Brockton area towns making case for share of casino jackpot

BROCKTON – Towns in the region have been closely following the debate in Brockton over a $650 million casino.

Now that city voters have approved the proposal, town officials are preparing to speak up. And when it comes to casinos, money talks.

In 2013, when MGM Resorts International was an applicant for a casino license in Springfield, the company agreed to pay Holyoke $85,000 and as much as $160,000 annually over 15 years under a “surrounding community agreement.”

State officials later granted the license to MGM, which broke ground on an $800 million casino this spring.

In the Brockton area, towns are just beginning to explore potential casino impacts – both in terms of traffic and public safety, and also what it could mean for their bottom lines.

“We’re certainly going to participate in the process that is associated with assessing impact and providing some type of mitigation,” Whitman Town Administrator Frank Lynam said. “(The casino) could have far-reaching affects throughout the surrounding communities.”

The project – proposed for the Brockton Fairgrounds on Route 123 – would bring a seven-story hotel, 250,000 square foot gaming hall, and event and conference space to a 45-acre parcel across from Brockton High School.

Mayor Bill Carpenter secured a host community agreement with developer Mass Gaming & Entertainment earlier this year, providing the city at least $10 million per year, along with other benefits. The project is competing with a potential project in New Bedford for the third and final state casino license.

As part of that process, towns are allowed to apply for mitigation funding to help pay for the cost of increased road infrastructure costs, higher levels of police and fire response and other measures.

There are multiple ways to apply, according to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, including the ability of a town to execute an agreement with a gaming applicant, such as the Springfield example.

Communities can also apply for money from a “Community Mitigation Fund,” which contains a portion of the money that the state collects from casino operators.

The process, though started by some towns, does not swing into full gear until the second phase of casino applications. The deadline for phase 2 in this region is not scheduled, but gaming officials have said it will not be until at least July 10 and possibly in August or September.

Joe Baerlein, a spokesman for the Brockton casino developer, said the company “has always prided itself on having excellent relations in the communities it operates in, as well as the surrounding communities.”

“At the appropriate time in the process, Mass Gaming & Entertainment will engage with those communities that meet the threshold requirements of the gaming act,” Baerlein said.

Officials in nearly every town near Brockton said this week that they are somehow involved in the process. On Friday, the gaming commission sent out an educational video to help communities.

Abington Town Manager Richard Lafond said the town applied with the state about a month ago, but that it is still in “a wait-and-see-mode.” He said Abington is particularly worried about traffic impacts on major routes heading in and out of Brockton.

“There is significant concern about what type of spillover may come from the crime and other issues associated with gambling,” Lafond said.

David Gagne, town administrator in West Bridgewater, said if a casino is built in Brockton, most visitors from the south will travel through the town, either by way of Route 28 or Route 24.

“We are the primary responsibility jurisdiction for fire and ambulance on (Route 24),” Gagne said. “We also provide a supporting role for State Police on the road.”

Officials in Stoughton, Easton, Avon and East Bridgewater also said their towns have either applied for surrounding community status or are discussing it. Holbrook and Bridgewater officials did not respond to requests for comment.

Towns need not be abutters to be involved, according to the state. As such, Randolph officials are also planning to apply, largely because of anticipated traffic on routes 28 and 24.

“We believe we meet the threshold,” Town Manager Dave Murphy said. “It’s in the very early stages.”