Massachusetts casino industry regulators have approved payments to offset some harm that has been caused as a result of construction work that is under way on the $950 million MGM casino in downtown Springfield.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission Monday approved $140,000 for Caring Health Center to help solve parking problems at its South Main Street clinic and $280,000 for the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department that was forced to relocate a substance abuse treatment program to make way for the casino. Both amounts were lower than what had been requested.
The five-member commission unanimously approved funding to allow the health center to experiment with valet parking for its patients. Caring Health in its application to the commission for mitigation funds asked for a total of $275,000 to pay for the valet parking program, parking for its employees, and administrative expenses.
The number of on-street parking spaces has been reduced along South Main Street and three parking lots have been permanently closed to build the casino.
Commissioner Lloyd Macdonald said he visited the construction site two weeks ago and saw the problems first-hand.
" This is a very very active site and the disruption to this very important institution to the Springfield community being apparently clear," said Macdonald.
Chairman Stephen Crosby said Caring Health is not the only one suffering harm as a result of the parking squeeze.
" We've got to think about this in terms of equity across everyone who is affected," said Crosby.
The MGM project is not solely to blame for the traffic and parking problems currently impacting the south end of downtown Springfield. In addition to MGM, there is the I-91 viaduct reconstruction and water and sewer line repairs. Commissioner Bruce Stebbins urged a long-term plan.
" The city of Springfield needs to be at the table. MGM needs to be at the table. Springfield has a parking authority that other communities don't have that should also be part of the plan. They have a business improvement district that should be part of the plan," said Stebbins.
The commissioners approved funds to help the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department pay the lease on a former nursing home in Springfield that is to become the new location for the Western Massachusetts Correctional Substance Abuse Center.
The sheriff’s department had requested $2 million to cover a five-year lease, but John Ziemba, the ombudsman for the commission, recommended not committing to the full amount now because the location of the program could be affected by the outcome of this fall’s election for Hampden County Sheriff.
"So, we would want to preserve our ability to eliminate funding if something happens to that facility," said Ziemba.
At a meeting last month, commissioners approved a request for $247,500 from West Springfield to pay for higher than anticipated design costs to reconstruct Memorial Ave. The thoroughfare that leads to a bridge over the Connecticut River into downtown Springfield is expected to see an increase in traffic when the casino opens in 2018.
The commission controls a mitigation fund, which had $14 million at the beginning of the year that was financed with a portion of the casino licensing fees.
