Wynn Resorts is following through on its promise to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to redesign the Wynn casino resort planned for Everett. Several commissioners were highly critical of the original design for the .6 billion resort.
The casino giant provided its first status report on the project since winning the license to build its 27-story casino and hotel tower.
Wynn also began holding public meetings to obtain input on its cleanup plan for the polluted 30-acre site of the former Monsanto chemical plant. The facility will overlook the Mystic River across the river from the Charlestown district of Boston.
Wynn officials told a group of more than 100 people at Tufts University that they planned to meet the “highest standards” set by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Currently the estimate for clean up is at least $30 million, according to Robert DeSalvio.
“The company commitment is that we’ll get the job done,” he said. “We have a very significant task ahead of us, getting this site cleaned up and ready for development.”
Among Wynn’s plan for the facility is an esplanade along the river, a public park and a winter garden. It also plans to ferry visitors to the facility with boats and restore nearby sale marshes. One proposal that Wynn had floated is no longer viable: using oysters to help clean the river. The authorities refused to allow this since there was no way to prevent people from harvesting and eating the unsafe oysters.
Monsanto was only the latest chemical producer to use the land. It was used by several chemical companies dating back to 1868.
Two methods of clean up will be used: mixing cement with the polluted soil to permanently render it inert and to remove and dispose of contaminated soil. Wynn estimates the clean up will take up to four months to complete.
Last week two gaming commissioners, James McHugh and Gayle Cameron, met with some residents of Charlestown, to answer their questions about the Everett casino and the process. State Rep. Dan Ryan set up the meeting.
Ryan told the crowd, “Like it or not that may be the reality. I’m going to get to know you folks a whole lot more because I intend to see this thing through if that’s where it’s going right until the end. I live one mile from there. There is no elected official in the commonwealth that lives closer to a proposed casino than I do.”
The commissioners were well aware that they were addressing a mainly hostile gathering. According to the Patriot-Bridge, McHugh told the group, “I understand that some of you, perhaps many of you in the room are unalterably opposed to gambling,” said McHugh. “I also understand that some of you though not unalterably opposed to gambling are unalterably opposed to gambling here because of its potential impact on the community.” He said he didn’t expect to change those views, but wanted to explain the mitigation part of the license award and to answer questions.”
The presentation noted that Wynn will be paying $76 million in traffic mitigation to Boston and will be required to improve Sullivan Square regardless of price. McHugh noted that the commission as a condition for awarding the license increased the mitigation amount from $46 million to $76 million.
He added that Wynn would have to pay $20,000 per year for each vehicle trip above a certain level on peak traffic periods.
More said that all of the incentives and penalties could add up to $50 million for a long-term solution to Sullivan Square.
Cameron added that despite the fact that Boston has not yet reached a mitigation agreement with Wynn, and despite its refusal to participate in arbitration with Wynn, that the commission still encourages it to reach such an agreement with the developer. He also noted that any transportation plan Wynn comes up with must have the blessings of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
