‘White Papers’ illustrate impact of casino
Date: 8/23/2013
By G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.comWEST SPRINGFIELD – Will a destination casino at The Big E be a positive or a negative for the town of West Springfield? Residents will now have access to an analysis of the potential impact the Hard Rock casino development that might help them make their own decision.
This week, the town posted on its website a series of “White Papers,” compiled the C.H Johnson Consulting Group, an independent consulting firm that by chosen by Mayor Gregory Neffinger and funded by Hard Rock International as dictated by the state’s gaming legislation.
The documents not only collect issues raised by town residents at public meetings about the possibility of a casino, but also analyze key issues including social impact, public safety, fiscal and economic impact and design and construction.
Neffinger told
Reminder Publications the information would be “a little bit more material for [the public] to look at ... Hopefully people will see it as somewhat objective.”
Under public safety, the report noted, “Both the Police and Fire departments anticipate an increased need for personnel and manpower with the addition of the casino and its patrons. The Police Department is concerned that the increase demand may call for redistricting in certain areas of the town. The Fire Department estimates that two additional firefighters and one additional ambulance are needed. Additionally, with no high-rise buildings in West Springfield currently, the Fire Department will require high-rise fire safety training.
“Like most communities considering a casino, West Springfield’s concern about the increase demand for public safety resources is warranted. Researchers from Harvard University and Dartmouth College found that crime does increase slightly in casino counties, but only because casinos draw more people to the area,” the report continued. “Thus, while total crime increases, crime per-capita (per 1,000 residents) declines. Additionally, the Connecticut General Assembly’s Office of Legislative Research found that crime increased in the five towns surrounding Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos after their openings. However, crimes that occurred on the casinos’ premise skewed the total crime figures as the number of crimes reported within the towns remained constant. Most of these crimes are related to theft, and are not heavy crimes. These findings suggest that there will be an increase demand for public safety resources with the introduction of a casino, whether this will stem from activity within or outside of the casino. The two cities, Tampa and Hollywood, where Hard Rock operates casinos, in fact have increased staffing for its police department.”
The report concluded, “Thus, West Springfield should consider in its host agreement provisions to mitigate the cost for an increase demand in public safety. Many casinos have provided funds to host cities and neighboring cities for fire and police protection, including Hollywood Casino for Toledo and neighboring Rossford, Ohio, and the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria to four cities in Sonoma County, Calif.
While the report went into depth on some aspects of public safety, the issue of how visitors would drive to the casino was much shorter, with the suggestion of widening Memorial Avenue to five lanes, but mentioning the addition of any other access road for the public.
Under the design portion of the document, the details of the construction plans for the casino, if awarded the license, are listed. The consultants do offer one thought, though, on the construction process: “It is Johnson Consulting’s opinion that Hard Rock will be sensitive to the residents. The fact that this project is located in an isolated segment of West Springfield shields the majority of residents from the intrusion of the development. The separation also creates an interesting redevelopment area bounded by the Westfield and Connecticut Rivers and the railroad tracks. Hard Rock’s commitments to the redevelopment of Memorial Avenue, arterial roads and its parking inventory should address any material access and congestion problems.”
Under the topic of social impact, the report suggested adopting a zoning overlay to prohibit “certain establishments like pawn shops, hourly hotels, adult entertainment, etc. Hard Rock has not objected to having a zoning overlay established. It is a common practice for localities to use zoning overlays for special circumstances, such as a development of a casino. This is controlled by the city and the overlay adds additional requirements over the base zoning in an area.”
Regarding fiscal success, the report stated, “The town of West Springfield can ultimately increase the odds of this being a positive experience if the necessary steps are taken. Only history will be able to tell us if ultimately a casino in the town of West Springfield will have a positive or negative effect.”
The report referenced other studies that showed a positive economic impact is due to several factors, including making sure casino jobs are filled by area residents and not by people moving to the region for casino employment.
