Same Time Next Year
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It’s been nearly a year since I wrote about the problems that come from
having 11 bosses who are not on the same page about anything, as well as
suggestion...
4 months ago
September 18, 2011
Casinos
Just posted a comment from Jahn. Got to agree with here. If there are going to be casinos in Massachusetts, how can we not be positioning one for Central Massachusetts even at the airport?? All the more reason to have a MassPike exit in Auburn on to 56 for both the airport/casino.
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Well in the last 4 days we have had the 4th letter to the editor from Mr Richard C. this year, once again driving home the reality of an overabundance of low income housing in Worc.
He also reiterates a point(s) that may have been made here about City Sq, namely City Sq may not live up to its expectations. He does kind of bob and weave around another point but doesnt come right and say it...that low income demographics will kill City Sq and also a I point I made here recently that a successful City will require condos and not apts.
Also a mere two story building put up by St V's speaks volumes about the lack of confidence that dev'ers have in this project. Economics of land dev'ment are such that the taller the new construction, the more confidence a dev'er has in the project/site.
As Bill would say, Richard C nails it and I might add , once again.
And speaking of nailing it, the T&G (was it Nemeth?) nailed it re: casino gambling in Mass. I will go out on a limb and speculate that what the state thinkks they may get for the dev'ment rights to build a casino may not pan out. Ct. casinos are in huge "recesssion" themselves and three large casinos in Mass will surely cannibalize an already shrinking southern New Eng. casino market.
AlSO SPEAKING OF gambling or should I say not gambling Shrewsbury aint gambling on low income housing. Did you folks see what Shrewsbury PROACTIVELY did to the site where the soon to be shuttered postal facilty is located........YUP they re-zoned it from business to single family residential in a proactive, defensive attempt to prevent densely built low income housing. Of course 41b is exempt from local zoning, but at least they put up barriers to more No Lo in Shrewsbury vs inviting them in like WOrc. does.
So...............I wonder what's going on with that low income housing project plaaned at the former Spags site....dittos for that Hampton Inn motel off 290 in Shrewsbury that allegedly lost their funding??
Central Mass WAS in the mix for a casino...Marlboro....SAND's casino was VERY interested...
http://www.wickedlocal.com/marlborough/news/x1427487619#axzz1YPmvOROD
Sheldon Adelson, who owns Sand's took a bath in the recession/limp recovery so I doubt the Central Mass plan for Marlboro has any anymore momentum.
Also Hard Rock Casino was looking at Charlton for a bit: http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/charlton_landowner_vincent_iuliano_markets_property_for_casino.html
Neither the Marlboro or Charlton plans are as organized as Mohegan Sun in palmer is, they are basically 'shovel ready' to go, hence the lack of Central Mass representation/clout.
Just my opinion.
Harry T
Worcester,MA
I might also add I just read a few days worth of newspaper more fully & closely at lunchtime today.
A piece I read on Mass casinos now speaks about an eastern/central Mass casino. First time I have seen mention of the so called Boston area casino as the "eastern/central Mass casino" Maybe I missed previous refences to it by this name?
So color me confused, but does the state of Mass get 3 "state" casinos & the injuns also get one for their so called sovereign nation that is also sited in Mass? If so maybe Worc can smoke the peace pipe as with our fellow Native Americans get a casino sited high atop airport hill?
Common motives ($$$$$$$) can make strange bedfellows. Just ask any cathouse madam.
I was looking at google maps and saw that Foxwoods takes up about one square mile. Then I looked at the Worcester area and saw a piece of undeveloped land on the northwest corner of the intersection of I-290 and 140 that would probably be a decent location for a casino. I would vote against that location simply because it's in my backyard. Everybody else does, so I will too.
I don't think the airport would be chosen due to the lack of access. What (for profit) developer in their right mind would spend the money on that type of project in the hopes that the government will build a road leading to it?
3 is too many casinos. They won't all be as successful as planned because we'll then have 5 area casinos (counting Mohegan and Foxwoods). Way to over saturate the markert Massachussetts.
So now todays T&G says the state and/or municipalities wants environmental review waivers for the uuuumongous lake bridge project...part of the retionale being its just a replacemnt and not a new bridge at the site HUH????? I mean WTF !!!!!!!!!
I am telling you folks, the peopel who make all the burdensome regulations are the 1st to be asking for relief from them or ignore tham completely. Witness the state demolishing a building up in Gardner ( I think it was) , which building was loaded with asbestos that they DID NOT remove prior to demo. Priceless!
