynn Boston Harbor.
MGM Springfield
In anticipation of the opening of the $950 million MGM Springfield next year, the Springfield Police Department is hiring more officers and asking for $3 million more in next year’s city budget. The goal is to bring the force to just over 500.
Mayor Domenic Sarno is looking at that request and others that could raise the city’s 2008 budget to over $600 million. Sarno has long maintained public safety as his top priority. Crime increased 13 percent last year.
The police department is planning to create a special casino unit before it opens in September 2018. About 40 specially trained officers will work out of a new downtown station, concentrating on a 10-block area. At least 10,000 visitors are expected to be drawn to the downtown area each day.
As part of its host community agreement with Springfield, MGM has committed to paying $1.5 million annually for police.
Last week Police Commissioner John Barbieri told the South End Business Association, “You’re going to have the largest C3 program that’s ever existed.” C3 is the name of the community policing program. “It’s to improve the quality of life, to make it a safe place to work, live, go to an entertainment zone, to all the businesses,” he said.
The program includes installation of callboxes with cameras all over the city. Anyone will be able to summon police with them. “People know that there’s a cop right there. That’s the key to getting people to feel safe,” said the commissioner.
MGM Springfield representative Dennis Murphy commented, “Public safety is our top concern. We will have excessive security. We will have an excessive police presence. … Our goal would be for our families, our spouses, to be able to walk with our children down Main Street at 10 o’clock at night and feel safe.”
Mayor Sarno, who also addressed the group, added, “The bad guys don’t want to be around a well-lit, clean area where there are a lot of people and a positive atmosphere. We’re going to spread that good time all across the city of Springfield.”
Online Gaming
As the ad hoc Special Commission on Online Gaming, Fantasy Sports Gaming and Daily Fantasy Sports appointed by the legislature continues its work to develop recommendations for an omnibus bill that would address all forms of online gaming—except the lottery—the Attorney General, who oversees the lottery, isn’t feeling the love.
Treasurer Deborah Goldberg is continuing to press for authority to offer scratch tickets, keno, draw games and more on the internet. She claims the very survival of the lottery is at stake.
At a recent meeting of the Lottery Commission, Goldberg and commissioners commented on a hearing being held by the other commission, which is supposed to make its recommendation to lawmakers in July.
Goldberg commented, “It’s interesting. You’re hearing about the Gaming Commission saying they want online gambling, and then the comment that I read in the paper was that there are only so many entertainment dollars. So literally … if they get online gambling and we do not get iLottery, they would be trying to capture our money that goes to cities and towns for the profit of a profitable entity, like Wynn or MGM.”
Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby, who also serves on the special commission, repeated last week that the commission doesn’t care whether online gaming is legalized, but does have thoughts on regulations if it is legalized.
Crosby told a radio interviewer: “The Gaming Commission has been absolutely emphatic that there is a two-step process here. One is, should online gaming be legal in Massachusetts? That’s not up to us, that’s up to the legislature, pure and simple.” He added, “If it is legal, then we definitely have opinions on how it should be done and we’ve made recommendations. But we’re not lobbying in favor, nor are we against it. That’s not a decision for us to make.”
Crosby has said he thinks online gaming could be a source for economic growth, if “you have a stable legal environment, where the law was clear and the parameters were clear and the rules of the road were clear, people would come here to develop new games.”
