PGS. 30-31 O SpecialCCASION that May 14, 2012 East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Hampden, Wilbraham & Sixteen Acres
By G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD – Mayor Domenic Sarno is taking the city’s efforts to land a casino license to a new level. He announced on May 10 the city would be seeking to hire a consultant who would work to craft a host plan with the casino developers interested in the city. The city has released a
Request for Proposals (RFP) for the position that day. In an interview with Reminder
Publications on May 9, Sarno emphasized that a casino is part of his overall economic development plan and said the city needs blue- collar service jobs as well as white- collar jobs. “It’s one piece of the puzzle,”
Sarno said. He noted the state commission
governing the three casino licenses has not yet released the rules under which the selection process will be determined, but Sarno wants to be prepared. “I want a specialist in this
game who knows the ins and outs,” he added. Although casino developers
have reportedly expressed interest in sites close to the Amtrak station and in the South End, Sarno noted that Ameristar, which has purchased the Westinghouse property on Page Boulevard, is the only company definitely interested in the city. “If it’s the only horse in the
game, that’s the horse you ride,” he said.
Sarno said that his Chief
Development Off icer Kevin Kennedy is pushing for a downtown casino. When asked how a casino would affect existing businesses, such as bars and restaurants, Sarno said he was not worried. As mayor he would negotiate
an agreement that would protect those businesses and require the entertainment offered by the casino to use Symphony Hall and the MassMutual Center as venues. “It [a downtown casino] has to
be a spin-off of downtown,” Sarno said.
He plans not to be bashful
when working on a host agreement with a casino company.
See CASINO on page 13
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FREE HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER City to seek consultant for casino host agreement
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