A noticeable change is occurring in the skyline of downtown Springfield, as construction work kicks into high gear on the MGM casino.
A large tower crane – a lifting machine that is used at big construction sites – is being assembled in downtown Springfield on the three-block site where MGM is building a $950 million casino. The 205- foot tall crane will tower over the construction site for the next several months as tons of steel is moved into place to create the frames for the gambling and entertainment building and the hotel.
MGM Springfield President Mike Mathis said the arrival of the crane is a proud moment because its presence in the Springfield skyline will give people a sense of the magnitude of the construction project.
"We are going to celebrate a moment like this because, for us, it means Springfield is open for business," said Mathis.
The casino has been touted as the largest single economic development project in the region’s history. Mathis said construction employment is nearing 1,000 and will reach the 2,000 job goal over the course of the next several months.
" This is an invitation to the rest of the businesses in the region and the country: this is place for economic development," said Mathis.
Officials held a news conference Tuesday at the worksite to discuss details about the tower crane and how it will be used to build the casino and hotel. They said the crane has a 264-foot long horizontal jib, or working arm, that can lift 22.5 tons.
The last time a crane this size was used in Springfield was for the construction of the Monarch Place office building in 1986.
The crane should be assembled by Friday and will be used starting Monday to erect steel, according to Randy Pitts, vice president of field operations for Tishman Construction, the general contractors.
" We are meeting our milestones and charging on," said Pitts.
During the summer foundations were poured at the casino construction site and four levels of a seven-level parking garage have been built using prefabricated concrete sections, according to Jason Rosewell, MGM Springfield’s executive director of design construction.
"As we transition out of our earthwork and we now move into being able to set steel that work is not as affected by the weather." So it will help us keep our third quarter of '18 opening date," said Rosewell.
With construction of the casino well under way, MGM is also focusing on developing a workforce for the new casino industry in western Massachusetts. Mathis said the first in a series of career fairs will be held Oct. 5 at the MassMutual Center.
" We encourage people to come," said Mathis. " We have a proprietary program called SkillSmart where people can put in their profiles and have their skills evaluated to make them ready for the job openings in 18 months or so."
MGM has pledged to employ 3,000 people at the casino complex.