If I so much as tinckled in Lake Quinsigamond under the water with my bathing suit on the city nuisanace patrol, the state DEP, and the fed'l EPA would be all over my a++ like a wet bathing suit. They'd have a picture of me in my wet bathing suit stadning court, shackled, surrounded by 101 regulatory, gestapo, jack booted, do nothing gubmint agents
Is anyone else fed up with teh do as I say not as I do mentality of the gubmint.
BTW they finally fixed the salt storage shed on E Mtn street the last few weeks. Probably 8 to 10 yrs that structure sat in an imploded state. I can't hlep but think about similarly imploded private owned structures that are condemmed w/in days. A three decker in the village of Piedmont a few yrs comes to mind that had nothing more than a small section foundation that had sunk a few inches. The red "X" s were tack on in a New York minute.
Color me "FED" UP
Steve
You ever go to Foxwoods? No access road there and people get there.
Bill
Bill,
I realize they don't have a highway to the front door, but the directions to get there are simple. "Take I-95 South to Exit 92 in Connecticut. Go straight at the stoplight. At the next stoplight, turn right onto Route 2 West for eight miles. Take the Foxwoods Blvd exit.. "
Any directions for ORH include Kelly Square, Newton Square, Tatnuck Square and/or Webster Square.
But...
Given that most people coming would have a GPS stuck to their windshield, it may not matter.
And back in the late 80s when Worcester Airport actually had at least four airlines (IIRC) flying to multiple destinations, people were able to find the airport.
So the argument of the need for an access road is a mute point for airlines and/or a casino on airport hill. The bottom line is that both airlines and casinos can make much more money elsewhere so I would not hold my breath for either scenario to unfold.
Steve
One of the reasons we wanted MassPort was because they had the "juice' to bring in airlines and who knows maybe a casino.
MassPort could rent land for $1 and 99 years to bring in casino and build parking garages to get revenue.
If you had a casino, dont you think the chances of getting an access road off the MassPike on to 56 would be easier?
Steve, have you driven these roads to Foxwoods? Thay are wooded rural roads and people get there.
Bill
Steve, isnt I-395 the best route to Fxws from Worc and not I 95? Yes from Boston area, it's I-95....and how about former gravel pit (still operating) in Shrews. that was almost a mall back in the early 90's......as it cant go where the soon to be closed post office plant is, as the town of Shrews, as noted above, quickly zoned that for residential....not that dragging a few $100,000 bills through Shrewsbury wouldnt get that re zoned in a heart beat. :).
David you raise a good point about our airport thriving back in the 1908's, but back then i "THINK" it was mandated that smaller airports like Worc had to be served by major carriers. So the mandadted carriers arrived and then the passengers as the only oterh real choice was Logan. Also keep in mind that Manchester, Providence, and Bradley werent anywhere near the size operations that they are now and didnt have the comm. air service they have now. I also believe that both Manchester and Prov. had roadways built to improve access since the 80's...thus their growth.
Bill, I am not so sure we'll ever see road biulding in this country again to the extent we have seen since the 1950's. Roads need gubmint $$$$$$$$$$ and gubmint aint got no dough. Of course I guess a toll road (for you public school grads that means user paid for) to the airport is always a possibilty.
Womag has a piece today (9-22) about red light cameras in Worc. and here's a para. from it and i quote:
"Worc actually had found itself ahead of teh curve in the 1970s, becoming one of the first cities to integrate coordinated traffic signals on Main St to relieve congestion, something the city still benefits from today. As traffic increased & and the systems antiquated, the coordinating timing was removed in the mid 1980's and the signals went back to working independently from one another."
Translation:
In the 1970's Worc had lotsa downtown traffic. Fast forward 40 yrs when every houshold now has AT LEAST 2 cars and Main St Worc doesnt even have a traffic congestion problem.
Further translation:
"As the .....system antiquated, the timing was removed...." The reality is as Worc Main St trafiic decreased and as the traffic system fell apart from lack of proper maintenance "the timing was removed"
Think about it, 40+ yrs ago with much fewer cars in existence downtown was so vibrant that traffic coordinating devices had to be installed. Kinda sad ...HHUH?
What also isnt said is that as the traffic devices "antiquated" places like Ware Pratt, Shacks, Kennedys, Sharfmans, Denholms, MCD's, Burger K., SS Kreseges, Richard Healy, Filenes, Barnards, and multiple movie theatres also became "antiquated" Hope I didnt for any DT establishments...OMG how could I forget the Fine Arts and the Paris :)
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