Bill allowing uo to 3 more casinos advances by wide margin
HARTFORD — A proposal to expand casino gambling in Connecticut advanced Thursday, easily passed by the legislature's public safety committee.
The bill, An Act Concerning Gaming, passed 15-8. The easy passage reflects concerns that a lack of action in Connecticut would leave the state's two casinos without a response to competition building in neighboring states, especially Massachusetts.
"This is simply a logical step to allow the joint compact to move forward with the opportunity to preserve revenue," said Sen. Timothy D. Larson, D-East Hartford, who voted for the plan.
"This is a proven commodity," Larson said. "Let's give them a chance."
If passed by the legislature, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe and the Mohegan Tribe would operate as many as three casinos placed strategically near state highways that lead to competing out-of-state casino developments, like MGM Resort International's $800 million casino scheduled to open in Springfield in 2017 or 2018. Continuing the status quo, according to one prediction, would result in a sharp dive in spending at the casinos, by as much as $700 million in the next couple of years.
Reservations about the bill expressed by some on the committee focused on the social costs of expanded gambling and the sense that the proposal is only trying to slow the ongoing reduction in casino jobs. One legislator cited the results of a recent Quinnipiac University Poll that found that voters opposed expanded gaming in Connecticut by a ratio of nearly 4-to-1. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
New Guilford High School on time and on budget
GUILFORD >>The general consensus for the construction of the new Guilford High School is that everything will be “on time and on budget,” according to local officials. The budget for the new high school is $92,220,800, which the public voted on last June. First Selectman Joseph Mazza said the high school should be completed in three months, and said the furniture will start to get moved into the new building as early as June and July, and will be ready for the start of the next school year in fall. “We’re delighted to see the progress of the new high school and we’re extremely proud of the Guilford High School Committee for doing a fantastic job keeping the project on time and within budget,” Mazza said. “And I have no doubt that the facility will be one of the finest high schools in the state of Connecticut. And we’ll be ready to accept students on opening day in September of this year.” Town officials recently took action on grants awarded to the town for the installation of technical infrastructure in the school, including the network switching equipment, wireless network equipment and the telephone system.
According to Superintendent of Schools Paul Freeman, the new building will be significantly larger and will use less energy. “The space in general will be more open and flexible,” Freeman said. Freeman listed large meeting rooms, a television studio, Internet cafes and non-traditional work desks as features of the new building, among others. “From an energy perspective, it will be more robust than the old building,” he said. For example, the new building will feature and energy-efficient lighting that shines only to the optimal level, which will reduce wasted energy, according to Freeman.
“The new high school is incredibly exciting. It is going to allow us to continue to be the exciting high school that we’ve been but it’s going to open up new opportunities for us, as well,” Freeman said. “It’s on time and on budget, and I’m very much looking forward to September and having our high school students in that building.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Construction accident at Charter Oak school in West Hartford
WEST HARTFORD — Construction workers at Charter Oak School Friday morning lost control of a tree they were removing, causing minor damage to the gym roof and a broken pane of glass, according to a letter sent to parents.
The incident occurred at 7:30 a.m. No one was injured, and while some students were arriving early for music lessons, workers were blocking the area around the tree, preventing students from walking past, according to the letter, sent by school principal Mary Thompson.
Thompson did not respond to a call for comment Friday.
Plans are underway to construct a new school building and tear down the existing building, and the workers were removing the last of several trees in the area, Thompson said in the letter.
Following the accident, workers secured the area and brought in the town's structural engineer. Town certified arborists removed the remainder of the tree, "as the safety audit felt that with the wind picking up, it was best to remove it," according to the letter. "The window and roof will be repaired and there should be no further impact on our school's programs. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE