SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Construction is about to begin for what likely will be the first full-scale resort casino to open in Massachusetts.
A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled in Springfield on Tuesday for the $800 million casino that will be operated by MGM Resorts International. The facility will occupy a 14.5-acre site in Springfield's South End that was heavily damaged in a tornado nearly four years ago.
The casino is expected to open in 2017.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission awarded MGM the state's western Massachusetts resort casino license last year. Wynn Resorts was later awarded the sole Boston-area license but has not yet begun construction in Everett.
A slots-only facility at the Plainridge racetrack in Plainville is expected to open in June.
But before Gov. Dannel P. Malloy widens a single highway or replaces a bridge -- the thrust of a $100 billion plan to fix Connecticut's decaying infrastructure-- his administration might loosen some of the contracting reforms that stemmed from the tarnished legacy of another governor, John G. Rowland.
The state Department of Transportation is asking the Legislature to remove several hurdles on the hiring of outside contractors and consultants to help it carry out the vast scope of projects envisioned in the governor's plan.
The department contends the changes, tucked into a 29-page transportation bill, will save taxpayers money and reduce project delays, and are recommended by the Federal Highway Administration.
Concern is growing among government watchdogs and state employee unions, however, that the Malloy policy shift will chip away at clean-contracting legislation that stemmed directly from Rowland's resignation and imprisonment a decade ago for accepting gifts from state contractors.
"We're always worried about rolling back anti-corruption initiatives," said Tom Swan, executive director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group. "Whether it be the recent announcement that (the University of Connecticut) may not fall under the Contracting Standards Board or the use of federal party accounts to circumvent the state ban on contractor (political contributions), this appears to fall in that continuum."
Malloy's office referred questions on the matter to state Transportation Commissioner James Redeker, who bristled at the mention of the former governor's corruption. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Northeast gas pipeline progresses, to some landowner dismay
HARPERSFIELD, N.Y. (AP) — The 124-mile Constitution Pipeline will likely bring some relief from high natural gas prices to residents of New York City and New England, but it will also bring anguish to some landowners in the wooded hills and valleys in its path.
It will slash a mile-long gash through a pristine forest tended by the Kernan family for seven decades. It will spoil Andrew Havas' plans to build a home and automotive shop. It will disrupt farming operations for dairyman Ken Stanton. It will dash hopes Bob Lidsky and Bev Travis had of building the hilltop home where they planned to retire with their five huge mountain dogs.
"This pipeline destroys any hope of either building or selling the land for a profit," said Lidsky, a retired designer who raises Leonberger dogs with his wife in the Catskills hamlet of Andes and also owns 42 acres in the pipeline's path.
Of 651 landowners in New York and Pennsylvania affected by the $700 million pipeline project, 125 refused to sign right of way agreements. Condemnation proceedings undertaken by Constitution under the Natural Gas Act have largely resolved the remaining disputes, either through settlements or access granted by a judge.
Only four property owners still have cases pending, all in New York. The courts will set compensation for landowners who did not reach agreements on their own. In Lidsky's case, for example, the judge granted Constitution access and ordered the company to cover compensation of up to $11,600.
"We're looking at early summer to start construction," with completion next year, said Chris Stockton, spokesman for Tulsa, Oklahoma-based pipeline operator Williams Partners LP. Most regulatory hurdles have been cleared, though the project still needs air and water permits from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and another permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Despite the lack of development, much has happened, beginning with the state's dereliction of duty to do anything to secure the massive campus when it closed the mental health institution in 1996, leaving the buildings to deteriorate and not even bothering to turn off the water.
There were repeated failed attempts by the state to market the 400-acre property. There were years wasted dealing with a huckster who promised to construct a "Utopia" theme park. A deeply divided Preston decided by a narrow margin to take the state's offer to assume ownership and responsibility for the property, only to see town infighting continue on how to proceed.
But in recent years there has been substantial progress and an administration in Hartford far more willing to help the town in its efforts to get the property ready for development. About 85 percent of the buildings have been razed and hazardous materials removed.
Leading through it all has been First Selectman Robert Congdon, elected to 10 consecutive terms, sometimes by the narrowest of margins. Mr. Congdon may yet land his white whale - the development of the property and its resulting tax revenue - before he leaves office.
On Friday, a team of real estate consultants provided their preliminary observations and recommendations. Change the name of the development site from Preston Riverwalk to Riverwalk at Preston, placing the emphasis on the location along the Thames River. Hard to see that tipping a potential developer's decision, but it can't hurt. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Forum Monday on Stonnington school project
By Joe Wojtas
Stonington — The K-12 Building Committee will host community informational meetings on the $69 million elementary school renovation project today at the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center and Wednesday at the Stonington Community Center. Both meetings are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
The committee’s plan calls for renovating West Vine Street School and building a 34,000-square-foot addition and renovating Deans Mill School and constructing a 40,000-square-foot addition. The project would be completed in time for the 2019-20 school year.
The schools will hold students in pre-kindergarten through grade 5 and 115-year-old West Broad Street School will close.
State reimbursement is expected to decrease the cost to taxpayers to $52.3 million.
A referendum vote is expected in late April. The town needs to submit an application for state reimbursement by the June 30 deadline. This means that if the referendum is rejected, the project would be delayed at least one year.
Construction employment increases in 247 out of 358 metro areas year over year
Construction employment expanded in 247 metro areas, declined in 56 and was stagnant in 55 between January 2014 and January 2015, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said they were also launching a new effort, called #DriveBetterRoads designed to get Congress and the administration to finance and pass a long-term highway and transit measure.
"The picture is very positive overall, with more than two-thirds of metro areas recording increases in construction employment over the past 12 months," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. "However, the gains remain spotty–several states have metros at both extremes of jobs added and lost. The market is likely to remain turbulent, as the drop in oil prices creates a different set of winners and losers from what existed a year ago."
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas added the largest number of construction jobs in the past year (14,100 jobs, 7 percent), followed by Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (11,200 jobs, 10 percent), Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colo. (10,300 jobs, 12 percent) and Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Wash. (10,200 jobs, 14 percent). The largest percentage gains occurred in Lafayette-West Lafayette, Ind. (28 percent, 700 jobs), Bend-Redmond, Ore. (26 percent, 1,000 jobs), Lake Charles, La. (26 percent, 3,300 jobs) and Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas (25 percent, 4,300 jobs). CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE